Camellia Day

For this year's Camellia Day, I decided to take a walk down to the Camellia Grove at Capitol Park mid-afternoon yesterday. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a perfect day to get out and about downtown.

The Pioneer Camellia Grove was established on the Capitol grounds as a living memorial to the early founders of California. The Grove was dedicated in June 1953.

Camellias came to Sacramento from a local seed store owner in 1852.

There are over 800 varieties of camellias throughout Capitol Park. 

There are 186 camellias in the Grove and many of them are heirloom varieties that are no longer sold commercially. 

With the park awash in camellia blooms it was easy to see why Sacramento was bestowed the "Camellia Capital of the World" in the 1920s.

I hope you enjoyed the stroll through the Grove as much as I did.

My New Mantra

I saw these great gift items by Peter Pauper at Barnes & Noble and had to at least pick up the bookmark for myself.

Did you know? The "Keep Calm and Carry On" slogan was created by the Royal Air Force during WW II to put on posters to calm the public during the war in England. The poster was used only once during the war.

Postcards from Florida II

More backyard birds

Red-bellied woodpecker

More cardinals

Egret

Some of the palm trees took a beating in the Florida freezes this year.

Postcards from Florida

I don't have PhotoShop on the computer here, so I don't want to put too many photos on the blog because the file sizes are huge, but here are a few pictures that I have taken this week.

An old sugar mill

I just LOVE cardinals and can't get enough of them when I visit here.

This guy came for a visit in the backyard yesterday.

Hey, from the Sunshine State

Visiting family this week. Normally, when I am here this time of year it is sunny and warm. It is sunny, but not so warm. It is supposed to get back to normal temperatures the day I leave here. 

Thought you might like to see what Sacramento looks like from the plane:

It was good to see the snow when we flew over the Sierras. Snow in the mountains means no drought for us in the valley come summer.

More from Florida later...

Valentine Wishes

I just want to express my thanks to each of you who come by and visit my little blog. And a special thank you for all the wonderful comments since I started blogging two years ago. They all mean so much to me. I hope you have a sweet Valentine's weekend! xo

Lonny Love

The third issue of Lonny is out.

The Feb/March 2010 issue is 218 pages of inspiration.  And, check this out:

Recognize the photo of the person on that beautiful bathroom wall? 

DIY Valentine Treat Bags

If you are making treats for Valentine's Day check out these wonderful DIY treat bags over at Twig & Thistle. 

Printable Brownie Treat Bag Pattern

Printable Hearts Treat Bag Pattern


It is too late to order them for this Valentine's Day, but Kathleen also has the plain brownie bags and plain white treat bags available at her Twig & Thistle etsy shop which would also be great for other occasions. But, for this Valentine's Day, you can do as Kathleen suggests and print the patterns out on a label and affix to a bag of your choice.

The Love Tree

Simply adorable. Available at The Love Shop

Missed Connections

I find Sophie Blackall's Missed Connections art so intriguing. She draws pictures of chance encounters she observes in the city. How romantic is that?

Sophie's artwork is available on etsy.

Bird Counting Time

It's almost time for the Great Backyard Bird Count - the annual bird count that takes place over Presidents' Day weekend. It's free, fun, easy (it only takes a few minutes a day over four days), and a wonderful way to spend the upcoming holiday weekend. Plus, it makes you feel good to know that you are doing something that will help scientists preserve bird species.

Project Linus Needs Your Help

Project Linus, a national organization that provides blankets to kids in crisis, has just agreed to send 20,000 blankets to the relief efforts in Haiti and another 3,000 to Florida as the orphans arrive there.

The Sacramento Area Chapter is collecting handmade blankets for the effort until February 20th. Check your local chapter on the national Project Linus Web site to find out where you can donate your blankets.

Divine Twine

One can never have enough baker's twine, especially in these delicious colors. Divine Twine.