Australian Garden at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum (March 2021)
Driving two hours one way to visit a botanical garden may seem weird to some, but I wear my weirdness with pride. Plus, I love driving, listening to an audiobook, or just letting my mind go where it wants to. In other words, I enjoy getting there as much as being there. My destination this time was the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Arboretum. I was surprised to realize that I hadn't been there since May 2019 , so almost two years. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered my perception of time to the point where I can't trust myself to accurately gauge when I did this or that. My focus on this trip was the Australian Garden. Right now, it's a riot of color from countless trees, shrubs, and perennials in vibrant bloom against a backdrop of evergreen foliage. Walking around and taking photos was a glorious experience. This post is image-heavy and it'll take you a while to go through, but I promise it's worth your time. I'll keep my comments to a minimum. Gre...