California Dreaming
After the thrill of having magazines pieces on my garden in Garden Design and Zoomer mgazine, it’s a good thing we’re here in California where spring has already sprung. Our area is Carpinteria fondly known as The Carp. Our building is run by Heidi and Jim who have turned it into a paradise of container plants. No matter where you turn, there is evidence of Heidi’s gardening skills. This is the land of the giant Aeonium and I found an amazing example nearby:
This combination of aeoniums and phorbiums is one you see all around. So easily done here it makes the northern gardener’s heart vibrate with jealousy.
Each walk takes around this little town brings forth new enchantment. The houses hug the ground to keep out of the way the wild winds that sweep in off the Pacific Ocean.
We’re on a state beach which is both magnificent and fragile. The beauties it fetches up each day are breathtaking. We are told to expect king tides (these are tides that will rise almost two storeys high). But so far we’ve only experienced lots of wind and surf.
From the apartment this is one of my favourite views. This looks southward towards Ventura and Oxnard where there
are organic farms. We are eating so well, the need for twice or thrice daily walks has already become a necessity. I’m also supposed to be exercising my knee which is not perfect just yet.
This particular spot on the beach draws me out inexorably but I’m still terrified of falling, twisting or otherwise mucking up my operated knee so I’m very careful. I haven’t scrambled around that pile of rocks yet, but I’m determined to soon.
Yesterday I was wandering about with my camera and, since it was Saturday, it was a day at the beach for lots of little kids.
This makes me yearn to see my own grandchildren though they’d be way too old to be having this much fun with so little. And not an electronic machine in sight.
Today in our wonderful building, Jim and Heidi are throwing a BBQ. Once again we’ll get to meet people from all over the U. S. and to be told we have real Canadian accents (aboot that…). What fun and how lucky we are.