There are quite a few Southern Magnolia trees in Santa Barbara County. We have spotted them in Los Olivos, Santa Ynez (wine country), in the little village of Carpinteria (where we live), in Montecito and in the city of Santa Barbara. Why should I be unhappy? Every parcel of my being is in bloom
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06/30/2019
We were delighted to see these Japanese Black Tomatoes. They are also referred to as Trifele and nicknamed Flower-Child. They are slightly pear shaped and the color is lovely (pictured above). They are delicious sliced and seasoned with some gourmet sea salt, a touch of aged balsamic vinegar,
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06/29/2019
This morning we were at the nursery portion of our local Santa Barbara Ace Hardware Store to pick some potting soil, and a few other items. As we were meandering through the plant section, we saw this amazing bougainvillea pictured above. Her name is Imperial Delight! In our opinion it is well
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06/28/2019
We were both delighted when we spotted this planter in the inner courtyard of the Palazzo Antinori. What clever way to use the logs as a planter! It would be easy enough to make! Palazzo Antinori is a Renaissance palace located at the north end of Via de' Tornabuoni. It is owned by the Antinori
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06/28/2019
On our way back from seeing Michelangelo's David and his unfinished statues at the Galleria de'll Academia, we spotted the rooftops of the apartment homes on a street nearby! This is the perfect place to view the city from and enjoy dinner al fresco!A few blocks later we spotted the flower mark
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06/27/2019
No doubt you have heard that according to Reuters the The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, which enforce antitrust laws in the United States, have divided oversight over the four companies, two sources said, with Amazon and Facebook under the watch of the FTC, and Apple and
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06/27/2019
Pictured above is the specialty of the house: Pecorino (not the Romano version, the Tuscan version) cheese melted in between two layers of summer truffles. No bread needed, and we loved it. We chose a Brunello di Montalcino as our wine. It is one of Tuscany's famous and prestigious wines made e
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06/26/2019
One of the highlights of our trip to Burgundy was driving along the Côte D'Or (Golden Coast) where the best grapes in the region are grown. Pictured above and below is magnificent Chateau in Aloxe-Corton where they grow Chardonnay grapes on the hills, and produce a magnificent white wine known
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06/26/2019
We both love tongue in cheek marketing, and this window display of men's swimwear at the Rinascente department store in Milan caught our undivided attention. The fish like the mannequins were also wearing oxygen tanks.The display window next to it was done in a blue theme with blue fish also wea
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06/25/2019
Recently someone asked, what motivates you? And our answer (Ron's and mine) is nothing. We are more likely to wait for inspiration to strike us. We referred to that as "inspired action." We also call it "muse mail!" Why, because inspiration comes from our very soul. It is a high and a manife
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06/24/2019