Mother-Daughter Days in California

Spent a few glorious days in Southern California.  One of the wonders of being a parent is seeing your children grow into  happy, successful adults who ask you to come and visit - yippee! 

Here we are - CA daughter (holding the all-important morning joe) at Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic store.  I do so love me some Rachel Ashwell and did inquire about just moving in!  All that vintage white and  pink fabric and worn to a patina furniture - what's not to like?  Check out the lamp shades - old crinolines!  What a fun idea - maybe a smaller tutu shade for a little girl's room? 

I'm standing at the Palisades Park , next to these fantastic Australian tea trees (yes, these are the trees that produce tea tree oil).  Their gnarled roots grow on top of  the soil, making great root sculptures.

The Santa Monica Farmer's Market is just like our local one, that is, if our local one were on steroids!  Established in 1981, it has over 100 vendors, is open twice a week, and offers all kinds of unusual produce  along with the usual suspects.   We found some fresh French fageolet (try saying THAT 3 times!) beans and turned them into a yummy salad with a recipe from The Splendid Table.  The dragon fruit flesh looks like a dark pink kiwi and tastes like a very mild combo of kiwi and mango.  We got a lesson in selecting the best okra from a savvy shopper and made oven baked okra as a treat for southern- born son-in-law. 

I love, love, love plam trees and  desert plants.  In late summer (this is less painful for me to say than "early fall") trees and flowers are in full-on bloom, with no sign of winding down - what's not to like?  From left, artichokes going to seed,  palms,  century plant blossom, and a succulent easily 2 feet wide. 

Consistently warm temperatures without humidity or radical highs and lows, no ice or snow, gorgeous  trees and flowers, and a perfectly good alernative to the East Coast ocean - a girl could get used to this!
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(Trying out the collage-making capability on Picnik, thanks to CA daughter sharing the link.  It's quick, fun, free [upgrade available for not too much $$] and easier than scrolling through all those pictures!)