Tag: tulips

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Bye for now

It felt a little crazy but this morning — in the midst of packing; dropping off recycling and garbage; and learning we had to get the car smog checked today — we actually took a few minutes to visit Crystal Hermitage Gardens and witness the beauty of the tulips before heading off to Europe for four weeks.

The truth is, I was feeling a little crazy, but as I stepped into the lower gardens and literally drank in the view you see in the above photo, with its incredible beauty and palpable peace, I was able to stop. To be still. And to simply appreciate the blessing that Crystal Hermitage Gardens is to each of us and to the world.

To be honest, it made it that much harder to leave. But we’ll be back soon.

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Drained and out of steam

Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola

All I’ve got in me is to share a few photos from a short walk we took before meeting Ramesha’s niece and her new boyfriend for coffee this afternoon.

In the first photo below we’re in Cassarate looking at the view of the mountains across the lake, but all the rest are of the Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola and its beautiful grounds.

When we left Ananda Village the tulips at Crystal Hermitage hadn’t yet put in an appearance. The ones we found today were lovely, but nothing like Springtime at Ananda will be by now!

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Tulip magic

We finally made it over to Crystal Hermitage to experience “Springtime at Ananda” in the gardens and…yes, it’s beyond incredible. Positively astral!

There have been so many photos shared on Facebook that I had resolved not to take any. But…one simply can’t resist trying to capture the beauty.

So, here you go…

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Cherry blossoms and April showers

We’ve been so busy with medical appointments and getting ready for the Oratorio that we haven’t made it over to Crystal Hermitage Gardens for Springtime at Ananda yet.

But we’ll get there, for sure.

The recent cold weather means the tulips will probably last a good few weeks longer. However, the cherry blossoms have already peaked and, as you can see in the video, the recent storm blew most of the petals off and onto the ground, creating a beautiful pink carpet.

You can get a better sense of both the upper and lower gardens in two segments of coverage by Good Day Sacramento.

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Tulip sunshine thoughts

The surprise tulips that arrived yesterday have been even more beautiful today!

I’ve been doing doubletakes every time I enter the room and finally decided they were worth another photo in the blog.

Enjoy!

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Today’s special treat

Although Crystal Hermitage and its gardens are closed due to the coronavirus, Ananda Village residents are allowed to visit — by reservation; two per hour; masked and gloved!

It was glorious to spend an hour immersed in the beauty and sunlight and fresh air. And as a bonus, we actually got to see and greet a few friends (from an appropriate social distance, of course)!

We don’t usually make it there so early in the season, so this was our first time witnessing the cherry blossoms in their full splendor. Although there are already lots of tulips, the wisteria and dogwood trees aren’t yet in full bloom. So we’ll definitely be making another appointment (or two…or three!) over the coming weeks.