Tulips and Tomatomania

At Descanso Gardens to see the tulips, magnolias, cherries and irises in full bloom as well as to visit the TOMATOMANIA, the world's largest tomato seedling sale.

Migrating Painted Lady Butterflies in Los Angeles

A magical phenomenon is currently happening in Southern California as millions of painted lady butterflies flutter in the sky as they migrate across the state heading north from the desserts of Mexico to the Pacific Northwest.  

Growing Perennials - fruit bearing trees, bushes and vines

If you are gardening in zone 9, specifically Southern California, this video will give you an idea on which varieties of fruit bearing trees, bushes and vines would grow well in your yard.

Edible Garden in January

We are so blessed we can garden year-round in this part of the country. Here’s a peek at what we are growing in our edible garden in mid-January.

Edible Gardening in Los Angeles

We grow more than 100 varieties of edible plants in our backyard.

Bok Choy Flowers

These are a bok choy that have bolted.

When soil gets warm, plants tend to bolt... they send flower stalks and focus all their energy in producing seeds. It’s a survival mode to make sure they produce the next generation through their seeds. And once plants start to bolt, they stop producing foliage.

When our plants bolt, we don’t usually uproot them. We leave them a little longer because bees love them.

If you are into gardening or interested in growing edibles, please visit YouTube for weekly updates.

Château Versailles

A UNESCO World Heritage site visited by 7 million tourists a year, the opulent estate of King Louis XIV, used to be the envy of other European monarchs, is the greatest and grandest of them all.

We’re not here to visit the palace, we’ve seen it before. What we would like to see this time around is the Queen's Hamlet near the Petit Trianon which unfortunately was closed for lunch break when we got there. So we walked back to the tram and then got  off at The Grand Canal.

Le Panthéon...

... provided the perfect backdrop.

The Little Guy posed and said, “take my picture mommy.”

Le Jardin du Luxembourg

Located in the 6th arrondissement, Le Jardin du Luxembourg is said to be the most beautiful garden in Paris and very kid friendly.  Who says Paris is only for grown-ups?

So here is our little traveler chasing the ducks.

Queen Elizabeth Park

A quick stop to see the fountain, the Bloedel Conservatory and the floral display.

Grilled Fish

Let's grill outdoor, enjoy some sunshine before the temperature rises to the upper 90s. Summer is just a few days away!   

Tonight's dinner is grilled whole rock fish seasoned with rock salt.

Birds & Blooms

Key to a great Spring morning... 

... a yummy breakfast, 

     ... beautiful blooms, 

         ... and singing birds!

The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at Bellagio

To walk off the calories from all the crab legs we devoured, we strolled at the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  

This year's theme is Autumn Harvest and it just opened a couple of hours ago.  On display were thousands of flowers, pumpkins of different sizes and shapes, a windmill, a 28- feet talking tree with moving eyes, a papa bear & a baby bear and two animated squirrels eating acorns. 

So magical!

Autumn is definitely in the air -- the scent, the colors and the pumpkins.  But once you step outside you realize that Summer continues to linger and warm weather is still upon us.

Carlsbad Flower Fields

Continuing on with the Springtime theme, this time let's take a peek at some of the photos we took from our day trip to Carlsbad Flower Fields.

A Leisurely Stroll at Descanso Gardens

This past Saturday the weather was beautiful so our little family of three drove to Descanso Gardens for some fun in the sun.  When we got there we put the baby in the stroller (in the Bjorn later) and walked through the garden which was dazzling in the bright California sunshine.  Tulips, lavender, cherry trees and camellias were in full bloom… oh, how I love Spring! 

Some photos we snapped...