3/23/2016: Morro Bay, all day

We spent all day in Morro Bay today. I used the car to get to the first spot (below) but we were able to walk to everywhere else. Really refreshing!

My first destination today was a private garden that sets new standards, at least in my mind, for what residential landscaping can be. It was created by Morro Bay designer Gabriel Frank for homeowners Vince and Janet Marino and has received quite a bit of attention.

I was hoping to run into the homeowners, but unfortunately Lady Luck wasn’t on my side.

The plant palette used in this front yard ticks all my boxes: agaves, aloes, yuccas, euphorbias, grevilleas, leucospermums, etc. etc. This is truly one of the most spectacular succulent-centric private garden I’ve seen. And I only saw the portions of the front yard that are visible from the street! What other wonders might be there be in the back yard?

I’ll have a dedicated post soon, but here’s something to whet your appetite:

Destination #2 was the Garden Gallery. Located just down the street from our motel, it’s sells an intriguing blend of plants (predominantly succulents), pots, fountains, gift items and home décor. The Garden Gallery is much larger than it first seems. In addition to the outdoor area, there are several indoor areas to explore. This is not really my kind of store—I’m not into decorating—but I enjoyed poking around. More photos to follow in a separate post since I know that many of you like stores like this one.

We spent more time walking around Morro Bay and once again I found interesting things to see and photograph wherever we went.

The more time we spend here, the more I like this quaint town. In addition to the galleries and souvenir places, there are retail establishments I do enjoy exploring—like used book stores and thrift stores, not to mention independent coffeehouses. The pace of life is definitely slower and more deliberate. Perfect for vacation.

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