Apologies here. I meant to have my posts on Joshua Tree ready this week, but yesterday was my husband’s birthday and we’re getting ready for a trip. So, just a photo of Indian Hawthorn today. . . .
I finally got my scanner working again, so hoping to do more scans of my older travel photos. I’ll have one for you on Thursday.
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
So, we spent a few days in Palm Springs last week. . . .
I’d been there before, but it had been ages, so I forgot about all the mountains with nothing on them. Nothing but rocks–so unusual. Not sure I could get used to that. . .I need more green. In town, there are flowers and green grass, but the minute you leave the city limits, it’s dry, dusty and brown.
There was bougainvillea everywhere:
I shot this while waiting for my husband to check us into the hotel.
This was in the outdoor breakfast room. It was heavenly to eat outside again.
The weather was pretty much perfect: dry, mid-80s with a breeze. One day it was 90F, but that didn’t bother us. After living on the humid East Coast, this was easy.
Palm Canyon Drive is kind of the main drag in Palm Springs. Lots of colorful shops and restaurants.
At night, the place really came alive. People everywhere, spilling out of restaurants. A great party atmosphere every night, warm enough to walk around without a sweater or jacket. There was no way I’d use flash or a tripod there, so took these less-than-stellar shots with my iPhone:
The skies really were this azure color at night.
The Plaza Theatre is home to the Palm Springs Follies. Vaudeville is not our thing, so we passed on that.
I love this old lantern next to the bougainvillea, the white stucco and wooden door.
How great is this old Caddie with the license plate “Buttah”?
Finally, a statue of Marilyn Monroe:
I thought “Forever Marilyn” was permanently moored in Chicago, but evidently she’s touring the country. Did you know the sculptor is Johnson & Johnson heir Seward Johnson, age 80? Here are the specs:
Materials: Bronze and stainless steel
Height: 26 feet tall, 17 ft. wide, 18 ft. deep
Weight: 34,300 lbs.
Marilyn was discovered at a racquet club in Palm Springs and had a bungalow there.
On Tuesday, Joshua Tree National Park.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
I’d almost forgotten one of my favorite California plants, Echium, or Pride of Madeira. They’re in bloom right now and the blue-violet color amazes me every time I see them. . . .
Close-up:
Did you find the bee?
I once saw a hillside landscaped with nothing but echium and green agave plants. So beautiful.
Echium plants are great for covering large areas, because they get huge. Eight feet tall and three feet wide.
They are native to Madeira and the Canary Islands, and are drought-tolerant.
Hope your week’s going well. Last week we went to Palm Springs for a few days. I’m still editing the photos (I took a lot.) so will try to upload some in my next post.
{carole}
“for whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it’s always our self we find in the sea.”
~e.e. cummings
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I’ll be off next week, but back on April 2nd. Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
So, back at the ranch. . . .
The Flying LC brand can be seen throughout the property.
Part of the hacienda. The landscaping is really well done. . . .
I believe these flowers are alstroemeria, but I’ve never seen them growing outdoors, or with variegated foliage.
Orange trees thrive near the hacienda
and in the open
What we weren’t expecting to see:
A white peacock, my first.
A few seconds later, he was on the roof:
Traditional peacocks are all over the grounds. I’d never been around birds that tame and hadn’t seen them up close. One of them was showing off in a big way. . . .
He kept turning as I was shooting,
all the while making a buzzing sound with his feathers.
Finally, I saw what he looked like in the back. These feathers were moving the whole time too:
Usually peacocks are skittish and run as soon as you get close. This bird didn’t mind the camera one bit.
According to Wikipedia, The Cisco Kid was the first television program to be filmed in color. By 1955, it was the most popular TV show for kids in the U.S. The series also had the first Hispanic actors; Desi Arnaz would come along a year later.
Hope your week’s going well so far. . . .
{carole}
Ever heard of a film called The Gay Desperado?
Didn’t think so. How about a fifties television show, The Cisco Kid?
Someone by the name of Leo Carillo starred in both, and his ranch is about 25 miles north of San Diego. I was really surprised to learn that Carillo was in his 70s when he did the TV show, because he rides a fast horse in the episodes and looks much younger. You can watch a film about him in the old barn that’s now a visitor center.
Carillo took an existing 1880s ranch and renovated the buildings and landscaping from 1937-1940. He wanted a retreat from the hubbub of Hollywood. The ranch is open to the public–free admission–and it’s kind of like going back in time.
Carriage House, Tack Shed and Cantina. I took the photo of the cowboy hat from the last post here.
A close-up of the cantina window.
I love this kind of cactus.
The house or hacienda is pretty modest by today’s standards.
The pool cabana and pump house, which looks like a garden shed up close:
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were guests of Carillo’s.
A detail on one of the courtyard walls of the hacienda.
I am unable to pass a bougainvillea without photographing it. Especially when it’s in late afternoon sun.
More on Tuesday. . . .have a great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
I’ve had the Diptic app on my iPhone for a while now, but never used it. IPhone photos are so small, I didn’t see the benefit, especially for posting on Instagram. Then I realized I could use it to display instagrams on the blog. . . .
The first and last photos were taken at an old ranch; the second at the beach, and the third in our backyard. We have a beautiful giant bird of paradise that’s doing really well. It hasn’t flowered yet, but hopefully this year.
The Diptic app is very easy to use. You just select a layout, then the photos you want and Diptich does all the rest. There are may layouts to choose from, but I think I’ll stick to the standard two- or four-photo ones.
Hope your week’s going well so far. . . .
{carole}
Until I moved to California, I thought jade plants (Crassula ovata) were nice little houseplants that just looked green and waxy. I was so surprised to see them flowering, and growing outdoors, and as big as shrubs. I took these on a beautiful day last week when the light was turning golden.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
One of my favorite places in San Diego County–Torrey Pines Reserve. You can walk along cliffs that overlook the ocean, and you can see for miles. The land mass on the left in the distance is Catalina Island. I took more photos, so will do a longer post in the future.
I’m away this week, so won’t be able to comment. Hope you’re all doing well!
{carole}
A couple of weekends ago, we drove up to Temecula and wandered around the shops in Old Town. Temecula is kind of a mix of Old West and wine country. The merchandise pretty much ran the gamut. . . .
Valentine’s Day holdovers.
A funky outdoor pottery shop with fountains, birdbaths and items like this:
I have no idea what this stuff is, but I assume it has to do with horses.
A nod to the surrounding wine country. I’m not sure if it’s actual wine or colored water coming out of the bottle.
There’s a hot air balloon festival in Temecula every summer and I’m hoping to make it this year. We used to see balloons flying over our house when I lived in San Diego before and I never got tired of them. Has anyone been up in a hot air balloon? I’d love to do it sometime.
A frou-frou boutique with a romantic bedroom. . .
I’m guessing you’ve never seen a lampshade made from a crinoline?
I stopped in my tracks when I saw this gorgeous import:
It’s a Jaguar, but I don’t know the year. The vintage pickup across the street was pretty cool too.
Can we say pristine? I can’t imagine parallel parking this on a busy street.
Finally, some more flowering pear blossoms. I shot this in the shade and am liking the blue tones. . . .
Great weekend, everyone! We’re going away next week, but I’ll post a photo or two.
{carole}
