Desert and Rose Gardens, Balboa Park

Balboa Park is the largest urban park in the United States. It lies in the heart of San Diego and includes the world famous San Diego Zoo. It hosts a variety of wonderful art museums, a play area exclusively for dogs, a village of "houses" that pay tribute to various countries, and a plethora of water fountains, shops, and restaurants. 

The park is vast and can be overwhelming for a tourist who might try to fit it all into one day. We, on the other hand, have the option to go and visit a different spot each time and make a casual outing out of it. So, when the sun came shining through this late morning, we gathered our dogs and headed for the cactus and rose gardens. 

We found an astonishing variety of succulents and cactus plants. 

This one strongly reminds me of glass artwork by Dale Chihuly, a renowned glass artist who creates such shapes for things like glass chandeliers. They sell for in the tens of thousands. I went to one of his exhibitions once in St. Petersburg, Florida. I wonder if this type of cactus was one of his inspirations. 

I will have to do some research to figure out the names of all these different trees. I found the shape of this trunk very interesting. 

Crowds appreciating the roses. . . 

Maggie was very interested in the wildlife, including the bird that made her look up in this photo. She pounced into several bushes and delighted in flushing out squirrels and lizards. 

I had thought that this might be a baobab tree, as described in Le Petit Prince, but it isn't. I'll have to find a site that identifies it for me! 

Bird, most likely a type of goldfinch, gathering material for a nest. It must be the right time of year for it. We have a couple sparrows at home preparing a nest in our hanging fern out in the pool area. 

Bizarre and interesting. . . 

We enjoyed the variety and surprise of the cactus garden more than the rather tame rose garden. 

More roses. . . 

Velma Olivia trotted like a champ and enjoyed the rose bushes. She is not afraid of other dogs or of people, but she did not like the water fountains. 

 Mexicans make a kind of fresh salad using the flat broad "leaf" part of the cactus. It is sold in some supermarkets in the U.S., conveniently stripped of its thorns. In Tijuana, roaming street vendors sell bags   of cactus, ready to be used in the salad. 

In Lebanon, my grandfather's favorite fruit was the prickly pear. In July and August, he would eat them by the dozen, even after the doctor told him he shouldn't have more than one or two. The fruit is laden with seeds, which can be a bit hard on the stomach if eaten in large volumes. I can't stand the taste at room temperature, but once refrigerated, they can be addictive!

It was always a trick to have the outer skin and thorns removed. I think I tried it once but was very unsuccessful and ended up with fingers full of tiny thorns. Gloves, newspaper, and a good knife are necessary tools. The flesh of the fruit ranges from yellow-orange to deep red.