Marina del Rey California

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The Traveling Gardener: Flowers of Southern California

I took a road trip this weekend with a small group of close friends covering several hundred miles of California. We started in the Bay Area, moved south to Santa Cruz, and then traveled “The 5” to Marina del Ray. The trip was extraordinary in many ways. I had joyous, but all too brief reunions with friends from my theater days; wonderful re-acquaintances after thirty years.  Through the connectivity of Facebook, I’ve opened doors to people I would never have met, while drawing back the curtain from parts of my life I was sorry to see fade away.  I’m still reveling in this friendship high.

We passed miles of coastline and rolling hills, and the not so elegant oil-well pumps and truck stops.  Garden enthusiasts like me reaped the benefits of travel in early spring: flowers everywhere.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Madonna Inn: Poppies in the Rain

Tiny Little Flowers Cascading Over Rocks

Part of the Santa Barbara Welcoming Committee

Bird of Paradise after dark in Marina del Rey

Palm Fronds Rustle in the Breeze in Marina del Rey

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Hide and Seek in the Garden

I’m in beautiful Marina del Rey today, enjoying a long overdue catch-up with good friends. My room with a view opens up to sand, surf, seagulls, and last night, a duck next to the pool. Good times!

I plan to snap some shots of the local flora to share with all of you when I return. I love travel and time with friends as much as I love my home, my family and the felines that keep me on my toes.

Slinky and Lindy are still working out the order of dominance, hence this brief game of kitty hide and seek. I’m not privy to their private thoughts, but when I return they’ll have a story to tell, the subtext of which is “where have you been?!”

Hide and Seek