Monday, September 8, 2008

A Garden Stroll

Halloween at Descanso

Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Drive
La Canada, CA 91011
818-949-4200

This is lovely garden, a great place to stroll or loll about on a blanket. A canopy of mature oaks keeps much of it fairly cool in the summer. There are special events on Father’s Day, Halloween and other holidays. These are fun—but quite crowded. Picnicking is allowed on a few days, but check first, so you don’t end up like we did last Halloween: sneaking our homemade sandwiches into the cafĂ©. Mateo was seven months-old then. He sat on that giant pumpkin you see above. Then he took in the view from his baby bjorn as we ambled under the oaks. White-crowned sparrows hopped along the ground. A spotted towhee foraged under a shrub. Later, Mateo played with his dad’s hat on a blanket under a ginkgo tree. Several princesses and Wonder Woman toddled by.

On a more recent visit, Mateo enjoyed running up and down the bridges in the Japanese garden. And comparing his goldfish crackers to the …gold fish (koi).

Other Descanso attractions: a train for kids over 18-months, nature walks for the over two-year set, a pond with ducks, and a rose garden with plenty of paths, arbors, and benches to explore.

Recommended reading: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children form Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv (Algonquin Books).

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