Beautiful Hills in My Backyard

I often dream of living in the countryside. Open green spaces, endless fields, and wild flowers make up my image of content and peaceful life. Luckily, I live on the outskirts of the city (a big city with almost a million residents), and I can enjoy a bit of countryside almost in my backyard.

There are beautiful hills and a wonderful county park with infinite hike trails right next to my home.

These are the hill views from my backyard. Also the first photo is what I see from my dining room. I love that view in winter times when I have my cup of morning tea or coffee. And in spring and summer, I get up early to enjoy my coffee on the patio looking at those hills and trees. That’s the best way to start my day!

 

The hills are at their prime beauty in early spring. After the winter rains, they are so lusciously green. And it’s when the wild flowers bloom.  

Oh how delightful it is to walk paths such as this one!

The orange flowers are California poppies – the state flower of California.

Another delight that the hills offer is meeting wild animals – mule deer, wild turkeys, hares, and California quails. Once on a hike, my husband and I even saw a family of feral pigs – a mommy and three piglets, but they were far away off the trail and didn’t even notice us. Our hills are also the home to more dangerous residents – mountain lions and rattle snakes, so special precautions should always be taken when hiking.

As the summer arrives, and in California it arrives early, the hills change their appearance dramatically. Green color begins to disappear and yellow begins to dominate the scenery.  The wild flowers disappear, and the hills remind me of the African Savannah, which brings the danger of wild fires.

Right now the hills are in the transition from green to yellow. A few more weeks, and they will look almost lifeless. My family and I try to enjoy their beauty while it’s still here. We go up the hills to the county park a few times a week. Sometimes we have a picnic there; other times just take a short walk with the kids. Staying on the main ground of the park is safe; mountain lions don’t come there, but other harmless wild animals can be seen in the distance, which fascinates the children.

I especially like being there at and right after the sunset. At that time the place has such a tranquil and calming feeling.

Gibson Ranch Park

When I used to live in Sacramento, this was my favorite place. It’s so peaceful and remote. I loved walking the ranch’s paths, looking at horses and cows grazing, and pretending that I was a country girl living on a farm.





The park is huge! It has a beautiful pond with noisy geese and ducks. There are several corrals and pens with farm animals – cows, horses, goats and sheep, pigs, and even two llamas. There are lots of shady places and huge oak trees to have a picnic under.

And that’s what we did! My family and I met up there with my cousin and his family for an afternoon picnic.

It was great to visit my favorite place again and see its beautiful views. But this time, my favorite ones were these


children exploring the nature


running around and exhausting my husband playing tag.

What a fantastic place, and what a great memorable time we shared there. We surely do spend a lot of time outdoors this summer. Usually I would complain about the summer heat, but this year I just embrace it.

California State Capitol, Sacramento

While visiting my mom in Sacramento, I simply could not leave the city without visiting one of my favorite places there – the Capitol.

I had been there a thousand times when I used to live in Sacramento. Yet I could never get tired of this beautiful place.

The Capitol was built in the Neoclassical style between 1861 and 1874. I don’t have a profound knowledge of architecture, but one thing I can tell for sure is that the Capitol is gorgeous. The snow-white building with the 234-feet-high dome looks stunning on the background of clear blue sky.



The interior of the Capitol is just as elegant as its exterior. The Capitol Museum is open to the public free of charge.

On this trip to the Capitol, I didn’t go inside as I was short on time and I had been there before. But I enjoyed a morning walk at the Capitol Park.

Shady fir trees and magnolias surround walks on the front side of the Capitol. On the back side, an alley of orange trees makes a spectacular sight. The park is the home to numerous species of fascinating trees and plants. Bellow is the picture of one of the blooming trees that caught my attention.



There are several monuments throughout the park. Among them are tributes to veterans of Spanish-American War, Civil War, and Vietnam War. There is a monument to everyday heroes – the firefighters and another one to Father Junipero Serra (an important figure in California history) at the park.

And, of course, every beautiful park must have roses. On the opposite side of the park, the World Peace Rose Garden is located. The beautiful fountain in the middle was turned off on the day of my visit. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed the calm and serene atmosphere of the garden.



I love California State Capitol because to me this place represents all the greatness of America, remembering and honoring the past and striving for peaceful and just future.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of California State Capitol. I wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July!

I'm joining Claudia at Dipity Road for Fourth of July edition of Friday Finding Beauty.

A Walk in the Woods

What can be better than starting a Sunday with a stroll through the woods? In the morning, the air is fresh and pleasantly cool. It is filled with the scent of trees and damp old leaves.



As you walk quietly down the path, you can hear the living commotion around you. The birds are singing their morning songs; squirrels and chipmunks are rustling in the leaves; a bumble-bee is buzzing around a flower.
You can smell and hear a lot of interesting things, but there are even more things to see. Plants and flowers, unusually shaped trees and big rocks, a little waterfall and a creek – the forest is filled with exciting sights.



After walking for some time, you ask yourself if it’s time to turn back. But the path is so inviting and your curiosity of where it’s leading makes you walk farther. More walking and admiring the nature around.



Finally, the trees spread out and you see a beautiful lake. A mallard duck with its ducklings make you smile, but you are a bit disappointed as they are too far to be captured with the camera.



After a little rest on the bank, you start heading back. You feel refreshed and full of energy. A morning walk in the forest is a perfect way to start Sunday and the new week.

I hope everyone had a wonderful beginning of the new week! I’m joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

San Jose Rose Garden

One of my favorite places in my city is the Rose Garden Park. No other place has such an explosion of color.
Today, my friend and I went there to enjoy the rose blossoms. The weather was very hot, but a light and refreshing breeze made our stroll through the park pleasant and relaxing.
We smelled the roses, admired their shapes and colors, and took lots of pictures. This photo mosaic shows the roses that I loved the most either because of their color or smell or both.



I’m joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

The Ocean Charm of Monterey

This past weekend, my family and I spent a day at beautiful Monterey. I like the tranquil charm of this little seashore town. Monterey is famous for not only its gorgeous ocean views and beaches, but also as the formal capital of Spanish California. Yes, Monterey is full of California history with its beautiful Custom House and other buildings that make up the Monterey Old Historic District.
My family and I drive to Monterey a few times a year. Even though the town is small, there are lots of different and exciting things to do there. This time we took a stroll from Wisherman’s Wharf to Cannery Row and back (about 40 minutes each way). Along the way we enjoyed the stunning ocean views as well as abundant wildlife (sea lions, pelicans, gulls, and cormorants). We had our lunch on the beach listening to gulls and ocean waves. It was a marvelous way to spend a day with my family.
I had taken lots of pictures, and I tried to incorporate them in this mosaic. I wanted to include all the marvels of Monterey – buildings, ocean views, flora and fauna. I hope you enjoy it.



I’m joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. It’s a place to see wonderful photo mosaics of many different subjects.

Filoli Estate

Last Friday, my husband, my son, and I went for a field trip to Woodside, CA. We visited one of the most beautiful estates in America – Filoli.
The mansion is surrounded by magnificent formal gardens. I hadn’t seen such variety of flowers in my life. I found it very inspirational to walk around and explore all the paths, ponds, little fountains, and shady corners with neat benches.
It is worth mentioning that Filoli was used as the Carrington mansion in the TV series Dynasty. I loved watching this series when I was a little girl. I admired everything about the show – beautiful actors, gorgeous settings, and fabulous outfits. How wonderful that the beauty of Filoli is accessible to the public nowadays!

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I'm editing my post. Instead of all the pictures, I upload this photomosaic (which I learned to make just now). Hope you like it :-)



At Little Red House there is a Mosaic Monday party going on. I'm joining the fun!