Sunday, November 29, 2015

Sunday, November 29, 2015




Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2006. Mattie was four years old and I liked the colors Peter and Mattie were wearing. To me it seemed like an adorable Fall photo to capture on our couch. It was a spontaneous photo, so much so that Mattie wasn't even looking at the camera! 










Quote of the day: What we spend, we lose. What we keep will be left for others. What we give away will be ours forever. ~  David McGee


Today we visited the LA Arboretum. This is a spot we took Mattie to and he used to love walking and exploring the gardens. Peter hasn't been back to the Arboretum in years. But today's weather was perfect to walk this expansive property.... 127 acres, which is filled with not only incredible flowers, trees, and plants, but wonderful birds and memorable peacocks. Some of our sightings are posted here!

There are many water elements to the gardens and within this one pond were many noteworthy birds, such as this Black Crowned Night Heron.

Another wonderful sighting was this Chinese Pond Heron.

I saw the previous two birds in this large pond, which also featured this lovely White Heron.

On the property is this charming "Queen Anne's Cottage." It was built by Lucky Baldwin, who was considered the first mayor of Arcadia (the city where the Arboretum is located). 

Elias Jackson (“Lucky”) Baldwin’s Queen Anne Cottage was constructed in 1885-86, probably as a honeymoon gift for his fourth wife, sixteen- year-old Lillie Bennett. “For a year after she married Baldwin (May, 1884), this little girl was queen of the ranch,” wrote the Los Angeles Times. Lillie’s father, architect Albert A. Bennett, designed the cottage, but the honeymooners apparently never enjoyed its beauty. Lillie and E.J. separated in 1885, and the fanciful house was converted by its owner into a memorial to the third Mrs. Baldwin, Jennie Dexter, who had died in 1881. A stained glass portrait of Jennie stood welcome in the front door and an almost life-size oil painting of her was hung in the Cottage parlor. Both items remain today.

The Baldwin cottage (the designation “Queen Anne” was added in later years in reference to its architectural style) was the Santa Anita Ranch guest house. Cooking and dining facilities and Baldwin’s personal quarters were located in a modernized eight-room version of the old adobe house found on the property at the time of purchase. Friends, relatives and business associates of Lucky Baldwin, including stars from the Baldwin Theater in San Francisco, partook of ranch hospitality until E.J.’s death in 1909.

On the property are many wonderful orange trees, and this photo captures some of them with a back drop of blue skies and palm trees. 

The Arboretum is known for its movie and TV history. Several things have been filmed on this property such as Hitchcock's movie, Notorious, and the TV series, Fantasy Island. 

As we walked, we also did some climbing. At the top we found this wonderful vista of mountains. 

Peter and I in front of the impressive waterfall at the Arboretum. 

We came across several butterfly friendly bushes, filled with monarchs! 

There were many Mattie sightings today. Mattie would have loved this large turtle basking in the sun! 

Peacocks freely roam the property! They are literally everywhere. These peacocks are the descendants of the original peacocks brought to the property from India in the 1800s. The peacocks were something that Mattie LOVED and truly it is an unforgettable experience to walk with the peacocks. We are not just talking about one or two but hundreds!