Landscapes in dry weather

This week's Downey Patriot had an article on the mandatory water restrictions from the state of California. In response, the Downey City Council just adopted sweeping regulations limiting water usage at homes and businesses. Downey residents and businesses are expected to reduce water use by 20% from June 1 - Feb. 2016.

We live in a desert and with the current drought conditions, it is becoming harder to maintain traditional landscaping. That's why I liked this house and what they had done to create not only a mix of green and drought-tolerant landscaping, but a truly unique, creative facade for their home.

"Home is where our story begins."

The last open frontier

Downey, as is most of the LA basin, is saturated with buildings. You can drive for miles and never see more than 10 feet between the residential houses, apartments, or commercial buildings that make up the landscape. But for a while, this particular piece of land, that used to be the Boeing site, was stripped of its buildings so that we had an uninterrupted view of the horizon.



I've enjoyed the views but will soon see more buildings side by side.

"America the Beautiful"

"O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"

I can't help but think of these lyrics whenever I travel up and down the coast of California. I was among the "fruited plain" at this point, with a wine glass in my hand toasting to (and tasting) that year's good harvest. The Santa Ynez wineries (Santa Barbara area) are a great way to spend the day, tasting and wandering and catching some sun. There are official tastings at the actual vineyards and then you can go into the little town and have lunch at any of the mom and pop shops. There are touristy shops everywhere for little knickknacks or flowers. All in all, I wish it were closer so I could visit more often instead of devoting half the time to driving.