LOTUSLAND

Ever been to Lotusland in Santa Barbara?  I hadn't even heard of it but was intrigued when I was reading that hidden in an upscale residential neighborhood was a private garden with 37 acres of thousands of plants from around the world.  And that a visit would require a reservation plus a $35 entrance fee for a guided tour that was offered only twice a day.  Really? 

Lotus Flower

         It was worth it.  But, I wouldn't bring the kids for this two hour guided tour if I were you.

In a nutshell, the owner of the property was Madame Ganna Walska who was a beauty from Poland,  married six times always increasing her net worth as she went along.  She discovered a love of plants and became a collector of rare plants from around the world never satisfied with just one or two of a species but amassing a bundle.  I counted more than 16 separate gardens throughout the property.

                                                                       So, let's go!

                                       One was never enough for Madame Walska.

                                   Five hanging baskets of this succulent on this tree alone.

Pathways all over the estate are lined with this blue-green glass that she had shipped in by the truckload.  It is leftover glass from the Arrowhead Spring Water bottling company.  If Madame Walska liked something she bought it in abundance.

                 
When we were kids, my sisters and I had a badminton set (net and all) and this plant above reminded me of the shuttlecock. Agree?

                                       This beautiful orange cone is from the cycad family.

   More of the "if one bromeliad is good, a hundred are even better" school of thought.  This is just a smidgen of bromeliads.

My sister and I debated the above pic for a bit.  Don't you think all these blooming cacti look like a pack of Meerkats?  Or the periscope in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

   When you live in Arizona, a cacti garden isn't so exciting.  But good for Madame Walska for showcasing the whole lot of them.  Hopefully they came from Arizona....

 I would have liked to tour her home, but no such luck.  It is now the administrative offices for Lotusland.

                               A  pretty succulent sun dial smack dab in the middle of the grounds.

                                                  This was my favorite water feature.

                                                                     Loads of lemons

I can't imagine anyone ever used this shallow pool because getting in and out would be impossible with the abalone shells guarding the entire edge.  Squint your eyes and note the giant clam shell fountains.

Well, that's the tour.  Hope you enjoyed yourself.

                                                 We thought Lotusland was worth a visit.

SANTA BARBARA and MONTECITO--my new faves!

Well, this little vacation was a piece of heaven.  Five days of bliss.  Santa Barbara and Montecito have been on my list to visit ever since my friend, Ashley, and her family have been spending July in Montecito.  We have similar taste in just about everything so I knew it would be lovely.

Took the first flight out of Phoenix and arrived around 9:00 am.  Too early to check-in so we headed over to the Santa Barbara Mission.  And can I just say that the Santa Barbara Airport is now my favorite airport ever.  A bit of style, nice and small, no shuttling anywhere to pick up a rental car.  Loved it.

A very pretty mission, Santa Barbara is similar to San Juan Capistrano Mission (which I actually prefer).  But this is definitely worth a stop.

Yellowed-stone, purple agapanthus, greenery, and little red roofed tile thrown in is a gorgeous combination. Look at that deep window sill.

Next, we drove to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.  Picked up a discount coupon at the airport from one of those little visitor brochures displays.

        It was a bright, hot day in Santa Barbara when we arrived.  Still cooler than Arizona, though.

            Love a split log bench.  Someday I'm going to do a post of all the benches I've loved.

Now, time to check-in.  The heavens parted and we walked into the Four Seasons Biltmore.  We could have just stayed at this hotel the entire time.  Staff is friendly and helpful. Rooms are pretty.  Common areas all have that Four Seasons touch. And, see that Moravian light fixture?  I think that's what I want for my entry hall and library.  My only hesitation is how the heck do you change the light bulb?

                                             Love the Santa Barbara design style.

                                                  Nice stenciling surrounding our door.

                                                         Pretty, airy, comfortable room.

I've been wanting to try those acai bowls and vacation is perfect for trying those new-to-me foods. First, how to pronounce acai? Ah-sah-EE  (accent on the EE)--there, now you know.  Backyard Bowls
in Santa Barbara is delish.  The blue bowl above is a SMALL Island Bowl--yes, small.  The smaller bowl is a KIDS size acai oatmeal bowl. If you go, call in your order and pick it up.  It is crazy busy and although we ordered quickly and found a table (lucky!) it took quite a while to receive our bowls of goodness.  Those in the know called in and picked up their orders to either eat there or take away.

This gorgeous building is the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.  It ranks #2 on Trip Advisor for things to do in Santa Barbara. Yes, it is worth visiting.

         Here is the view from the top--no charge.  Elevator or stairs will take you to the top for this sight.

           

                                        Hall off the main entrance.  Reminded me of Istanbul.

Back in Montecito in the lower village, we stopped by Scoop for some perfect gelato.

                        Salted caramel ice cream within walking distance from our hotel.  Tragic.

                                          Butterfly Beach at sundown. Perfect stress reducer.