On another mission...

Though Saturday dawned in typical "May-Gray" fashion, we had made time to continue our quest to visit all the missions in the California system. This week's visit was to Mission San Gabriel Archangel in the San Gabriel Valley, just outside Los Angeles. The now-familiar architecture, the chapel bells, all seemed quite the same as many of the places we'd already visited. But, once we stepped through the gates into the complex, we realized that we had found what may be our favorite of all the those we've seen.

The fountain and gardens...

There has been at least one beautiful fountain at each of the missions we've visited. San Gabriel was no exception. We also appreciated the unusual plantings in the courtyard, particularly something flowering in the most striking shade of teal.

In the chapel...

As there were no services taking place on this Saturday morning, we were able to truly appreciate the ornate beauty of the San Gabriel church.

Sacred images and statuary...

All of the missions we've seen so far have had an abundance of exterior art pieces; San Gabriel seemed to have an even greater share than most. One of the most outstanding examples is the Crucifix which is a memorial to the 6,000 Gabrieleno Tongva San Gabriel band of Indians who are buried on these grounds.

Mission life...

Much of what helped the missionaries and Idians to survive and thrive in their home remains on display in the courtyard - the aquadeuct, and wells, vats for making soap and candles, olive oil and wine-making equipment, the Indians' tents, an anchor, and even a cannon.

A Museum with a docent...

named John, the first we've met at any of the mission museums and filled with information! This area was crammed with photos, books, models and memorabilia, as well as beautiful pieces of arts and artifacts.

Twenty-one California Missions under one roof...

A sundial with twenty-one native plants around it stands near the "Court of the Mission Models". Inside, all of the California missions are depicted, made in the 1930's by Claretian Missionaries.

We've now visited nine of the twenty-one California missions. There is only one left, in San Diego, that we can see without packing a bag and spending the night somewhere...

The Huntington...

The Huntington (Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens) sits on 207 acres of grounds less than three miles from Mission San Gabriel. Spending some time in the 120 acre Botanical Garden seemed like a perfect continuation of our "day-away" in the San Gabriel Valley. (We'll save viewing the incredible art collection for another day.) Here are just a few sneak peeks of the beauty that is found throughout these grounds.

A simulated "Rain Forest"...

Lush tropical plants thrive inside this greenhouse.

The newly opened Chinese Garden...

The Huntington's recently opened Chinese Garden features a lake, a complex of pavilions, a tea house and five stone bridges. We were particularly taken with the rock formations placed around the lake. The short video shares the sounds of the Garden's waterfall. The slideshow shares so much more of the many elemants of this amazing space.

The Japanese Garden...

The Japanese House that is part of this exhibit was closed to visitors today, but that didn't stop us from appreciating this incredible section of the Gardens.

The Lily Ponds...

The Lily Ponds are so tranquil. It would be easy to sit there for hours just drinking in the peace.

Prickly beauties...

These are a very few of the many cactus and succulents in this immense portions of the Gardens.

Ever so lush...

The "Jungle Waterfall", and plants from the Subtropical Garden.

Fauna as well as flora...

Koi, ducks and squirrels were so entertaining!

Day-trippin' means...

...good eatin! As we exited the freeway in Alhambra on our way to the San Gabriel Mission, Larry mentioned two restaurants that he remembered fondly in that area, The Hat (best known for its pastrami sandwiches) and Twoheys, a place he swore had great burgers and even better onion rings! We saw The Hat driving in - too early to eat. But, as we were leaving the Huntington Library Gardens, letting our GPS direct us homeward, there was Twoheys! And yes, the onion rings were pretty darn good!

"Best Kept Secret in Newport Beach..."

(With Margaret returning to work most of the next four weeks, we'd decided to get in a couple more day trips now.)

So, what is the best kept secret in Newport Beach? The Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center at the north end of Newport Back Bay. Made from recycled materials (including melted-down handguns confiscated by local law enforcement), this "earth shelter" is built into the bluff with a roof of natural vegetation. (The Center is built in such a way that it is completely invisible from the nearest street.) Inside are a number of displays regarding such things as the ecosystem of the back bay, how the Center came into being, and descriptions of the animals that make their homes there year round. In a small theatre, a seven minute film "Life In The Salt Marshes" is shown, telling the little known importance of the salt marshes in the Back Bay that are the winter home to countless migrating birds who travel two thousand miles from their summer nesting grounds to end up in Newport Beach. There is also a kid's activity room. Outside the facility is a maze of paths through indigenous plants that are homes to butterflies. And, of course, there are great views of the Upper Portion of the Back Bay from the Observatory Deck on top, beautiful even on such an overcast "May-Gray" day such as this. The facility is free and open to the public six days a week.

Special thanks to our friend Chuck who brought us a copy of the Newport Beach Official Visitors Guide. The Interpretive Center is just one of many points of interest we learned about from this magazine and plan to explore "in our own back yard" in the coming months!

Dateline: Somewhere in Alaska...

Before they arrived in California in April we had spoken with George and Carol about the possibility of taking a whale watching cruise while they were here. Time and circumstances kept that from happening...

We just got a phone call from George, who was, as he spoke, on a Nature Cruise, where he'd been watching humpback whale, puffins, eagles, and sea lions. He just wanted us to know that he was getting his whale watching cruise for the year in, and a whole lot more! We couldn't be any happier for him and his traveling buddies - having a ball in Alaska.

A time for rememberance of our fighting men and women...

... as well as a time to crank up the grill and share a meal with our friends this Memorial Day. The ususual suspects, Chuck and Christine, and Chris and Debra joined us for big juicy burgers and fresh corn hot off the grill on Monday. Christine made a sweet and tangy coleslaw accompaniment, while Chris and Deb supplied the cherry pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. As always, Larry was the King of the Grill! (We did miss our pal, Marti, who was too under the weather to join us this time. We told him "Fourth of July is coming, Marti. We'll see you then!")

Our patio garden gets prepared...

...for the first official cook-out of the summer season. Nothing planted around our Mermaid fountain had been doing well for a year or more. So... we dug out the dirt down several inches, replaced it with a mixture of new fortified top soil and compost, and started over with a flat of bronze leafed white begonias. Hopefully these will take off and be a brilliant summer display of color against the "Laguna Green" fountain. And, our orange blooming "Kangaroo Paws" plant is coming into its own now, a nice contrast against the greens, golds and reds of the "Heavenly Nandina" planted next to it. (The white globes in that bed are coated inside to absorb sunlight during the day and glow softly at night.)

Happy Memorial Day...

Heather has became a great contributor...

... to the blog! Here are more shots of her own cuties!

More wedding pictures from Heather...

Heather sent a few more pictures from Robin and Andrick's wedding that we are happy to share!

"I Now Prounounce You Mr. and Mrs. Andrick DeeMinter..."

Surrounded by loving family members, Robin and Andrick were married at 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 22. Larry escorted his daughter down the aisle and gave her away. Andrick's mother and step-father surprised the bride and groom by secretly flying in from Sacramento. Sisters, cousins, an aunt and Andrick's dad were also in attendance, sharing in the moment with the newlyweds.

We are thrilled for the happy couple and their beautiful family with Brandon, Ava, and baby Riley Brett, due in just a few weeks!

The ceremony...

Family pictures from the wedding...

Belle has a new friend...

Margaret's return to teaching this week got put off until tomorrow. But, that didn't stop us from enjoying time at the barn with Belle and Larry's best buddy, Ira. Belle got her regular Wednesday turn-out, a bath, and went for a long walk with her dad and "Uncle" Ira. Then, us two-legged types headed on into town for lunch at Bad to the Bone, our favorite barbeque joint!

George's great adventure...

We got a phone call this morning from Margaret's brother, George, somewhere in British Columbia. He and two buddies are on a 23 day road trip from Battle Creek to Alaska! They got on the road around 5:00 p.m. Friday and drove straight through until Saturday night. He said they clocked another 1000 miles yesterday before checking into a motel. (These guys are tough!)
We know they are taking pictures, and we know they have a lap-top with them... We are hoping this means that there will be some photos emailed from the road. (If we can, we'll share.) In the meanwhile, we are praying that they travel safe. And we are thrilled to pass along that it sounds like they are having the time of their lives!

Fresh from the field...

This year's strawberries are fantastic! We've been buying them a quarter flat at a time for the past couple of weeks, directly from the grower, at a local stand. They are a-l-m-o-s-t too pretty to eat!

Heather's pictures from the train ride...

As you can see from Heather's pictures, the train is small, but the little kids fit just fine! (A couple of the older folks took a minute or to to unfold themselves back at the station!)