huntington gardens - 2

after having tea & scones & finger sandwiches we explored the gardens. towards the latter part of the day we ended up in the desert garden - holy smokes. we bumped into one of the gardeners who told me there were an estimated 30,000 plants in that section alone!  i think we were a bit overwhelmed by the time we wandered through & had to abandon the gardens for the art galleries!  a truly glorious adventure if you are ever in southern california.

huntington gardens - 1

my friend & i went to the huntington gardens & library today in south pasadena. what an amazing place!
the damage done there from the recent wind storms was mind boggling. many areas of the park were closed & we saw piles of debris & massive trees toppled over - still it was quite magical. we had perfect weather & a perfect day. if only i still had my garden....there is nothing better than watching a plant grow.

ward of the state: tony ward artists' muse

limited edition book in custom straight jacket

tony ward, self portrait, 2007

tony with gauze 2 by herb ritts, 1990

tony ward by estevan oriol, six in the face, 2005-06

i got this book for my birthday tonight from one of my dearest friends c!  so awesome - it's a limited edition book of portraits of tony ward titled ward of the state: tony ward artists' muse. the book comes in a custom straight jacket and is signed by mr. ward.  it's pretty f*cking amazing. love, love, love it!  as i always say, he just gets better and better.