Heading down to explore San Diego in search of landscape inspiration outside the Pacific Northwest, I wasn’t clear what this area had to offer. I’m happy to say it is so beautiful here. I can see why people choose to live in California.

Leaving the rainy, chilly climate of Oregon, we were greeted with this gorgeous pink profusion of color near our home base in Escondido.

Warm, sunny days and flowers blooming everywhere? Yep. I’m thinking this was a great choice for a research trip!

The first day, we adventured to Balboa Park. While it wasn’t necessarily inspiration for landscape paintings, it was culturally and artistically inspiring.

Orchids in the atrium gloriously exhibited a rainbow of stunning colors against dark green background foliage.

And just look at these greens!!

We visited the Museum of Natural History and then headed to the Balboa Spanish Village Art Center, which is packed with small buildings of different artists and their creations. An explosion of color and creativity!

Casa del Prado, near the art center, is a reconstruction of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. It is used for youth activities, Park and Rec, and the Botanical Garden Foundation.

Afterwards, we headed back to our home base, absorbed the beauty of the valley, ate chips and salsa, and drank a margarita.

View from our back deck. Love it here.

Until tomorrow, my friends.