pony tail palm

The trunk of a pony tail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata), a native of eastern Mexico, a member of the Asparagaceae family, and one of the many interesting plants seen at Lotusland.

pools, ponds and fountains

What we have here is an assortment of pools, ponds and fountains that one encounters on the tour of Lotusland. While the above looks like a pool, we were told that it is actually a decorative pond. Note the abalone shells along the edge. The real swimming pool is below.

papyrus

Of course I've heard of papyrus my whole life, but it wasn't until recently that I started encountering Cyperus papyrus, the plant in the sedge family from which the parchment paper comes. Here it is growing out of one of the ponds at Lotusland.

Lotusland

I had long wanted to tour Lotusland in Montecito and we couldn't have picked a better day. The place is truly a botanical wonderland on par with the gardens at the Huntington Library. The style of the original garden was sort of "jazz improv eccentric" - the owner had no background in horticulture - but the results have stood the test of time. Starting with the driveway, everything on the left is a Euphorbia (above, resembling cactus) and everything on the right is a cactus (below).

Surfers' Point at Seaside Park

It took us a while to learn the geography of Ventura, and even when we learned it we didn't know the names of everything. There is the bike trail that runs parallel to the Ventura River and goes directly to the beach where lots of people surf, recreate and take evening walks. It's a great spot that seems to be where two entities meet: Surfers' Point Dunes and Seaside Wilderness Park. At least I think that's the case. In any case it's a nice spot.

Ventura Botanical Gardens

Really the Venttura Botanical Gardens is both a botanical garden and a hike up a rugged hillside, which is my kind of combination. It's also a great view of the ocean and the downtown. The gardens are still a work in progress, with a visitor center on the way, but in the meantime this trail to the top is well used and well loved.

pixie bob

Sometimes a cat will enter your home through the garage door. I found this fellow climbing up our back stairs, which in itself was surprising enough. When I got a closer look, I was half convinced it was a bobcat that had come down from the hills. Were it not so gentle, I would probably say it was a bobcat, but what it really looks like is some sort of hybrid of a bobcat and a domestic cat, something that supposedly exists and is called a pixie bob. Notice the wide paws and short tail.