garden serenity in the midst of the city

yesterday i enjoyed a "wow" garden moment

at max and steve's house in LA. 

ryan knows them from beekeeping activities, 

and we stopped by so ryan could wax his new 

bee frames (his hive is thriving, so much so that he is adding in another box).

we were led through a garden gate, 

and the sound of rushing water filled my ears. 

the view in front of me was so inspiring -

a delightful stream tumbling into a beautiful koi-filled pond. 

my pics don't do their place justice, 

but trust me, 

entering the garden is like being transplanted 

to a different place. 

hard to believe we were in LA. 

those beautiful fish caught the eyes of 

neighborhood raccoons and herons, 

so to keep them out, 

max and steve devised this clever

structure that surrounds the pond. 

one section of the structure is easily removed

so you can look out over the pond

without seeing the screening. 

kitties and bees drink the water. 

steve said the pond is fairly easy to maintain. 

it seems big enough to swim in. 

i'm still fantasizing about lazy afternoons in the hammock, 

reading books and listening to the water flow. 

i was charmed by this sweet, simple

broken concrete pathway to the raised vegetable bed. 

note the bee boxes over to the right. 

they even painted their bee boxes

super cute colors! 

i think what i love most about their garden, 

is that it is a working garden. 

it is enchanting, 

and it shows the efforts

of two people who work really hard

creating a space that matters. 

they've planted a row of fruit trees, 

and have veggies growing in the sunny areas. 

max is a crafty lady, 

and yesterday i didn't get to go inside the house

though i am dying to (hint hint),

b/c I hear it is something to behold. 

as i was oohing and aahing

and generally falling all over myself

with love for their garden, 

steve gently reminded me how much

work it entails. 

and with that in mind, 

i go out now to wrangle

a little bit more of our western side yard.