Lil Zen is a server and Mother’s Day is a big day for her at her job. So we always celebrate Mother’s Day after the fact. This year, she took me to breakfast at a very good place in Van Nuys called Hugo’s and then we went to the Japanese Water Garden, very near by.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care! IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Monday
Crimson Quillfeather alternate with
Tuesday ejoanna
Wednesday Caedy
Thursday art ah zen
Friday FloridaSNMOM
Saturday Alexandra Lynch
Sunday loggersbrat
It is called Suiho-En, “Garden of Water and Fragrance”. It is the public’s view of a sewage treatment plant, covering 6.5 acres. My nose functions on a very low level and I did not notice any fragrance or odor but Lil Zen said it did smell a little different. It was designed by a world famous Japanese architect named Dr. Koichi Kawana. The whole garden is watered by the treatment plant and allows the reclaimed water to evaporate or percolate down into the underground aquifers. There is a large lake, supporting various birds and fish. There is a Japanese Tea House which unfortunately does not serve tea. I am afraid that diminishes its beauty to me, but that’s my problem. The picture above is looking across the lake to the tea house.
There were 8 or 10 varieties of water lilies, in beautiful colors, with huge variegated lily pads. They were separated from the main lake because the koi eat plants. We saw cormorants, ducks, egrets, and some kind of fishing bird with a very long beak, yellow feet, and a red head. He was not large and could walk on the lily pads, while watching the water for a likely meal.
It was very peaceful and lovely to stroll along the side of the lake, looking for the koi. I am used to the bright orange and white ones, the yellow ones, and the multi colored ones but in this lake, they are all grey or black. They were hard to see.
It was very inexpensive (cheap) to visit. There was no charge for parking. No food or drink is allowed on the grounds, there was no trash or trash cans. There were very few people there, but it was a grey overcast Tuesday morning, so we had it almost all to ourselves. We enjoyed it immensely. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend it.