A Visit to the UC Davis Arboretum

A week from Friday, May 6th, is National Public Garden Day. Last weekend, we went out to explore the lovely arboretum at UC Davis campus. We began with a picnic to fortify us in our explorations:

The wonderful UC Davis gardens showcase a variety of themed landscaping based on water conserving plant varieties. The garden collections include Native California, California Foothills, Mediterranean, Australian, South African, East Asian, Southwest/Mexican, and North Coast. Each landscape was unique and beautiful in its own way, and we loved learning about the many diverse kinds of plants, trees and flowers:




We were also able to see some of the wildlife that has made a home at the gardens:



But one of my favorite spots was behind the Food Science buildings, where there was an edible garden picture perfect enough to make my mouth drool. Check out the artichokes reaching for the sky and the bright red stalks of chard:
The perfect rows of carrots, radishes and lettuce:

Who knew that cauliflower heads could pop up out of the earth like bright roses? A well-kept garden is a pleasure to behold. I read that this one is called the Good Life Garden and is periodically open to students to come and harvest! All of these gardens are free, so if you live nearby, be sure to stop by UC Davis and walk the grounds. If not, find a public garden near you and savor the sight of spring.

Afternoon Delight (Tea, That Is)

"America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between." -Oscar Wilde

Ah, Oscar. You sadden me with your British cultural superiority complex. Or so I felt, until last Saturday, when I discovered that the famous British playwright was indeed entitled to boasting rights, if merely for the fact that the British invented a delightful custom known as afternoon tea.

A couple of girlfriends and I experienced this refined and "civilized" tradition firsthand at an adorable little tea shop in the nearby city of Davis. Here are some pics from our get-together:

My tea: Tangerine Ginger

My friends shared the Rooibus Chai Tea, pink peony on the side

Our tea platter: sandwiches, scones, pastries, and fresh fruit!

Over warm, comforting drinks and tasty tidbits, we enjoyed the early spring sunshine that streamed in the window and even met some new friends, fellow lovers of the finer things who were seated at the table next to us. It was a beautiful thing!

Where did this glorious tradition become discontinued in America? Was it after the Boston Tea party, a rebellion against that wicked tea tax imposed on us prior to the Revolutionary War? My opinion: afternoon tea is right up there with siesta as deserving of being (re-)incorporated into the American lifestyle.

For a detailed description of the food, see my Yelp review here.