(click to enlarge)
These are the Japanese gardens at Lotusland, in Montecito, CA. We're fortunate to find places of calm, natural beauty and restoration when we need to re-charge ourselves and get perspective:
"Footpaths are lined with Japanese-style vintage lanterns, and plants such as azaleas, bamboo, camellias and star magnolias. Trees include cherry blossoms and gingko; an antique Buddha statue along one path serenely holds a floral offering beneath a Japanese maple.
A viewing deck and footbridge cross a koi pond with lotuses. The open-air pavilion, built next to a waterfall, offers a peaceful space for contemplation with a view of the dry garden’s raked sand, rocks and boulders, with a reflective pond and wide expanse of garden beyond."
(all photos by Pamela Hassell, AP)
