Here’s to surviving this weekend’s hot weather. This is not a heatwave in Los Angeles — it’s only 94-96 F degrees. The real heatwave here will come later. We do not have central AC, we have box AC in the rooms. To keep the house cool during the day, I close all the windows and cover them with blackout curtains.
Continue reading Countdown until we get a new ricecookerTag: gardens
Find me in a garden…
My favorite place to go are gardens and parks. I like to go there to find calm from a busy week. Also, I like to learn about different plants and grab some inspiration for my own yard someday. Every year during the holiday season I remind my husband we have to go to the garden to enjoy the holiday lights. Forget going to the mall! I’m going to the garden. Plus don’t forget to reserve tickets as early as possible!
Anyways, here are a few gardens I’ve visited in the past. For this week I went through my WordPress media archives to find plenty of garden photos.
Getty Villa in Malibu
A Mediterranean style garden in Malibu.
The Arboretum in Arcadia – Moonlight Forest
I have not gone to the Arcadia Arboretum in the daytime. I only went there a couple years ago for the holiday season where they transformed the place into a garden of lights. These are just a few of the photos I took that day. The original post was from a previous Lens-Artist challenge.
Descanso Gardens — Enchanted Forest
Another garden I visited during the holiday season. I love how the different colored lights are shining on the branches; the blue looks little magical but the gray branch with the green in the background looks little creepy. Here’s the original post with a few more photos from Descanso Garden. I’d like to return for the cherry blossom festival in fall.
Huntington Library is one of my favorite places to go. I’ve had a couple of posts featuring a picture or two — but that’s nothing, it deserves a solo post. Many years ago, I entertained the idea of having our wedding at the Huntington, but we did not have $100,000 for the venue fee. If you are wondering, the fee does NOT include food and beverage, photography, music and entertainment, flowers, rentals, tents, supplemental security, and cost of event planner or producer. I understand they are an estate first, not an event center.
https://japanesegarden.org/Portland Japanese Garden
When we were in Portland, we rented a bike to explore the city. We went far enough and ended up at this Japanese Garden. It was not in our itinerary, but it we thought “let’s check it out.” It’s a small garden but there’s lots to see!
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #147: Gardens (Host: Amy)
Attack of the Agavaceae
I’ll make this week’s challenge post short because I am currently doing a madeleine bake-athon for my friend’s wedding this Saturday. I am making three flavors, vanilla dipped in chocolate, orange blossom, and rosewater. And I figured out how to stage them for the dessert table!
This another photo of one of my many trips to the Huntington Library. This is me with an unusually large agave plant at the Desert Garden section. For your reference, I am 5’7 (170.2 cm) and I’m wearing sandals.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual
Take a break at the Huntington Library
Collage is defined as:
a piece of art made by sticking various different materials such as photographs and pieces of paper or fabric onto a backing,
the art of making collages, and
a combination or collection of various things
For this post, I’ll apply the definition with the last point: “a combination or collection of various things.”
I’ll feature the Huntington Library and Garden at Sierra Madre. It’s one of my favorite places in Los Angeles. Actually Huntington Library hits my Top Ten places in Los Angeles.
The campus is huge and each time I go, I don’t go through everything because there’s so much to see! I enjoy taking this visit in chunks, but then again I am local and I do come back again. If you are in Los Angeles for a visit, go see as much as you can from the Huntington Library and take a break at the Rose Garden Tea Room for some tea and sandwiches.
I took this photo back in I believe 2013. It’s interesting the way the leaves of this deciduous tree is placed against the bamboo.
A cactus collection in the desert garden.
I’ve got quite a photo collection from Huntington Library. Stay tuned for more photos in future photos!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage
Portland Japanese Garden
Address:
611 SW Kingston Ave
Portland, OR 9720
Warning: This post is picture heavy but well worth it 🙂
The Japanese Garden at Portland may be small. It took us about an hour exploring the garden, but it was LUSH full of green plants and beauty. Seeing it in person was unreal and fairy-tale like.
Eat, Play, Live 