August 04, 2018

California Trip 2018

I just returned from a trip to California with two of my girlfriends and their daughters

Me, on the left, Sara in the middle and Caroline on the right.

We spent the majority of the time outdoors either in the pool or taking lots of good long walks to get some exercise. However, we did spend a day inside the amazing Broad Museum.

The museum was founded by Eli and Edythe L. Broad, philanthropists living in Los Angeles. "Over the past four decades, the Broads have built two of the most prominent collections of postwar and contemporary art worldwide: The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection and The Broad Art Foundation. The collection includes more than 2,000 works by over 200 artists." This is quoted from their website which you must visit, https://www.thebroad.org/.

The main floor is doesn't have any work on display but there was a long line waiting to see Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Mirrored Room". We opted out of that and headed up on the escalator.

Here were some of my favorites.

Warhol

Jeff Koons

Jean - Michel Basquiat

cezanne

Cezanne

Chagall

Picasso

Matisse

Next stop, Santa Barbara.

Lotusland

This estate and gardens has quite a history but is dominated by an opera singer's ownership, Ganna Walska. Once again you have to visit the website: https://www.lotusland.org/

Our adorable guide, David, was one of our favorite parts of the 2 hour tour.

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This is the main entrance to the home, I am a sucker for Spanish Colonial architecture.

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Lotusland_terrace_brick_walkway_stone_detail_architecture_stucco_spanish_coloniaironwork_cactus_terracotta

Apparently Ganna was a fan of the Alhambra and Generalife in Granada, Spain as she incorporated some of the design details into her estate. For instance, the stone detail on either side of the brick walkway. Also with the Moorish inspired fountain below.

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The Japanese gardens were under construction but the Japanese lanterns from that part of the gardens were installed, lining the opening path to the rest of the gardens.

My favorite section was the Lotus garden.

Staghorn on steroids.

There were two swimming pools, one actually for swimming but the other, below, only deep enough for wading.

Ganna used shells all around this pool, even in the sandy surroundings.

She had an impressive cactus garden, it reminded me of the one at the Huntington Botanical Gardens.

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There were different tree and plant varieties I had never seen before, like these trees and the hanging plant below.

And I can never escape chickens.

You must visit the next time you are in Santa Barbara.

You probably saw these pictures on my Instagram story but I am sharing again. For someone who has gone back and forth between Vegetarian, Vegan and Meat Eater, I can honestly say, if I had access to this farmer's market I would truly be a vegetarian. The colors and quantities of beautiful, fresh fruits, vegetables, grass fed poultry and beef and eggs made you want to buy it all and ship it home!