Since the camping group once again had to cancel our trip, we decided to fit in a Sunday walk and chose Descanso Gardens in La Canadå-Flintridge as our destination. It was a good decision. Although the gardens weren’t as spectacular as they would have been in April or May when the camellias are in full bloom, it was still a beautiful and peaceful place to spend a Sunday morning with friends. We got a bit of a history lesson at the Brody house, a beautiful estate which was once the home of Manchester Brody who purchased the land and thousands of camellia plants in the 1940s. There was also a small art gallery with a collection of works that didn’t necessarily fit into a theme, but was interesting nonetheless.

Not able to get a seat at the cafe on site, we were lucky to find a culinary treasure in the Luna Grill – a Mediterranean restaurant – that had a large table for seven and a kitchen full of delicious food ready for us to enjoy. We left full and happy knowing that other Luna Grill locations were popping up within close distance to those of us both in the Valley and OC.