Serendipity

Today I had intended to write more about Stanford University or about our weekend in Los Angeles, but I just have to tell you about a place we visited on Sunday afternoon on our way home from Long Beach.

We often drive up and down Pacific Coast Highway when we travel to and from Los Angeles. PCH takes us right along the coast and through Malibu.

On Sunday afternoon, we meandered home slowly, choosing the scenic route. The weather was a bit cloudy and foggy, but the ocean was a beautiful blue and the coastal vegetation looked fresh and sunny.

We stopped at our usual stopping place, the Starbuck's at Trancas Canyon, at the north end of Malibu. I cannot tell you how many times we have pulled in to that parking lot, gotten out of our car and turned our backs on this little nursery tucked in behind the back parking lot.

This time, I decided I'd like to take a peek in Malibu Gardens Nursery, just because we weren't in a hurry and just because it was there and I was a little curious. I mean, what kind of a nursery would Malibu, the famous home town of more movie stars than Hollywood, have?

Well. Wow.

The owners of MGN obviously love their garden and someone who works there is obviously an artist. The whole nursery was filled with color! Pots and plants everywhere in a casual, Southern California, everything arranged in easy going, seemingly haphazard way that is really the carefully thought out work of the true artist.

I was enchanted. The Professor came looking for me and there I was staring at osteospermum in all these colors! Who knew?

Even the lettuces were beautiful!

I wonder if the cat is for sale.

If you are ever in Malibu sightseeing and you get tired of looking for movie stars, take a peek at Malibu Gardens Nursery. If you meet the owners, tell them that the lady who bought beets and lobelia sent you.