Botanical Gardens

Golden Gate Park Botanical Gardens

/ Bulldog Travels / 19 Comments

The Botanical Gardens at Golden Gate Park is arguably one of the best places to visit in San Francisco and maybe the state. These world class gardens never disappoint as a alternative to the traffic and tourism of the City. One can visit frequently throughout the year and see something different each time. In COVID times its a wonderful way to get outside and keep your distance from other folks while breathing sweet salty fresh air. I have visited here many many times over the years and will be forever grateful for my best friend going to college here and introducing me to this magnificent place. The enormous and aged coastal trees are stunning, the detail of the flowers from all over the world are magnificent, and the trails are fun. There is also nothing wrong with bringing a blanket and popping a top of something and just enjoying the sunshine amongst acres and acres of beautiful picnic location options in the gardens.

Golden Gate Park Conservatory of Flowers

/ Bulldog Travels / 13 Comments

Spring has sprung in San Francisco so we decided to check out the Conservatory of Flowers located in San Francisco’s glorious Golden Gate Park. This is my second visit and well worth it to see what was different to entertain my Macro lens. The front lawn of the Conservatory is reminiscent of European Victorian gardens with locals basking in the warm sunshine. The building was purchased by a wealthy connoisseur of flowers in the late 1800’s and was gifted after his death. The building has survived fire, earthquake, and wind damage over the years. The building itself is unusual and a work of art and the perfect container for an award worthy garden of exotic plants.

The Tulips Are Blooming, Queen Wilhelmina’s Garden

/ Bulldog Travels / 8 Comments

Queen Wilhelmina’s Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco was in full bloom showing off its Tulip Magic. The tulips were planted in the shadow of the impressive and iconic windmill which overlooks the underrated Ocean Beach. As is usual for San Francisco the crowds and parking were frustrating yet it was still a nice visit and a great excuse to exercise my Macro lens. No visit to San Francisco is complete without a visit to Golden Gate Park. But please, whatever you do, go in the morning on a weekday or it might ruin the fun for you.

Horton Iris Garden – Loomis, California

/ Bulldog Travels / 12 Comments

Horton Iris Garden, in Loomis California is open for the season with early bloomers on display. This lovely family opens their beautiful property for a few months out of the year to display and sell tons of varieties of Irises. (They also open for pumpkin season which is probably my favorite time of the year!) Enjoy some of the blooms which opened for us during a recent visit.

Stop and Smell the Roses at McKinley Park in Sacramento

/ Bulldog Travels / 13 Comments
  • I have a lot to learn from this kid who tells me all the time to stop and smell the flower Mama
  • He went through and figured out which flowers in the garden smelled the best
  • It was so early it was cool and no one was out

Its been hot in the Valley so a visit to the lovely rose garden at McKinley Park in Sacramento was in order early in the morning. It was also best considering social distancing guidelines and not particularly wanting to be close to people at this time. Well, the kiddo and I enjoyed our visit. He smelled every rose declaring which ones smelled good and which ones were inferior. He also spent the better part of two hours picking up wayward petals throwing them in the garbage can which is his favorite pastime. We have a budding Gardener on our hands friends. Stay cool and Stop and Smell those roses.

Amador Flower Farm

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My final post for the Amador County/Plymouth area visit takes us to the Amador Flower Farm!  We went for the vineyards and were positively giddy at running in to this flower farm.  It was the perfect spot for a social distancing photo expedition.

This lovely and large flower farm is nestled in the Plymouth Gold Country area and is the perfect place to either shop for plants or have a family friendly picnic surrounded by a botanical garden.  It is also a great break for those who grow weary of too much wine tasting in one day.

May my flower photos bring you a tiny respite from the strange world we are in these days.

Cheers.

San Francisco Zoo

/ Bulldog Travels / 8 Comments

I finally made it to the San Francisco Zoo.  Have you ever tried to go somewhere and wind up starting to go half a dozen times before it actually works out?  I have even driven here a few times and couldn’t park or it was closed etc.  Well, we finally made it, and the weather was fine.  It was a lovely day to visit the famous beachside zoo and botanical garden.  Many of the animals were doing what they do best and what I wish I was doing, napping.  Some of the enclosures were smaller, darker, and more older fashioned than I would have expected at a zoo this large and famous and frequently visited.  But, toddler temper tantrums aside it was a lovely visit with the highlights being the hippo, the giraffes, the penguins, the koalas (thinking of their friends down under), and the gardens.

*My son would like to note his favorite part was the bubbles and the garbage cans.  So, there you have it, a solid three year old review of the Zoo.

Lovely gardens here at the Zoo and the weather was fine
Hello Bear!
Sleeping birds
I love me some giraffes
Pretty shot of the aviary
Up close and personal with some penguins