My grandmother, oldest sister (Julie), and I took a trip to the Huntington Library in Pasadena today. Spring isn't in full gear yet and, while there were plenty of other visitors, we certainly weren't fighting crowds.
Our first stop was the succulent garden, where color abounds this time of year. Most of us think of desert plants as colorless and boring -- this garden really does challenge that stereotype. Next we were onto the Japanese gardens. These are, by far, the most relaxing and beautiful to me. If I had all the time in the world, I could do a serious amount of meditating here. After a quick walk through the rose garden and a picnic lunch we had packed, we headed for the main attraction -- the recently opened many-million-dollar Chinese garden. I'm sad to report we were disappointed, but I certainly would not discourage anyone from going. We also stopped at the main house, as well as the library. I'm a sucker for museum gift shops, which was the last stop on our tour.
All in all, it was a great day of visiting with family and being outdoors. :)
