Lines Drawn in Starlight

At a quarter to ten in the morning, the day is already warm. The sun-heated air has a bite to it that foreshadows later temperatures in the high 80's (F). My lunch at the tea room isn't until 11:30; in the meantime, Evie is at her conference and though the grounds do not open until 10:30, I have been given permission by Mary at the entrance desk to stroll around the gardens. Mary is young, elegant, and genuinely warm toward us. She wears a string of pearls at her neck and a black dress that is formal without being eveningwear. She indicates the green "visitor" sticker badge that she has given me, the one that permits entrance into the library and the galleries as well as the gardens, and tells me that it is worth its weight in gold.
( The Gardens )

Even when I was gone, I managed to be present. {laughs} Good thing, too, or I would have a lot more to catch up with, and I really need to do some writing. I was able to pop on the 'net while in L.A., but I didn't do any writing except for this:

( Poem written on the flight back )
( and more thoughts from me )

( LJ-cut for no reason other than politeness...and brief mentions of eroticism involving food. )