Have Geek Will Travel

On May 3rd, my wife Nicki and I finished out Free Comic Book Day by stopping by the Memphis Botanic Gardens to go trolling. We finally go to see the Thomas Dambo “Trolls: Save The Humans” outdoor exhibit.

These wooden sculptures looked amazing in photos online, but were super impressive and massive in person. Definitely not a bunch of yard gnomes!

Because of bad weather a few weeks back, the Garden’s Troll Fest art day got rescheduled for that Saturday.

Lots of “recycled” artists who use found items and/or repurposed items were set up around the garden, as well as food trucks and live performances.

There were also several booths set up to promote local groups, other events, and share information on nature. Mississippi Wildlife Rehab were there with live rescued animals that can’t be returned to the wild, and the Girl Scouts were there to earn merit badges by giving out free tree saplings.

We also noticed an art show inside the visitors center as we first got there.

And there’s lots of art/sculptures all throughout the Botanic Gardens.

There were also members of the Memphis Urban Sketchers art group who were not only drawing at the event, but one of them, artist Erik Pena was even dressed up as Bob Ross and painting the first troll we came across.

That first troll we ran into was Ronja Redeye.

Ronja speaks from the heart with a mighty voice and is a natural leader. She speaks compassionately and honestly since she knows words can make humans smile but can also make them sad.

The next troll we discovered was Kamma Can.

Kamma is a creator. Where humans see trash, she sees potential. She wants to teach the humans not to throw things away so fast but instead get creative with colorful plastics, which she calls eternity material.

Our next troll was Sofus Lotus who had one ear to the ground.

Sofus listens, feels, and is mindful of nature and all its beings. He was the first one to notice something was wrong with the world, and that nature was changing its rhythm and ways for the worse.

Just up the path from Sofus was Ibbi Pip who was distributing birdhouses in the surrounding trees.

 

Ibbi is a handy, optimistic troll and a friend of all animals. She tries to communicate with the humans through colorful birdhouses because she thinks this could awaken the humans’ compassion for their natural surroundings.

Ibbi was located near the wildlife rehab table, and around the corner the girl scouts were set up near an old cabin in the woods.

And just beyond them was a reclining Basse Buller, who was near a swing-set that was hung between two trees.

Basse is a wild child at heart and loves to express himself through symbols and shapes inspired by nature he lives in, and he makes his mark with anything he can find. A rebel, he takes “no” as a “maybe.”

 

We found one of the spots where Nicki and I had some of our engagement photos taken- almost 16 year ago..!

Lots of wildlife around including ducks, fish, and I really loved seeing all the families of geese walking through the park.

Especially all the fuzzy little goslings…they’re so FLUFFY!!!

We had a lot of fun taking tons of pics as we walked through the Garden.

 

The weather was amazing- partly cloudy, mild temps, and a nice breeze. Perfect day to explore the garden, and we definitely got our steps in for the day!

We started to make our way through the rose garden and over to the the large greenhouse to encounter for our last troll.

That last troll was Rosa Sunfinger and can be seen from the road.

Rosa is a soft-spoken introverted troll who cares for plants and other green creatures with her life-giving fingers. She spreads her wisdom by showing how plants can make even the most useless items come back to life.

We had an amazing time and I wish we had come earlier. It’s hard to believe it’s probably been 10 years since we were at the gardens for a work Christmas party, and about 6 years before that!

You still have a bit of time before the trolls pack up and move to their next location. They will be here at the Memphis Botanic Garden until May 21, 2025.