Susie and I met Claire (and her husband George) when we traveled to BVI for Tony & Sarah’s wedding in 2012. Claire & George live in Calabasas and we hoped to get to see them on our California adventure, but we knew finding a time might be a challenge. Claire suggested that we come to Westwood and join her for lunch at the Napa Valley Grille. It was fun to get together, sorry we didn’t get to see George too. George is a member of the Strawberry Alarm Clock, if you're old enough you might remember 'Incense and Peppermints'!
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| MUSAP meeting Claire - love the guy in the background! |
After lunch Claire had to get back to work ~ office has an amazing 19th floor view of the UCLA campus and beyond. Susie and I asked her about the botanical garden at UCLA - she didn’t know that there was one. The waitress hadn’t heard of it either when we asked her about walking directions. Apparently it’s a hidden gem. If you are visiting the LA area and want a peaceful place to visit that isn't choked with tourists ~ check this place out.
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| a hidden gem |
So with a campus map in hand Susie and I set off in search of the gardens. We left our car in the garage back at Claire’s building. The Mildred Mathias Botanical Gardens are located on the southeast corner of the UCLA campus. The day was sunny and we enjoyed the walk. It was wonderful to see so much green in February. There were more flowers in bloom than I expected.
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| camellias - lovely splashes of color |
Whenever I see Bird of Paradise plants I think of cousin Wendy and take lots of photos. There is a Bird of Paradise plant here that is huge! Actually seeing these plants was pretty common around LA - I stop for photos while others walk right by without noticing.
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| Bird of Paradise |
I am getting better about remembering to photograph MUSAP at all of the stop along the way in my adventures. Sometimes I balance him in precarious spots and worry that he will tumble into a place where recovery will be a challenge - so far no major disaster. I wonder where we will be when he loses the tag on his wing.
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| MUSAP and some lilies |
The botanical garden was a quiet and serene place and we enjoyed strolling the trails. I don't think we covered all the trails while we were there. It would be wonderful to come back throughout the year and see how the scenery changes. There are signs identifying a lot of the plants, but of course we found a few plants with no signs and we were curious about what they were.
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| one of many varieties of bamboo |
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