We've been away the last couple of weekends playing the summer tourist, and I'm exhausted. What day is this? Haha! Good times can do that for you! But we've been having a marvelous time, starting in Santa Barbara, California to visit family. It always feels like tropical resort living.
There's often the so-called June Gloom in Santa Barbara, but as you can see the weather cleared for us. This is just the smallest sample of the grounds of our Brother and SIL's beautiful hillside house. This year the fountain has been filled with impatiens.
This is a butterfly bush. Easy to remember! I had never seen this gorgeous vine before.
Trailing along a dividing fence.
Such beautiful artistry on this hillside! My closeup shots of the vine in the far background did.n't work out, but it is a lavender colored trumpet vine. Another first for me. I've only seen it in orange before.
I love the tipped terracotta pots in the landscape. This one with asparagus fern "spilling" out.
A ground cover from the mallow family.
A wonderful blue potato vine.
These Matiliga Poppies or "fried egg flowers" are rather flamboyant in size, and make for an impressive show growing tall and bush like with each bloom about the size of four open hands.
One of the intimate sitting areas of the gardens.
Many jacaranda trees were in purple bloom all over the lovely neighborhoods of the paradise that is Santa Barbara. No matter what time of year I visit I always feel like I have landed in the original Garden of Eden. The limitless varieties of exotic plant life can just leave you breathless.
I hope you're enjoying some fun and beautiful summer jaunts of your own!
Jacqueline
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