A small taste of the tour held Sunday, April 25, 2010. This is from Rancho La Loma.
I haven’t seen terracing like this since the Cinque Terre in Italy, the difference being the use of our “local stone,” repurposed broken concrete stacked for the retaining walls. The designer, Marco Barrantes, told me he uses gravel between the stacked concrete for extra stability.
These baby ducks had found a shady nest in some golden sedge.
I found the elder Mr. Barrantes walking the paths of this beautiful garden his son created for him, chatting with the garden tourists and answering questions about the plants and what kind of grapes they grew (Zinfandel. And yes, they are made into wine.) Before he turned away from our brief exchange, he looked back and said simply, “I am happy.”
Indeed. Looks like la dolce vita to me.
All photos by MB Maher.
This is the kind of post that leaves me desperate to live in Pasadena.
The cultural options alone are overwhelming, and then you have amazing and beautiful gardens to drool over, in addition. Lucky you. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed the Pasadena Open Day! There is another chance to view local private gardens in Los Angeles on May 8th, details on our website.