I was enchanted by many of the houses I saw in Ca;ifornia -- the houses and their beautiful landscaping.
A Japanese influence?
The California Blue Jay is different from our eastern variety -- but no less attractive.
Some of the plants, like this bottle-brush tree, were familiar to me from my childhood in Florida.
This charming bungalow had an unusual pet roaming the front yard...
The big tortoise moved with surprising speed..,
And he wanted to know if we'd brought him a treat.
With a lovely long sidewalk to follow
And a most venerable tree.
Love the blue bricks in this wall... And this wonderful Blue Atlas Cedar below. . .
There was quite a lot that was unexpected in the California landscape. I grabbed this shot from the car . . .
I'm not done with California yet. . .
12 comments:
I'm curious as to what keeps the strange pet from wandering off?
I love your California diary!
Oh!my god!what is the size of this big tortoise?
We call"taille en nuages" this shape of japanese foliage
nice...that old tortoise is so cool...and love that big round bush...
What a lovely collection of different views of CA! Hard to decide my favorite, but I think the venerable tree gets my vote today.
That's a very creative dancer in the tree.
The tortoise is confined by a low fence around the yard. His shell was, I think, about 2 feet long, maybe a bit more.
The dance in the tree is an example of what some radical knitters call 'yarn bombing.' (radical knitters -- now there's a thought!)
Beautiful!
I could so live in that bungalow!
Vicki, your silent Sunday post communicated so much.
I also thank you for sharing your California views with us. I'd never before known of the west coast blue jay...it is a lovely creature. Does it have the same personality as our Atlantic version does?
xo
That's actually a Western Scrub Jay, Vicki. What sets it apart from our Steller's Jays and your Blue Jays is its lack of a crest and a quiet, shy nature.
I think the tortoise might be a Gopherus Agassizzii Desert Tortoise, the state reptile of California. They live in the Mojave desert to the north of these mountains and in the Sonoran desert to the south, but they're listed as 'threatened' due to vandalism, predation, disease and collection for pets, which is now illegal. I can't remember how long they live, but I believe it is well over 50 years.
What wonderful photos, Vicki! I am especially charmed by the knitted tree dancer. :-) Thanks so much for a glimpse of your California trip.
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