We are back at my new home after visiting nearby Santa Cruz. I had been lucky to find a nice rental complete with a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. Funny story — the owner (who lived next door) did not know how to operate the heater for the Jacuzzi. By trial and error, I figured it out. And so I would not forget, I used my computer to make a diagram showing how to turn the levers. When I was later able to buy a home in the area, I gave the owner a copy so he could pass it on to the next renter. He was so amazed that one could do that — and so appreciative that I went to the trouble and that I would give him a copy for the future. 😎
There was only a modest amount of lovely landscaping which I viewed as minimum maintenance (my responsibility). Here we see a pretty daffodil featuring multiple flowers.
Guess who loves closeup photos of flowers? I hope you do too.
Another closeup of what I think is Prunus padus or bird cherry. Thanks to whoever planted these flowering scrubs — I definitely enjoyed them, especially since I did not have to do the work of planting them. Lucky me.
One other benefit of this rental home was its proximity to all the attractions of Los Gatos. Almost every weekend, I would go for a bike ride to Vasona Park, riding the back roads to avoid heavy traffic.
Not only is it a park (in the normal sense), but it is also part of the water storage and delivery system supplying drinking water to residents in the valley. To the south in the Santa Cruz mountains (not visible in this photo since it is a bit of a distance away), stands Lexington Reservoir which is also part of this system.
Visitors to the park can walk, bike, sit, picnic, play games, fish, sail, etc. to their heart's content. The paths are paved making them pleasant for walkers, runners, and bicyclists. Note the benches for those who just want to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Adjacent to Vasona Park is Oak Meadow Park which also contains scale-model steam engines to transport kids to days of yesteryear. A little something for everyone.
On one side of the reservoir are homes and apartments whose residents can enjoy the beautiful views anytime they want.
I forgot to mention that some artists enjoy visiting Vasona to capture the views in pen and ink (or brush and paint). I chose to do the same but with my trusty Minolta SRT with reliable Kodachrome 64 slide film.
Wide expanses of lawn invite visitors to lay out a blanket and simply watch the day go by. It’s not a bad idea to bring a companion to share the ambiance of this special place.
The docks provide a nice vantage point from which to enjoy the views. Note the paddleboat, giving those folks multiple places from which to see the scenery.
Here we see a pair of ducks to complete the picture — wildlife enjoying the waters just like everyone else.
