Escondido in Photos

Beautiful weather, beautiful flowers, many birds: that's Escondido in March. I didn't have a camera suitable for bird photos but I took many flower photos. The Bougainvillea were in full bloom everywhere. Tangelo trees held ripe fruit and sweet-scented flowers all over my brother and his wife's neighborhood. And what a beautiful neighborhood! A county park is within easy walking distance... and I walked to it every chance I got.

Bob and Elladine have an acre and a half full of citrus trees, flowers, lovely home and swimming pool... and Elladine's beloved Ralphie the buffalo at pool side, posing with Elladine below. Right above Ralphie is a Mourning Dove on a nest in the eaves of their garage. She nests there every year and successfully brings off young'uns.

Bob is smelling the flowers on one of their tangelo trees. You don't really have to get that close. They have many tangelos and the air is perfumed with their fragrance.











Mockingbirds sang non-stop every day I was there. This was the best I could do for a photo. I never did get a picture of the Black Phoebe that hung out in their yard.


This bougainvillea hedge on one of our daily walks was beyond belief. I let Bob and Elladine go ahead so my photo would give a sense of how immense this hedge was.











The original inhabitants of the area were Kumeyuay Indians. They have erected signs along one of the paths at nearby Felicita County Park telling about their traditions.












Here are some scenes from areas of the park that may look much like they did when the Kumeyuay were the only human inhabitants. Lizards loved these boulders. So did I. And oh those lovely palm trees...













Not quite as close to Bob and Elladine's house as Felicita Park, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, now called Safari Park, is nonetheless a very short drive from Escondido. It is one of my favorite places and one they always take me to when I visit. We spent a beautiful day there on Saturday.

Next up: The Safari Park.