Blossoms

The signs of the early Spring can already be felt in the Bay Area, days get longer, temperatures rise a bit and you start seeing some blossoming trees. When you feel those signs, you don’t want to be inside anymore. Last weekend was perfect for enjoying the warm and sunny weather outside, so we headed to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It is not a secret that San Franciscans rush there as soon as the weather forecast says is going to be a gorgeous day. The park offers a lot of activities like museums, beautiful gardens, playgrounds…

This time we visited the SF Botanical Garden. I think this place is more popular among seniors than among preschoolers or toddlers. I can’t understand the reasons though. It is the perfect place for a family field trip with its paths, a lot of different plants, squirrels, a few ponds and open grassy spaces. When we arrived there, we were welcomed by a blossoming Magnolia and a volunteer who explained a few things about these trees.

My daughter, who originally wasn’t too much engaged by the idea of walking around trees, changed her mind when she got her own map, “like Dora, La exploradora” she said. And we became explorers in SF Botanical Garden. I told her we should make a list of our favorite things and here is the list:

• We saw trees from Chile like some of our friends.
• The squirrels were very friendly. You should not feed them.
• To throw leaves to the ponds is fun but keep yourself out of the water.
• Magnolias have beautiful flowers and so do the Camellias.
• Before blossoming Magnolias flowers are within a furry shell.
• My daughter found eucalyptus seed pods.
• We saw a lot of cactuses like in the desert.
• Cactuses usually have spines. Don’t touch them.

Enjoy!