Mini-Field Trip in Beverly Hills

My very first job, as a kid, was wrapping gifts at the local department store during Winter Vacation. That store was called J.W. Robinson and it is no longer in business.

I didn't know it until recently, but the Robinson's home and gardens is open for tours.
It was built in 1911, one of the first of its kind in Beverly Hills, Ca.  Parts of the house are included in the tour, but the main attraction is definitely the garden, or gardens.

A friend and I recently toured the grounds and I thought I would share -- kind of like a mini-field trip for you all:))

This is the guest house, built after some time after the main house.

One of Virginia Robinson's rose gardens overlooks the tennis courts in the background.

This isn't old, I just took it because I have that teapot sitting on my stove and it makes me smile whenever I walk into the kitchen and see it!!

This relief is in one of the patios off of the main house, near the kitchen.

At one time the Robinsons' had monkeys (yes, live ones) housed in these cages. You can see a couple of replicas in there now. There is a story about how they got loose in the neighborhood way back when. . . .

They planted king and queen palm trees. The kings are the  ones with the large clump of brown, frond-like growth. 

This is looking up into a HUGE Morton Fig Tree.

Banyon tree

300 foot Eucalyptus tree

Tennis court with bougainvellea -- this is SO Beverly Hills, although these blossoms are a little past their prime and beginning to fade.

I don't know this guy's name, but he decided to join us for the last part of the tour and when the tour guide got a bit talkative, kitty would plop down on the cool bricks in the shade and wait patiently until we would move on to the next part of the garden.

All in all, it was a lovely California day!!! These were taken about a month ago. Now we are beginning to feel the heat of summer. I walked down to the Farmer's Market this morning to get the first of our Blenheim Royal Apricots. By this week-end, when they are fully ripe I'll be starting my yearly apricot jam fest in the kitchen!! These apricots are only in season for 3 weeks, so you know what I'll be doing for awhile!!!