Anne and I got out and about today. We enjoyed a rather warm October Sunday afternoon at the gardens. It felt unseasonably warm and was made to seem all the more so, because the gardens had already begun putting up their Christmas lights display. We are members and have been to the gardens dozens of times, but this time we eschewed the main thoroughfares and were amply rewarded with the discovery of many unseen treasures. Our first discovery were the pictured koi. Their pond is just a stone’s throw from the Climatron, but is situated just far enough off the beaten path that we must have been the first people that they had seen all day. They immediately came rushing over to us, hoping to be fed. Unfortunately, neither of us had packed any food. Anne decided to dangle her fingers in the water, at least until a fish came over to nibble on them, so in a real sense she was playin’ da koi. It was in the far southeast corner of the gardens where we made our real discoveries. First, there is a private residence in this corner of the garden. Maybe it is the grounds keeper’s place, since his usual abode has been undergoing renovation. I don’t know, but with after hour’s access to the rest of the gardens, they have the best backyard in Saint Louis. Adjoining it is a Bavarian garden that we had never seen before and next to it work is underway for another new garden. It is too early to tell what type this new garden will be, except that it involves the use of dozens of dead tree stumps. Time will tell, maybe by spring.