road trip

sunday rocked. literally. the family (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, sister dogs and i) all caravan-ed over to some of our favorite haunts in the mojave desert to search for rocks and wood twigs, roots, the works. it was so much fun to dig around in the dirt for cool findings. everyone found amazing shapes and textures. sharing our loot with such passion "WOW that rock is green!" or "it looks like a mask!". no detail is missed amongst my family. we also made a stop at an antique shop we now frequent for terri planty treasures and beyond. portraits of all the treats on their way.



on our way out of the mojave we cruised the angeles forest. stopping often to take it all in. california is amazing. one minute we are in the desert amongst joshua trees and cacti, and suddenly we are surrounded by pine trees and creeks.



while running out and about in the wild, i also got to play with my camera and shot a lot of wildflowers. all the rain we have had this year has really boosted the color story in the desert and the forest. i spotted quite a few native flora that i will have to come back to this post to identify what their correct names are - i tend to make up my own.



the forest had been in a terrible fire not long ago so there are vast areas where the trees were like black silhouettes, however new growth was sprouting out of them in fuzzy bunches. i wish i would have got a shot of this, but mostly this was happening in steep and narrow parts of the road where parking is limited.
most everything was really green and lush. there were so many natural vertical gardens happening along the rock walls of the road. it never fails to amaze me where plants will choose to grow. and the best part is seeking out new growth and blooms. the wildflowers are like surprises amongst all the expected shrubbery. suddenly there is this color and shape that you don't expect. they are so precious.



have i mentioned how much i dig my adventure loving family? well i do! they are so much fun to be around. i am a lucky girl. we had a really good time (crazy wind and all - check out everyone's hair below).  even the dogs had a really good time (i swear they are smiling in the earlier photos).



p.s. we didn't take anything from the protected wildlife areas. we did however clean up! people can be such pigs!

theodore payne garden tour

last weekend was the theodore payne foundation garden tour here in so cal. the theodore payne foundation is a garden and nursery that has a very special mission statement. "to promote and restore california landscapes, and habitats / propagate and make available California native plants and wildflowers / to educate and acquire knowledge about California flora and natural history". in short i love this place. when i plant natives it goes beyond just being a pleasurable gardening experience, i feel like a garden activist in my very own backyard. and seeing all the wildlife that comes with the flora is even better!

unfortunately i wasn't able to go to this year garden tour, so i decided to post my photos from last years tour as its one of my all time favorite events! you get to explore the outdoor spaces of peoples homes who's landscapes all use the same flora in different situations and they turn their gardens into such amazing environments. southern california is mostly made up of a chaparral landscape, which lends it self nicely to meadowy designs - my personal favorite! i love when gardens look lush and wild, with surprising moments under a tree - like a sweet groupoing of coral bells (huechera) or bright purple irises (my all time favorite flowers - i always imagined if i got married that i would hold a bunch of native california irises picked from my garden in a casual bouquet). a lot of the gardens also use boulders and rocks in clusters, adding contrast and perfect homes for dudleyas (native succulents). and the sheds, collections of things and sculptures at these spaces is equally cool to see.

alright, now get ready for a CRAZY amount of photos that i took. i have a problem with editing. and i didn't just document the plants. pets watching the passing groups of viewers were too cute not to capture.