Dear Bookclub,
Our tour group had a fantastic time in Pasadena this past week, escaping the terrible fire conditions here in San Diego for the peaceful hot hills of San Marino. Greeted by the Langham's floral entry, we shifted gears quickly.
Sipping pink drinks Thursday afternoon, calmed the frazzled nerves stirred by the smoke and tasks of packing the evacuation bags, and then unpacking them, and then wondering if they should have been kept packed(!) as the Cocos fire blew up while we drove through Escondido. Really good pink drinks.
Chinese Garden Tea & Tour
Friday morning we joined Janet Keyes, our highly informative docent, for a delightful tour of the Chinese Garden. Guiding us through the
Garden of Flowing Fragrance, Janet enlightened us about the
Walk of Colorful Clouds, moon gates, bamboo rocks, the
Jade Ribbon Bridge, the
Pavilion of the Three Friends, the
Terrace that Invites the Mountains among many other elements and points of interest.
As we learned more and more about the inspiration behind the garden, our peaceful awe was explained - this was designed for scholarly pursuits. The harmony and balance created a fertile environment for literary and artistic activities - we were feeling the love!
Later, in response to our inquiry, Janet kindly shared a list of books about botany (and China):
Charles Elliott, The Transplanted Gardener. An American in England Looks at Hedges, Ha-ha's, History and More.
Charles Lyte, The Plant Hunters.
Rebecca Rothenburg. The Bulrush Murders. (She only wrote 4 books but they all have botanic themes/clues - especially this one.)
Robert Van Gulik, The Haunted Monastery, The Chinese Maze Murders, and others. (Van Gulik was a Dutch diplomat and Chinese scholar. His novels are set in 18th cent. China and based on stories about a Tang era magistrate named Dee. All the books have wood block illustrations).
Dai Sijie and Ina Rilke, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel.
Xinran, The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices. (Powerful stories.)
Further Fun
After the tour, the tea refreshed us further for the afternoon scramble of seeing as much as possible before fatigue flattened us. It was a successful pursuit: Children's Garden, mansion, library, The Secrets of Archimedes (this was very, very cool!!!!! Please check it out:
http://www.huntington.org/secretsofarchimedes/), and the gift shop of course.
Our dinners were great (highlights:our driver Al, our other drivers and the stories behind them; zucchini bread; the Parkway Grill; Green Street Restaurant; ivy wall).
We are already scheming for our next year's trip - no decisions just relishing the sweetness of being together!
Happy Reading,
LK
