MORE MUSINGS FROM JOAN: A morning to remember. . .

I've been a tram guide at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for almost ten years now, but this morning's tour was a very new and wonderful experience for me. Alicia Hartsack, the young staff member who works in the education department, asked me if I would consider being the narrator for a set of tours designed for autistic children. My answer was yes, although I admit to being nervous about exactly how it would go.

My driver, Ted Weiss, and I, were at the Phillips Gate when the families began to arrive at 9:45 this morning. I got to help put name tags on kids and parents alike, and everyone was obviously excited. As one mother said to me as I pasted a sticker with her name on her chest, "This is such a special day for all of us."

She was so right. It truly was a remarkable day for us, the volunteers, as it was for the families. Upon arrival, everyone went to the Science Village where a classroom was set up with snacks, drinks, crayons and paper. When we were sure everyone had arrived, close to 50 altogether, including a small group of Down Syndrome teen-agers, everyone headed for the tram and the promised tour.

With everyone seated, kids and parents alike, I put my headset microphone on, walked out of the cab to stand on the road in front of them, and started to talk. Forget about my usual speech, this one was for the kids. I don't know where it came from, but they listened to every word of my welcome and then we were off. This was a fun tour from start to finish, especially when we got to the giant baobab tree, stopped the tram, and invited the kids to get off. Take a look at the photos. That tree never had so much love as these autistic kids and their siblings climbed all over it and danced around it.

One of my favorite moments at the baobab stop was when little Christopher marched over to me, reached up for my headset, and told me in all seriousness that he had "an announcement to make". Next came Menajem with his wish to make an "announcement". Boy, did they love that microphone. In the end it was Christopher who took over my job and announced in a loud, clear voice, that everyone should "get back on the bus. . .we're leaving."

With the tour over, we all headed back to the classroom in the Science Village to make glass terrariums with plants and butterfly stickers. By the end of that part of the morning, I had butterfly stickers on both hands, but I also got lots of kisses in return.

The last part of the morning was spent in the Exotic Butterfly Garden. I wish I had photo of all the kids, absolutely awestruck at the hundreds of gorgeous butterflies everywhere they looked, but by that time a young man named Derrick, part of a family of six, had me firmly by the hand, and I was much too busy to take my camera out. I did get a photo of his whole family at the very end because by this time I felt like I knew them all.

It was an incredible morning, and Fairchild is an incredible place. I am so lucky to be a part of it.
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