be back soon

i will be home from california in a couple of days, and i hope to spend my first week back in minnesota sharing another several days’ worth of newly gathered californiana with you. stay tuned.

palm frond detail

mediterranean climate

the california poppy is the state flower of california, but because california is one of the few regions on earth with a “mediterranean climate,” we see a lot of the state flower of california during our visits to southern france. the only difference is that one place is a mediterranean climate right next to the mediterranean sea. and the other place is a mediterranean climate next to the pacific ocean. i am in love with both.

california poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

little fingers

i love succulents and my husband does not. i asked him what i should say about these adorable little hen and chicks succulents. he said explain how they are simply inflated little bladders full of stored water. i said, how about how they look like endearing little baby fingers. he said, we live in minnesota you can’t get me to care about succulents. i said,  you love babies and their fat little fingers. he said, nice try.

hen and chicks succulents (Echeveria elegans blue)

eucalyptus colored

what color is a eucalyptus leaf? well, by definition it is all of the colors above, depending on the season. leather and sage and wintergreen and rust and charred gold. part of the joy of a daily nature practice is that it breaks up all the categories that you thought you knew and teaches you to look more closely at what you thought you already understood. what color is an oak leaf? what color is the surface of a lake? what color is an acorn? what color is snow? the answer in every case is, “let me look at it at just this instant, and i’ll tell you.”

california eucalyptus leaves

a legendary meal

today we will be eating lunch at chez panisse in berkeley, which would be memorable enough, but it turns out we will be sharing at least part of our meal with alice waters herself. my husband interviewed her for an article he wrote in the washington post, and their shared love of southern france and luly peyraud resulted in this invitation. he will be a mess all morning long, and then he will be completely winning at lunch, and that is how it will go because that is how it always goes. insert loving wifely eye roll emoji here.

palm fan