Touch and Smell the Plants

On the way to a beach walk with a couple of friends, we stopped for a stroll at the Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park.

We went through the small "Garden of Fragrance"...

...where there were plenty of pungent plants.

Because the majority of signage in the Gardens is restrictive and prohibitive, it was delightful to see an encouraging one.

Some of the colors were stunning...

...and there were even Hydrangeas in bloom.

There was a succulent sale at the bookstore entrance, and we were so amused by the phallic nature of the Mammilaria Elongata (4 inch) that we bought two of them, one as a gift for our friends.

Ocean Beach at the end of Lincoln Boulevard is a recent discovery for me, even after living for 40-plus years in San Francisco.

Having been raised on Southern California beaches, with warm weather, warm water, public showers and bathroom facilities, San Francisco's western border at the Pacific Ocean has always struck me as inhospitable, with cold weather, cold water, and no public facilities at all.

However, fleeing from the crappy air of the current wildfires surrounding the Bay Area to Pacific fog and breezes has been a lung saver over the last couple of weeks. The beach also feels like a safe place to mingle with others at a distance, with and without a mask, in the midst of a pandemic.

The wild succulents, by the way, are now sharing my work-from-home living room window where they look very happy.