TimeOut

Morning Walk in a Flower-Filled Neighborhood, Part 1

 

We wanted to squeeze a walk into a busy day. So we headed up an alley not too far from home, no real destination in mind … figuring that something would happen, or something would direct our way.



The skies were mixed - clearing? or clouding? we have to wait and see how it goes — do we walk or head for shelter? (spoiler alert, we walked 4000 steps)





Flowers seemed grateful for what sun was coming in.





T’was all very rustic and quaint until we noticed a subtle digital lock on the gate.




We walked onward. Now I know where I can pick some tomatillos, if I need them for dinner… (forgot to look for video surveillance cameras)





Maybe they have a Parrot Surveillance service in lieu of cameras!  We haven’t seen the parrots for awhile; they come around almost every Spring.

I think these are called Morning Glory and this morning they were glorious. A sun-lit expanse about 50 feet long and towering over us





Mockingbird mocked us as we kept moving.





The skies are clearing a bit and we stepped under this Pomegranate tree. I wonder how ours are doing, down in our canyon. I must go take a look someday.





Brilliant Hibiscus here, both in the alley and inside the fence. I wonder if the alley plants escaped from the yard (making a break for it). I might go back with a pot and scavenge a few...





This one looks lonely.





We are now in the garden with cactus and bottlebrush (far right). Huge metal screen “container” of gravel holds the soil in which these cactus grow. Maybe it’s concrete underneath, or someday they want to take the cactus away with them? A mystery. But we walk on without solving it.





Hibiscus of many different colors dot the gardens as we walk along. If you want to keep track of the variety, feel free to do so. I might go back myself and count them later.





My wife says this is a shell ginger, the kind that you can eat along with your sushi. 





A Kitty came around and said hello. 





These flowers are so fragrant you are almost bowled over by the scent. Now if I can only remember what they are called! [Natal plum]





Idyllic garden swing, as one might have found 50-100 years ago in many yards, before the Internet and plastic play structures.





This family had two cars, one blue and one white, almost exactly matching the paint and trim on the house, fence and rose lattice.