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On a nice Sunday morning, it's off to the Island View Nursery, east
of Santa Barbara in the foothills of the mountains.
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What a setting for a nursery! The Santa Ynez Mountains as a backdrop
to the north and the ocean to the south.
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Ellen and Bob tour the premises (and pick up a few items for the garden),
while partaking of the wine tasting underway this May, 2003 weekend.
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It's not just plants...
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Ellen contemplates a garden gazebo.
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Wonderful lanterns...
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A special weekend event, complete with radio remote broadcast, and
some military presence! Note the Humvee.
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Wine tasting in a unique atmosphere...
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...and the wine is nicely displayed.
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One of the nursery's cats; this one with a bit of a wild look but very
approachable.
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See, just a big furry kitty!
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We need a palm tree about thiiiiis big! Ellen talks with her hands...
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One of the vistas...
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...and another of the display groupings
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A couple of improbable characters among the plants...
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...and a much more probable character guards some of the indoor plants
in the greenhouse.
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Bidding fond adieu after spending an enjoyable time and entirely too
much money!
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We packed up the mini-pickup with palm and Mandarin Orange trees,
water plants for the pond area and assorted other goodies
(including a wonderful "fiber-optic grass").
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Then, on the way home, we stopped at the annual "I Madonnari" festival
of
sidewalk chalk drawing at the Santa Barbara Mission. This traditional
art form is
remarkable, in that these artists have only three days to complete
their work, kneeling on the asphalt
walkways around the mission.
There's always a large crowd watching, and much revelry, food, music
and good times.
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Then back home for a long walk
to a Thai dinner and the long walk
home.
All this, followed by a day of gardening
and a patio dinner of sushi
and smoked-salmon with a nice wine.
Happy Memorial Day holiday!
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5/26/2003 22:01
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