A Visit To An Old Friend

(3 photos) A few days ago I visited the Huntington Botanical Gardens. This beautiful carved marble seat is just on the edge of the Camellia Garden.  My camellias compare poorly to those in these gardens. Well, there’s really no comparison — mine are nearly finished blooming, while the Huntington’s bloom all year long. Anyway, I love this stone seat because those dangling cords below the seat look so much like cotton cords instead of hard marble.

The Huntington Library & Gardens was the grounds & home of Henry Huntington, a railroad mogul. At the turn of the 20th century he created the “red car” trolley line in Los Angeles. This service connected (and made possible) the vast sprawl of suburbs that is Los Angeles.  Another of Huntington’s business endeavors was a housing development now called Huntington Beach, also known as “surf city” because of it’s long beach, mild climate and consistent surf.

The house I sold one year ago was just a few miles from the Huntington, and my new home is 30 miles from there. I had been considering dropping my membership, but my recent visit reminded me of how beautiful and unmatched this place is.