I'm in the midst of a 2-week vacation, while Gilbo has been on and off sporadically - depending on how the market is doing (and isn't that a surefire predictable predicator). Normally, we would be taking a week-long road trip up the Eastern Sierras this time of year, but because of Obambi's shenanigans, we decided to opt for the more frugal option of a "Staycation."
What to do, what to do? Well, since we're not too far from San Diego County and haven't really had to the time to explore the area (other than sporadic pilgrimages to Las Pilitas & Myrtle Creek Nursery in Fallbrook), I thought it would be cool - literally, because of the pleasant coastal climate - to head out in that general direction.
First stop, Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas. Have been jonesing to go there for a couple years now.
Hey, Huell Howser featured this place in his program on Encinitas for his "California Gold" series - can't beat that!
I checked out their website http://www.qbgardens.org/w.qbgardens.org/ and found that the admission fee of $12.00 per adult (and $6.00 per child - remember this! - it's a vewy vewy important factor for the raison d'etre of this blog entry) is waived the first Tuesday of every month. Brilliant! So, off we went to Quail Botanical Gardens on TUESDAY, JULY 7TH for the freebee entry.
When we arrived - WOW, parking lot was full, so we ended up in the overflow parking area. Por que? Because every mother in Encinitas, San Marcos, Carlsbad (and probably the rest of San Diego County) was there with the multiplicity of her joyous and rambunctious offspring! I was a little taken aback with the number of madres y ninos on the grounds, but I realized that the free admission was indeed a compelling draw, not only for me, but also for this particular demographic. Therefore, we were there on equal terms...
The kids were ubiquitous, but generally well behaved, so I have no complaints. Kudos to the moms.
My main interest was in their California Gardenscapes garden, showcasing CA natives. Not bad, but does not compare to Claremont's Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. More impressive were their Bamboo, Subtropical Fruit, and Herb gardens.
From top to bottom, photos are:
Painted Bamboo Bambusa vulgaris 'vittata'
Vitex Bamboo Phyllostachys vitex
Herb Garden
For the full photo gallery, go to: http://camissonia.smugmug.com/gallery/6872751_FfT7X#584968208_gts5w
