If I thought yesterday's temperatures was warm, today was even worse! When I left my hotel in Reseda this morning, my car thermometer was already showing low 80s. The first thing I did was visit an auto parts store to get a brush to clean the dust off my car. Every day, there is dust...it's a fact of life in southern California. I was growing weary of the typical hotel breakfasts, so I found a Taiwanese bakery within a reasonable driving distance and picked up some Chinese buns.
My destination for the morning was the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Gardens in Arcadia. Despite the rising temperatures, I decided to grin and bear it. As soon as I entered the grounds, I was greeted by a peacock. In fact, there were peacocks...and peahens...walking freely all through the gardens.
I soon found there were a lot of animals making their home there. There were hummingbirds flitting around an artistic Weeping Wall, and a mockingbird singing beautiful songs.
There were also reptiles, terrapins and rodents. To be exact, I saw a couple of chummy Western Fence Lizards, two types of turtles and a gray squirrel munching on flowers. The one turtle on top of another reminded me of the Dr. Seuss story, Yertle the Turtle.
Of course, we can't forget the plants! There were flowers galore, and unusual trees from around the world. We had red bottlebrush in our yard when our family lived in Riverside, CA over 40 years ago. And, one of my favorite flowers is the golden California poppy. One display had the biggest Christmas cacti I've ever seen, and there was a tree with unusually large pods.
Toward the end of my visit, I spotted a familiar looking building. The literature listed it as a Queen Anne Cottage built in 1885, but I remember it better as the guesthouse in the 1977 TV series, Fantasy Island. The character known as Tattoo would climb up the tower and exclaim, "Da plane, da plane!"
When I returned to my car, the thermometer said 100 degrees! Well, that's how hot is was in the parking lot. In reality, was about 10 degrees cooler, but it didn't matter to me. I was suffering. As a Northwesterner, I'm just not used to such heat. After a tasty ramen lunch...at least the restaurant had air conditioning...I went to The Huntington in San Marino. This institution is well known for its extensive library of rare books and manuscripts, as well as art pieces and botanical gardens. Because of the heat, I was in no mood to walk around more plant life. So, I just walked around the art buildings. I was unfamiliar with most of the artwork, but I did recognize a few famous artists. Our family had a replica of Thomas Gainsborough's Blue Boy hanging on the wall, but this was the real deal!
In addition, there was Andy Warhol pop art, a single painting by Georgia O'Keefe and several pieces of furniture by Frank Lloyd Wright, who was actually more famous for his architecture.
Tomorrow, I'm planning on staying indoors. A museum visit and a very special live taping of one of the best shows currently on television. So excited!
My destination for the morning was the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Gardens in Arcadia. Despite the rising temperatures, I decided to grin and bear it. As soon as I entered the grounds, I was greeted by a peacock. In fact, there were peacocks...and peahens...walking freely all through the gardens.
I soon found there were a lot of animals making their home there. There were hummingbirds flitting around an artistic Weeping Wall, and a mockingbird singing beautiful songs.
There were also reptiles, terrapins and rodents. To be exact, I saw a couple of chummy Western Fence Lizards, two types of turtles and a gray squirrel munching on flowers. The one turtle on top of another reminded me of the Dr. Seuss story, Yertle the Turtle.
Of course, we can't forget the plants! There were flowers galore, and unusual trees from around the world. We had red bottlebrush in our yard when our family lived in Riverside, CA over 40 years ago. And, one of my favorite flowers is the golden California poppy. One display had the biggest Christmas cacti I've ever seen, and there was a tree with unusually large pods.
Toward the end of my visit, I spotted a familiar looking building. The literature listed it as a Queen Anne Cottage built in 1885, but I remember it better as the guesthouse in the 1977 TV series, Fantasy Island. The character known as Tattoo would climb up the tower and exclaim, "Da plane, da plane!"
When I returned to my car, the thermometer said 100 degrees! Well, that's how hot is was in the parking lot. In reality, was about 10 degrees cooler, but it didn't matter to me. I was suffering. As a Northwesterner, I'm just not used to such heat. After a tasty ramen lunch...at least the restaurant had air conditioning...I went to The Huntington in San Marino. This institution is well known for its extensive library of rare books and manuscripts, as well as art pieces and botanical gardens. Because of the heat, I was in no mood to walk around more plant life. So, I just walked around the art buildings. I was unfamiliar with most of the artwork, but I did recognize a few famous artists. Our family had a replica of Thomas Gainsborough's Blue Boy hanging on the wall, but this was the real deal!
In addition, there was Andy Warhol pop art, a single painting by Georgia O'Keefe and several pieces of furniture by Frank Lloyd Wright, who was actually more famous for his architecture.
Tomorrow, I'm planning on staying indoors. A museum visit and a very special live taping of one of the best shows currently on television. So excited!
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