What We Saw Walking to Australia & Back

This morning Clementine and I decided to walk to Australia.

Gamma (Clementine's other grandmother) volunteers as the caretaker of the Australia section of the Alta Vista Botanical Garden in Vista, California. We love walking through the beautiful Brengle Terrace Park that includes that garden, and also the Moonlight Amphitheater, the community center where Clementine and her sisters all attended pre-K, a wonderful playground, a great disk-golf course, and a Children's garden. 

We made a wonderful discovery when we'd barely gotten out of Clementine's yard. There in her neighbor Doug's yard sharp-eyed Clementine noticed the home of a very active hive of honeybees in the cavity of a palm tree stump. We can tell this is a well established community of bees with guard bees protecting the entrance and worker bees buzzing in and out going about their chores of collecting nectar and pollen. Here in sunny southern California they can collect those things all year round. 

I suggested Clem reach in and collect us a sample of the honey, but she didn't want to do that. I wonder why.

🐝 Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Clementine collected a few more macadamia nuts from the edge of Doug's yard where they have fallen from his neighbor's tree. Once the husks have turned brown and they have dried a bit, and you have managed to crack the VERY hard shells, the nuts inside are delicious to us humans, BUT be careful. Macadamia nuts can make your doggies very sick. 

🌰 Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia or hybrid)

We "collected" several dog friends on this walk, but we didn't take pictures of all of them.  On the sidewalk across the side street from the Mexican Restaurant we met a human tending three days. We enjoyed meeting her and her dogs, Holly, Boo, and Sally. (Nom picture)

Just as we got to the Brengle Terrace trail we met Tango, a large black mixed breed dog with his human.(No picture) 

As  we neared Brengle Terrace park we began to see these large flowers. Sometimes called Jimsonweed, every part of this plant is poisonous, so be careful! The flowers open in late afternoon or evening and stay open through the night. They are pollinated by hawk moths (sphinx moths). 

🤍 Sacred Datura or Jimsonweed (Datura wrightii)

As we climbed the trail toward the park Clem took my picture MANY times. I really wasn't tired yet, but I pretended to be.

The Blue Jacaranda tree is a native of Argentina and Bolivia, but since the 1800s it has become so common it southern California and many probably assume it is native. The camera does not do it justice. The blue/violet color of the flower clusters is almost startling. 

🌳 Blue Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia)

Coco (left) and Chuck were very friendly and their human enjoyed telling us about them. They are both rescue dogs and were given new names by their new human.

Near the playground we met a lady sitting in the grass with her friendly dog, Sunny. (No picture)

Clementine suggested we climb up the grassy hill toward the Alta Vista Botanical Garden. It is VERY steep.

On the side of the hill we stopped to examine this Pink Evening Primrose still open while several others had already closed. It is native to south central states but has become naturalized in California.

Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)

Though it's a pretty little thing it is also a persistent pest to many farmers. Imported from Eurasia it is a tenacious survivor with roots radiating in every direction as much as ten feet. It can regenerate from tiny pieces of root and the doggone seeds can stay viable for a decade!

🤍 Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

The fairy garden at "Australia"

One of the things I love about Vista, California is that there is a LOT of public art. Some of it is very quirky.

I like this patio so we took a picture. This would fit nicely in my backyard.

Has something got GrandShaw's hand!?

My old friends the red-eared turtle and Mosquitofish..

More public art

Clementine and her family won second place in the scarecrow contest.

We saw these Western Fence Lizards everywhere.

Sissy & Molly

After we left the park we had a great time inventing a silly poem about the dogs we had met. By the time we got to the house it was pretty well complete.

Dogs At The Park

by Clementine & Grandshaw, July 27, 2026

Sissy and Molly
and Holly and Boo

went to the park
to see what they could do.

They played on the slide.

They played on the swing.

Before they were done
they played on everything

They met a new friend
whose name was Tango.

So they offered him some
of their frozen mango.

Another new friend
 was named Sunny

They walked throiugh the grass
and frightened a bunny.

They played in the grass.

They rolled in the clover.

And before they knew it
the day was over.