Sherman Gardens & Cali Colors

While visiting The Golden State, we got a welcome dose of foliage and flowers. A sweet reminder of the beauty around us, the Sherman Library & Gardens was full of life and promise.

These rainbows of stones and succulents were adorable!

This eccentric plant looks like a bouquet of party whistles.

I loved the smudgy designs on these minty leaves.

Turtles napping on each other like a pile of puppies.

The fluffy...

...and the razor-sharp. I loved the swirl pattern on this one!

These stairs had rows of succulents peeking out from beneath each one!

I love how peaceful and understated these delicate flowers are.

The gardens were a great place to take some pictures as well as relax, and we really enjoyed our time there. It was amazing to see summer in full swing, while we were barely out of winter, back home in Wyoming!

A favorite recurring sight in Orange County were the Norfolk Island Pines. Coastal flora is always fascinating to me, having grown up land-locked in the middle of the US, and these spectacular tropical Christmas trees look like a cross between a palm and a pine!

If you've seen some of my previous urban posts like Vegas and Riverton, you know I had to snap a few shots of some colorful and beachy street art...

We also swung by the whimsical B.Candy shop in Orange County, the storefront of which is decorated with giant waffle cones, whirly pops, cupcakes, and the cutest little elf-like mushroom. Happiness incarnate, this place was too sweet to handle.

We had a lovely time in Los Angeles, with a great mix of spending time with family, reminiscing about our loved one, experiencing nature in full bloom, listening to the waves lap and crash, and seeing some quirky and fun sights around the suburbs. It's always a busy but rewarding affair, visiting Lotus Land.