Thank you .. ‘Dirt du Jour’

for the glowing review! "Go ask Alice ... where all the best vineyard gardens are. She's an erudite charmer; you'll have fun!"
National Parks

Big Sur - California Travel Route 1

Recently returned from a fascinating trip to Monterey County ~ taking in the awe-inspiring beauty of Route 1 and the Big Sur coastline.

Carmel Courtyard © Alice Joyce

A room with a fireplace and ocean views in Carmel pretty well guarantees relaxation! It’s a quaint town. Easy to kick back and revel in great meals, once you’ve chosen from the countless restaurants in town and nearby.

Hahn Wine Tasting © Alice Joyce

Inland, traveling south from Salinas, the Hahn Winery featured prominently on my itinerary.

Tasting Pinot Noir, a high point. As is the site itself, literally, on Foothill Road, where the Hahn tasting room’s terrace offers a truly incredible view of The Pinnacles National Monument across the valley floor.

The Pinnacles Monument © Alice Joyce

Should you be touring Monterey County, you must experience the unique wine country along River Road, stopping by to taste at the Hahn vineyard Estate in the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation.

The Monterey area is steeped in the magic of writer John Steinbeck’s magnificent imagery, of fertile farms and waves crashing against the Pacific Ocean’s rocky outcrops.

I had been planning to hike Point Lobos and The Pinnacles since moving to California.

Point Lobos © Alice Joyce

At last, the dream was realized. What spectacular trails and scenery.

Bixby Bridge ~ Big Sur © Alice Joyce

Continuing the drive, heading North to Big Sur and a stop to take in the classic vista of Bixby Bridge and the jaw-dropping road that follows the sea, hugging the rough terrain.

Comments are closed   National Parks, Nature, Wine Tasting   , , ,  
Botanical Gardens

Rancho La Puerta Cooking School

La Cocina que Canta! ~ The Kitchen That Sings

Rancho La Puerta La Cocina Gardens 

Cooking School &  Culinary Center – Rancho La Puerta

The lush six-acre kitchen gardens of Tres Estrellas are located a bit north of the Rancho’s main landscape.

Rancho La Puerta La Cocina Que Canta 

Encompassing 3,000 acres overall, the Rancho property takes in a 2,000-acre parcel set aside by the Szekely as a permanent nature preserve.

Equally impressive:  The gardens have been farmed organically since 1940, yielding delectable produce for the Rancho’s Mediterranean-style meals & for ingredients used at the cooking school. Below: Set within the pavement, a circular design combines pebble paving & wooly thyme, releasing its lovely scent with each footstep.

Rancho La Puerta – Wooly thyme Paving La Cocina 

In the entryway courtyard leading to the kitchen, bougainvillea scrambles up the red brick wall, while the rich fragrance of Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’ is most potent at the end of the day.

© Alice Joyce

Edible flowers garnish many dishes to add flavor and color, like the delicious blooms of  broccoli rabe – aka Broccoli Raap or Rapini.

Head Gardener Salvador Tinajero © Alice Joyce

Head Gardener Salvador Tinajero cares for the gardens, and assists students in harvesting herbs and vegetables to be added to the school’s mouth-watering recipes.

The gardens thrive in a valley nestled in the foothills of Mount Kuchumaa .. a sacred site for Native Americans.

Rancho La Puerta La Cocina Que Canta Culinary Gardens 

6 comments - (Comments are closed)   Botanical Gardens, Culinary Gardens, Foodie Havens, Garden Travel, Mexico, Southern California   ,  
Landscape Architecture

Farewell to My Garden .. A New Chapter

2013 has arrived and I find myself celebrating the 4th Blogiversary of my California blog: Bay Area Tendrils…while saying goodbye to the garden I’ve tended for nearly 15 years.

Alice Joyce Garden Mosaic Path

I embrace the change, despite the accompanying stress and challenges.

C. ‘Solfatare’  © Alice Joyce

I’ll miss some of the beautiful specimens that take starring roles in my Northern California landscape, like the buttery blooms of Crocosmia ‘Solfatare’ that shine against the garden’s Moroccan Blue walls.

Anemone n. Robinsoniana

This marvelous ephemeral wood anemone is among the first plants to bloom in early spring in Alice’s garden: named for famed plantsman, William Robinson.

Aristolochia californica  © Alice Joyce

Native specimens like the California Dutchman’s Pipevine – a spectacular plant that provides endless pleasures, putting on a surprising show, reblooming when I least expect it.

Blue throatwort: © Alice Joyce

 Another favorite, Trachelium caeruleum – blue throatwort partners again with the blue wall.

I may be moving on, but my sweet garden will not be forgotten!

For a look back on my garden from its earliest days … Click Here.

7 comments - (Comments are closed)   Landscape Architecture   ,  
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