An Ode to Roses

Whenever the sun is out, I've gotten into the routine of walking or cycling to a green expanse and soak up that liquid gold for a couple of hours. Every time I mutter a silent "thank you" for this blessing, as I know that I could very well be in the cold and grey in Canada instead. (Sorry Donnie!) :-)

My favorite place to go for this little ritual is the Historical Park across from the Old Mission, a famous Santa Barbara landmark.

The view of the Mission from where I sunbathe.

To my sheer delight I discovered that a large section of the park is in fact a stunning rose garden. In fact I learned that the A. C. Postel Memorial Rose Garden was "recognized in the past as the #2 municipal rose garden in the nation for the excellence of its maintenance and the beauty of its location." I had noticed the beds when we used to come here with Kylo last spring, but the season being over then, these had been empty.

And to think I live so close by!!! Woo hoo! *doing the happy dance*

Before I settle down in the sun I usually like to stroll among the roses and take in their sublime beauty and scent. It's so wonderful to be able to come here on such a regular basis; every visit offering a slightly different perspective as the roses go through their ongoing process of birth and death.

I hadn't realized how many varieties of roses exist. They come in seemingly countless shapes, sizes and shades of colors, and have such charming names as French Lace, Moondance, New Day, Pink Promise, Sheer Bliss and Sweet Surrender. As you may have noticed, amateur as I may be, I just love love photography. What a delight it's been to capture some of those roses on camera! I haven't had the discipline to write all their names down in order to correctly identify the shots, but I have memorized a few.

As always with Nature, photos are a very poor representation of the actual beauty. Still, I hope that these will manage to evoke a fraction of the privileged spectacle that has become the source of such joy for me.

Paradise

Perfect Moment

See the dew drop? Perfect moment indeed!

These are miniature rose bushes growing close to the ground.

This is one of my favorite pics!

Only just awakening...

I thought that all roses gave off perfume but while exploring the garden I've come to the conclusion that surprisingly few do. (Or perhaps is it just those hosted here?) All flowers are an unadulterated expression of beauty, still I couldn't help but be especially seduced by those that combine both lovely appearance and fragrance, such as these next two varieties.

Double Delight

Scentimental

Love that teeny cloud!

A mandala of rose petals...

Sisters ;-)

I hadn't noticed the tiny spider until I edited this pic.

Bright Pink Iceberg

And their close cousins, the white Iceberg.
 I lost myself for a while in that bed... Sooo lovely!

Ahhhh, I could just go on and on, but I'll leave you with a last few gorgeous shots taken by Diane.

Coming up next: Part I of my adventures in Diane's sunny kitchen!