WEDNESDAY, JULY 1

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1:

      A great day. Weather iffy again – in fact, felt much like home in the spring – warm and very humid, with threats of rain. This is Southern California in July?? Unheard of. We really must have brought it with us . . . are we the answer to Californians' prayers to end their drought?? At any rate, it didn't stop us from having a wonderful day. We decided to not stray as far from home today. Loretta & Steve heard on the news last night that there was a police car chase on the I-5 yesterday, ending in Del Mar. So that may have been the source of yesterday's over-the-top traffic. But we weren't about to test that theory and see if today's traffic fared any better!

      So we went to the nearby San Diego Botanical Gardens – only 10 or 15 miles south in Encinitas. What a lovely place! Showcased trees and plants which thrive in Southern California's coastal desert climate. Lots and lots of palms, succulents, flowering trees,

                                                                     

 

 

 
                                      On the left, a Cork Tree, which they use in Spain & Portugal to make wine corks:

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                     

a

different varieties of bamboo.

 

                                                    Black Bamboo:                                                

                                              A verigated type of bamboo:  

 

 

Startingly different to our midwestern eyes used to our Missouri Botanical Gardens. 

                                                       

 
                                                                     

                                                                       

Of special fun was a section of whimsical topiary figures.
                                                              

 
                                                          

                                                                               

 

 

 

 

     After 90 minutes or so, we left to go to lunch, as we were all getting hungry, making sure that we could re-enter the gardens afterwards. We came upon a small Peruvian cafe on the main street of town. A very nice, friendly hostess/waitress (owner? Manager?) seated us. Many of the items on the menu looked unfamiliar to us; we took advantage of that and ventured away from the safe & familiar. I got a veggie empenada, a filled baked puff pastry, served with an absolutely delicious salad of fresh greens, fresh mandarin orange segments, candied pepitas, goat cheese, and a citrus dressing. Bill ordered saltena de carne, a similar dish but with beef, with a beet salad. The atmosphere was intimate and relaxed, consistent with the “slow cooking” movement, and the coolness insisde felt refreshing. It was a wonderful serendipititous choice for us, thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable.

      We returned to the Gardens, and leisurely strolled down many of the paths for the better part of the afternoon. Came across a tropical rain forest section, which reminded us all of Hawaii.

                                                                        

                                               How perfect a Bird of Paradise is this??!

                                                                   

                                                                  

                                                                  

 

 

It was all so tranquil and relaxing and soothing and pretty - just the antidote to an otherwise kind of dreary day. One of those hidden gems we love to discover when travelling – off the beaten path, known more to the locals than the tourists.

                                                                 

 

         

      Came home and relaxed for a couple of hours. Then met at the Oceanside marina, where S & L are staying. Ate dinner at the Lighthouse. The plan was to eat outside and enjoy the marina view – but it started to rain as we were waiting for our table. So we scurried inside, and got seated there. I think Loretta will tell you that's a first – in all her years of eating al fresco in Southern California, never was she chased inside by summer rain! It did clear up shortly, and we still had nice views of the outside.

      A really nice, fun time at dinner. And as we said good-bye, it was great knowing that it wasn't for a year at least; we'll meet up again next Thursday to go to the Laguna Art Festival – they have tickets for the 4 of us.