I'm so tired right now from all the walking I did today. I don't know how I'm going to be able to stand at work tomorrow. The reason I'm tired is because I went to Descanso Gardens. Because my car is on the fritz, and because I'm trying to save money on gasoline while going on my day trips, I took the bus to Descanso Gardens. Little did I know that the bus stop is about half a mile from Descanso. Walking up hill in the heat didn't make it any easier either. After arriving, tired, I wondered why the hell I didn't just drive my nearly dead car. Then I thought, I'm sure my car would have overheated by now. Now I was worried that I would be too tired to walk around the gardens after my walk from the bus stop. Thankfully the views revitalized me a bit. I went straight to the Japanese garden, my favorite, to take some pictures before I got too tired later. I figured I would be ultra tired, too tired to care, if I left the Japanese garden until last. I seem to remember a tea house but I guess the tea house was closed for my visit. That was OK, I didn't really have time for tea. I continued my walk through the "woods" for the next 20 minutes, finally making it to the edge of the gardens. I found this secluded spot that just made me glad that I put the effort into continuing even after I had hesitations of continuing. The following is a picture of the offing. It's not a very good representation of the place, so I merged a few pictures together to make the following panoramic shot. You really have to have been there. I would make the picture bigger, but then it wouldn't fit on the computer screen. Suffice to say that I was happy at that moment. I felt like everything was far away and I had no concerns. I stood there for who knows how long until I heard the rustle of a tall tree's leaves in the distance. The sound drew me away from the offing and to the foot of this wonderful tree that seemed to sound like the ocean as the wind kicked up. I recorded the sound for about two minutes. Maybe I'll post it on my site. Here are a few more pictures from the gardens. So despite having trouble getting there, and getting a late start, the trip to Descanso Gardens was worth the trouble getting there. Now I can check that off my list of things to do this summer. I basically only have the L.A. Arboretum and the Huntington Library left on my short list. There are other places on my long term list, but they will have to wait for later. I do want to post one last picture from my trip to Descanso Gardens, this indicator that says the name of a certain plant. I thought it was funny, but you decide for yourself. Finally the last picture of the day, taken as I walked from the Whole Foods Market on Sepulveda to my house. It almost makes me forget that I have stupid jury duty. I got the summons the other day, but I didn't call them until today. What sucks is that I tried to get a postponement, but the stupid computer didn't allow me to pick a date that's more than three months in the future. My service starts on the 18th of September. Not only one day after my birthday, but also within the first month of the Fall semester. I can't believe that they won't let me postpone it until after the semester is over, but something tells me I'm going to have a hard time convincing them. The jury service has changed a lot since the last time I had to serve. It's supposed to be better in that they don't keep you for two weeks. Still, it's a total hassle, even though it's my civic duty. Oh well, I guess if they can't postpone it I'll just go on the 18th and hope that I'm not picked to be on a jury. End Communication. |