santa clara county parks

Gardenerd joined me at our local post office for his last excursion in San Jose. We’ve had such a good time. As plush carrots go, he really has quite the personality.

He briefly considered auditioning for the part of a California Poppy, but alas it was time to hit the road.

To be [a poppy], or not to be, that is the question.

Gardenerd arrived in San Jose via Sarah the Gardener. He spent time in the gardens of Upper Hutt and Waiuku, New Zealand before traveling to the States. He’s now on his way to Des Allemande, Louisiana, a small community in the southern United States.

While here in San Jose, Gardenerd posed for the obligatory “I’ve just arrived and I’m happy to be out of my box” pics. Then I put him to work. He supervised the VegTrug planting bed assembly, then helped us celebrate the arrival of some much-needed rain.

Together we welcome Gardenerd

Gardenerd admires the garden

Gardenerd supervises the VegTrug assembly

Checking out the rain harvesting system

Will you look at that? Love-in-a-mist is growing everywhere

Yes, Gardenerd, those are California oranges

Gardenerd feeling just a bit out-of-place in the fairy garden

In between storms, Gardenerd came along on a walk through Martial Cottle Park. I plan to write more about this wonderful new place in a future post but in summary: Martial Cottle arrived in the valley in 1864 and farmed the land for over 150 years. The Cottle-Lester family resisted eager developers swooping in for years. At his death, following his mother’s wishes, the family transferred the remaining 287 acres to the state and county for development of a public park and urban farmland. They opened to the public in December of 2014.

No rules about carrots on leashes

Mary Ann introduced me to this park

The Martial Cottle homestead

Gardenerd plays on the playground

A carrot on a horse. You don’t see that every day

More cuteness with Mary Ann

David Tuttle poses with Gardenerd amid the Jacobs Farm carrots

I’ve walked there two or three times with my friend Mary Ann, and I’m eager to share this gem of a place with others.

At the end of his first week, Gardenerd traveled with us to beautiful Carmel-by-the-sea. Doesn’t he look rested? I think it’s that wonderful sea air.

He lounged in the room, considered a game of chess and enjoyed the beautiful gardens.

Cheek to cheek

A bold move

What do you think of Carmel so far, Gardenerd?

Resting our feet

Ah, this is the life

Alas, it was time for Gardenerd to move on to his next garden adventure. Safe travels, little buddy. I’m looking forward to seeing you on Twitter and Instagram.

Where Did He Go?

You can follow Gardenerd’s travels via Instagram or Twitter by using the hashtag #wheresgardenerd (just one ‘n’)

Additional photos on my Facebook Page Gardening Nirvana

My heartfelt thanks to Christy at Gardenerd.com for allowing us to host Gardenerd in San Jose, California.

Karen and Dylan weren’t able to join me on Monday for our walk. Instead I hiked the Quicksilver trail on my own in search of wildflowers. I hoofed it up the hill and got my heart rate going, but I also enjoyed the opportunity to stop several times along the way.

The hills, parched and dry, are a worrying site this early in the year. Most of the grass along the trail’s edge is golden brown instead of green.

View of Silicon Valley from the Almaden Quicksilver Trail

Here and there, though I spotted tiny dots of color. It stands to reason that wildflowers native to our region are able to withstand the drought.

Here’s a sample:

Santa Clara County wildflowers

This reminds me of a delicate orchid

I also passed several happy pooches enjoying the trail. A few of them stopped for a photo-op, but they were more interested in walking and playing.

Cutie-patootie number one

Cutie-patootie number two

Birds flew in and out of the dry brush, camouflaging well among the branches.

Can you see me now?

Half way down the hill, I heard a cacophony of birds in one tree, clearly distressed. Here’s a sample:

I strained to see what I assumed was a predator, moving the lens of my camera back and forth. In the split second it took to adjust my eyes, I spotted the hawk. Just as quickly it flew away, a jay hot on its tail. My reflexes just weren’t fast enough.