Getting Out to Look Within

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown for going out, I found, was really going in." -John Muir

Hope everyone enjoyed their three day weekend! We got out on Monday for a little family picnic at the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas...one of my favorite places for peace and nature's inspiration. I also like to experiment with my photography skills which need serious improvement most times!! If you've never visited these gardens, it really is a breathtaking place to see. They have over 35 acres filled with every type of vegetation imaginable from every biome across the world...Australia, Hawaii, etc. They have a really cool bamboo garden that's like going through a maze of sticks!

Of course, hydrangeas are one of my all-time favorites...I imagine having great horticultural skills in another lifetime and my house being surrounded by grande and fragrant hydrangea bushes, just like in Martha's Vineyard!

They had a statue of a woman made purely out of various types of succulents...now there's a plant species that I've had success with...they thrive on little to no water!! LOL!! I thought the cameo was the greatest detail here!



Liam doesn't look quite as thrilled in this picture but he really did enjoy looking up at the trees overhead and all the amazing patterns when the light filtered through the leaves. What better source of beauty for inspiration than Mother Nature?!