This might seem surprising to some, but even though we go to Descanso Gardens a lot, we have never paid any attention to what season it is or what flowers will be in bloom. In fact, there are sections of the gardens that we have never seen in flower. The lilac garden has always been a fenced off group of glorified shrubs. The “camellia forest” has always been, well, a forest.
[Photo credit: my husband]
We had barely turned off the main path before I realized that this visit would be different. Everywhere there were cherry blossom trees exploding into view – their pinkish-white petals falling softly to the ground like the most enchanting snow. The camellias were awake now. None of our photographs captured how small I felt walking beneath these tall trees covered in red, white, and pink flowers. There is something very beautiful about walking beneath a flowering canopy. I felt a bit like Alice . For a moment, I understood why people like Spring.
At a certain point, I stopped taking pictures and tried to store up mental images inside — the petals falling in the breeze, the precise color and shape of a tiny lilac bloom. There is enough beauty here to sustain me for weeks — or days — or maybe just barely long enough until we can get back outside again. Do you have a place like this you can go to? A place you feel you know but can still surprise you with it’s beauty? I hope so.
I wish you a week full of such surprises. More soon…
Filed under Gardens & Special Places, Travels Near & Far.
[Images courtesy of my husband.]
Over the weekend, we visited the L.A. Zoo. We saw so many pensive little animals — like this monkey (above), stroking his beard. The weather was unusually warm. It gave me the feeling of being flashed forward to a different season. For the afternoon, we had a glimpse of what might be coming ahead. I wondered if that was what this monkey was thinking about too.
The zoo was popular this weekend. In fact, it was so popular that we decided to buy an annual membership just so we could skip the line. So we’ll be back.
We discussed skipping the meerkats completely. We have enough pictures of meerkats already, right?
But how can you ever have too many pictures of these worried little faces? This photo ended up being my favorite of the entire day. Thank goodness for a husband who has steady hands with the zoom lens.
I spent the rest of the weekend puttering around – trying to straighten things up a bit, catching up on some chores, and enjoying a few quiet moments to stare off into space myself. What about you? How’s 2011 shaping up so far?
Filed under Gardens & Special Places, Travels Near & Far.
Tagged with animals, L.A. Zoo, Photography.
By Kelly
January 17, 2011
Now that we’re celebrating 2011, I wanted to share another one of my favorite local places – the L.A. Arboretum. I love going to a garden on January 1st – it is a wonderful feeling to start the year off someplace quiet, crisp, beautiful. I’m working on some site updates over here, and this one will be added to my “Garden” tab (so far I’ve shared my thoughts on Descanso Gardens).
I will admit that the first time we visited the arboretum, I was a little hesitant. I think it was the name “arboretum.” It just sounds kind of stuffy to me. However, this garden is almost the exact opposite — a wide open carpet of lawn and meandering paths and many, many peacocks. When we are looking for a long walk and more space, this is where we go.
L.A. Arboretum
301 North Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA, 91007
The Details:
Why We Love It:
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Peacocks — The Arboretum may not be the only place to encounter peacocks. However, I don’ t think you’ll ever find quite so many in one place. 8? 10? 12? There are a lot. Perhaps the sheer number of peacocks explains why they seem so spectacular here – flying up into the trees, preening on a park bench, taking a nap in a flower bed. I never really noticed how they seem to change colors in the light. This is the only place where I’ve been able to get up close enough to see that subtle change from shimmery green to blue to gold. (I blab on some more about peacocks in this post.) Oh, and there are some geese and ducks, too.
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Wide Open Spaces – This garden has wide black-top paths and lots of grassy lawns which makes it popular with families. We always see a few children playing catch and running around (and sadly, sometimes bothering the birds). However, there is enough space here that it’s still easy to put some distance between you and the other visitors if you’re looking for a more peaceful visit.
Worth Noting:
- Family Events + Concerts – The garden has frequent concerts and events if that’s your thing. (We’ve had to turn around and leave after finding the parking lot packed full with families there for a concert, so it’s worth checking their schedule before you head over.
If you decide to visit, let me know what you think. We find it’s a nice addition to our revolving lists of day trips.
Anyone else getting out there and exploring in 2011? I’m already thinking about where we’ll go this weekend, and I would love to be inspired by your ideas.
http://www.arboretum.org/index.php
Filed under Gardens & Special Places, Travels Near & Far.
Tagged with Catawumpus, gardens, L.A. Arboretum, peacocks, places for kids, Southern California favorite spots.
[This is a short week here in the U.S., so I won't be posting a last 5 project this week. However, there is so much else to share including some photos of le pique-nique! But first, we have some eye candy from the aquarium...]
Happy Tuesday, everyone! On Saturday, my husband and I visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Despite some fairly dense crowds, we had a really nice time – and I think we got some of our best aquarium photos yet. Since we were sharing the camera between us, I’ve included a few of my husband’s photographs. He gets credit for those beautiful moon jellies up top and the jellyfish photos below. The rest are mine.
I left full of inspiration and itching to grab my sketchbook. I hope you had a wonderful, inspiring weekend too. I’ll be back tomorrow with more!
Filed under Gardens & Special Places, Inspiration, Photography, Travels Near & Far.
By Kelly
September 7, 2010
This past weekend, we stopped in at the J. Paul Getty Museum. The museum is beautiful, but it’s hard not to be distracted by the views. I wish I had a photo that captured the breeze that blows over those cool, white stones. It was so refreshing just to stand in the shade and soak in the scenery. I didn’t realize this, but you don’t have to ride the tram up the hill. You can walk it. Several old people passed us on the way to the top (it’s steep!), but we made it.
These are just a few snapshots I took indoors. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of this bed (even though I will always associate it with Carol Hannah of Project Runway Season 6).
See you soon!
Filed under Gardens & Special Places, Inspiration, Travels Near & Far.
