Postcard from Santa Barbara

I captured this image today as I meandered through the botanical gardens of Santa Barbara

Having a great time.  Wish you were here!

Well, if I'm to be honest, I having a nice time, but, no, I don't wish you were here. Not this time.  No offense, but sometimes it's nice to just get away and be by myself.  

Santa Barbara is beautiful and I'm fortunate enough to occasionally house/dog sit for some good friends who travel a lot.  The house is lovely, quiet, tucked away in a private, gated community on the edge of the Hope Ranch.  The dog is George, a bulldog, who has a personality that fills the room and demands attention.  He is lovable to a fault while also being a bit stubborn.  But your heart melts when you look into those eyes.  

Anyway, today I went to the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens.  I highly recommend going.  They have revived the meadows and they are in the height of their bloom right now with California and matilija poppies, a wild variety of wildflowers, bunchgrasses, herbs, succulent lupine and many many more.  It is a feast for the eyes and a fiesta for the soul.  You can click here to learn more and see a short video.  

After that, I drove around a bit to refresh my memory of the Mission Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Courthouse.  They are still exquisite.  Today they seemed to be teeming with tourists, to I did not stop.  But just driving around a bit is practically meditative.  Even a trip to Trader Joe's is fun encountering the locals.  I actually met someone I had just seen working at the botanical gardens.  Small town feel.

Anyway, tomorrow I start my trek back home to Riverside.  Its been time away which I always treasure.  I forget sometimes I like to travel.  I especially like road trips.  And I don't mind doing them alone.  That's when a guy can get some deep thinking done and maybe return with a new perspective and things.  

Oh, and next time, maybe I will wish you were here.  And maybe you will be.