December 20th: Around the garden in La Jolla

The red and green in nature theme continued.

My dad's camellias were glorious.
A shared fuchsia cutting, from my mother-in-law to my folks.
I love this shot. I remember when these camellias were knee high.

They were planted in 1958, and I always loved how they would bloom in such lovely variations.

Pinks, whites, rose, and splattered colored mixed blooms would float elegantly in bowls during the winter months.

Dad is walking down the path, and he is about six feet tall, to give you an idea how much these plants have grown in about fifty years.

They do get pruned back to form a hedge.

If they were allowed to grown naturally, they would be trees by now.


My hearth as a child.
My brother and my Christmas stockings would be hung on the fire place tools.

Santa would drop off the filled stocking next to our pillows during the night. When I woke up on Christmas morning the soft jingle of the bell on my stocking would sound, and I would remember it was Christmas, and dig out a new mouse and angel.

You can see the top of Rufus the Cat's stocking hung there now. Wonder what he will get? (coal)

I always wished we had a mantel, but our house was very 1950's and mantels didn't happen much in the fireplace designs of those years.

Raised hearths, however, did, and I used to love to sit comfortably right in front of the fire and block the heat.