Back in the late Fall, after our return to the desert, I visited Sunnylands Center and Gardens in Rancho Mirage, CA. The gardens are open to the public and admission is free (check Sunnylands website for hours), The gardens are part of the huge Annenberg estate. Tours of the historic home and surrounding grounds are available but tickets must be purchased in advance. I have not yet taken the house tour but would like to do so one day.

The public gardens are a beautiful display of desert plants. It is a very peaceful area to walk around or to just sit and contemplate. And, of course, the plants provide beautiful subjects for photographs. So please enjoy the following images from my visits.

And now, for something a little more abstract, can you guess what this is?

Not only do plants look great in color, but they can also look amazing in black and white, as hopefully the following images show.

The Center holds an art gallery, cafe and, of course, a gift shop. There is also a 20 minute video about the estate. Sunnylands is a great place to while away an hour or two!