Spring in California

 Gene and I just got back last week from our road trip to Cambria, California.  We spent our first day out at Huntington Gardens....a wonderful spot in the San Marino area of Los Angeles.  The buildings house a research library and several museums and the gardens are bursting with blooms right now.  

They have a wonderful Chinese and Japanese Garden, but I tend to LOVE the more cottage style with tons of flowers on top of each other....

The bearded Iris were amazing.....Gene is big on taking pictures of me at all the places we visit....and I am always trying to stay away from the camera!

 ......after a fun evening with my sister Sherry and her husband Mike and their son's family we were off  to Pismo Beach.....It is on the coast above Santa Barbara.  The day was beautiful and we had a wonderful time checking out the shore....

.....we saw lots of honeymooners....a very romantic spot for a stay....We caught up with old neighbors who now live in Pismo that evening....(What a fabulous place to live!)

....The next morning we went to see the homestead of the Price family who founded Pismo.....just a short jaunt from the beach and it is a different world....

.........Gene couldn't resist this shot...

......Then off to Cambria to meet our friends from college days....as we waited for their arrival we explored....This was a garden behind one of the many CUTE shops.  (As you can see we are still on the quest for the perfect things to plant in our garden.)

......I think this may be a grown up version of the vine we already planted.....

.....One of Gene's favorites....Calla Lilies!

















.....a shot of some of the shops in Cambria.  We had beautiful weather throughout the trip....

.......Eucalyptus trees.....you see them all over this part of the state....

We hiked out of a town called Harmony (pop. 18) in a state preserve.....it ends at the coast and we spotted lots of seals playing!

.....California poppies along the way...

....the garden behind our motel...

.......it was a very peaceful spot with benches scattered around to stop and enjoy!

.....It was hard to come back.....but we had parties galore this weekend and got to celebrate birthdays and Timothy's first communion. 



Have a great week.....Jo Ann

Happy Birthday Lianna!

Tomorrow is Lianna's first birthday.....but on Sunday we had a party to celebrate!  Like all one year olds her favorite part of the present was the tissue paper....

....and as you can see she LOVED the chocolate cake! 


Gene and I leave tomorrow on a little road trip to meet some friends in Cambria (on the central coast of California) so I thought I'd wish her Happy Birthday today!

A walk with history

Sunday Gene and I took a walk on the grounds of the Marston House near Balboa Park in San Diego.  The Marston's owned a department store in downtown....and their home is an historical site now....

...the landscaping is absolutely beautiful and Gene and I are still debating about what to plant in our yard....

....so we stopped and looked at all the beautiful flowering plants and Gene was busy snapping photos...

I LOVED these berries.....looks like a good wool project doesn't it?

....and this Hawthorn is all over San Diego right now and just bursting with blooms....

......yesterday Gene went to the nursery with photos in hand and tried to find out the names of all of his finds....

....and this is his favorite!  It looks wonderful in a huge garden, but might be a bit overpowering in our smaller space. 

I read this morning that it is snowing again across the country.....Sorry to be such a tease with these photos....but you can dream along with us!

Lianna's Quilt

Lianna's Quilt if FINALLY done and just in time, because she turns ONE on April 17th.  Who would of thought it would take so long to finish.  I think Gene being home all of the time isn't good for the creative process....:)))))   (Sorry it is a bit blurry)

Kathy just put it on the schedule at the Country Loft.  I will be teaching it in July during one of the "Summer Night" classes. 

 ..and here is Lianna with her Mom....she is getting ready for her first Easter egg hunt....She really doesn't like the grass too much so it was slow crawling over to her eggs!
She didn't quite get what all the fuss of looking for the eggs was all about!

                                                             

Here is my grandniece Emmy and granddaughter Alana wishing all of you a very Happy Spring!  It has been beautiful in San Diego the last few weeks and everything is in bloom.  Hope you are enjoying spring weather too!