An afternoon of timeless beauty

September 23, 2006 -- Heeding the recent advice of Jeremy Bear, we took a trip to the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens on a bright and beautiful Saturday. Situated in the foothills community of San Marino, a serene and prestigious little hamlet close to Pasadena (about 12 miles east of L.A.), the Huntington is a place we had never heard of. And without Jeremy's recommendation, I don't think we would ever have.

But thank goodness we did. After reviewing the Web site earlier in the week, we planned the excursion about five days prior and looked forward to it with great anticipation. We were not disappointed in any way -- aside from the fact that we could've stayed about another two days straight.

Nestled amidst 205 manicured acres of gardens, the Huntington also features a library of rare books, a museum of European and American art, and myriad other attractions. Our biggest hope was simply to visit someplace where beauty itself was the attraction. While we've taken the girls to numerous other museums and educational establishments, this was the first one where nature was set on such a grand scale.

The pictures we took and, certainly, my words could never faithfully capture the magnificence of the site. Although their Web site isn't great, take some time to learn more about it here. You should check out a map of the grounds here, too.

Traffic was such a bear going north that it unfortunately cut into our day. What should've been a 40-minute trip ended up being closer to 90. As such, we were a bit more rushed than I would've liked. The grounds are only open from 10:30 to 4:30. We got there at noon, but enjoyed every second until we were shooed out at 4:30. While we had the opportunity to peruse most of the buildings and gardens, we didn't even enter the rare books library -- something I regret.

But, we did manage to get plenty of time to casually breathe in the atmosphere. The girls loved the Children's Garden, replete with its scuplted hidden tunnels, hands-on experiments, rainbow misters, and spitting fountains. All of us marveled at the gargantuan conservatory that had at least three climate-controlled chambers beneath its glass ceiling: rainforest, cloud forest and bog. The peaceful Japanese gardens were also a favorite.

Seemingly every corner and bend of the expansive grounds revealed some breathtaking vista or intimate hidden cove. Benches and streams dotted every path and you could always find someplace to be quiet and alone. Art students sat at various locations with sketchbooks, capturing the elegant curve of an urn or archway. People stretched out on secluded alcoves of shaded grass with a book or just stared absently at the sky under the watchful eye of a marble statue. The weather was simply spectacular, with a cool wind present throughout most of the afternoon.

We kept the destination a secret from the girls all week, although we let them know we'd be going somewhere none of us had been previously. I was fairly confident they'd enjoy the place, but wasn't certain how long it would be until they'd get bored. Both of them were absolutely enthralled. Sydney reveled in the grandeur and magnitude of the wide open spaces, and voiced her desire for each garden to be our backyard. Emelie loved finding all the secret passages and courting the various lizards and insects found throughout. Lori could've stared at the paintings for hours on end. And while I really wanted to view the rare books (purported to include early original editions of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and a Gutenberg Bible on vellum), I was simply mesmerized by the soothing sensation of wind and trees and green and blue sky and running water. Open spaces like this are something one doesn't happen by much in Orange County.

While I've never had much of an interest in landscaping and/or horticulture, I was inspired and awed at the ability of the gardens to transport one in time and place. It was powerful. To witness the collection of timeless works of art and architecture set amidst the diverse beauty of the planet's flora -- it's the stuff of humanity. It made us all feel important and insignficant at the same time. Connected to something bigger than us. But, ultimately, happy to simply witness such beauty and just...be.