The first Sunday in February was one of those ideal Los Angeles winter days--bright and warm without being too hot.
I spent the morning in Westwood at a tai chi class. When it was over, I wondered what I could do in the afternoon to continue the sense of well-being that the class generated. I decided to go to the UCLA...to wander around, take a nap in the sun, maybe write some poetry.
Driving or walking on and around campus on a lazy Sunday is one of my favorite things to do. Everything is quiet and has a different aura than during the week. Things seem to operate in slow motion, and even the architecture and landscape appear in a clearer yet softer focus. All of this is even more so at the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden. So I headed straight there.
When I arrived, there was more activity than I expected. Director Art Gibson was working out last-minute details for his pending field trip to South Africa. Henry Varney, senior nursery technician, was engaged in various projects, traveling around the garden on a motorized cart. A student film crew was in the midst of a shoot. Near the waterfall at the northern end of the garden, a middle-aged man was gracefully practicing a series of choreographed martial arts moves. Other visitors--single people, couples, and families--were resting on the grass, taking photographs, or strolling in and out of shadow and sunlight. A grandfather and his young grandson were entranced watching two of the garden's turtles camped out on a rock next to the stream.
And MEMBG docents Rebecca Bonney and Annette Malkin were leading the garden's first-Sunday-of-the-month drop-in tours.
While I appreciate and am actively involved with the docent program and the garden, my botanical knowledge is quite minimal. Thus, as anonymously as possible--trying to act like any other garden visitor--I first joined Rebecca's one-o'clock tour and then Annette's tour at two.
Each docent had her own style of imparting information, and each had more expertise about some things than others. So even though both tours covered many of the same sections of the garden, what I was exposed to and what I learned from each was different.
Feeling a little shy and wanting to keep a low profile, I hung in the back, happy to let others ask questions and comment. It soon became apparent that the questions and comments made each tour an exciting interactive learning experience rather than a static presentation or lecture.
Children and adults alike were encouraged to participate in the discussions. The kids were quite observant and thoughtful. And the adults exhibited a childlike sense of wonder as they moved from plant to tree to flower.
At afternoon's end, having spent a few relaxed hours in nature learning new things with an amiable group of people, I felt quite full and content. And grateful once again for what the garden has to offer.
CAROL FELIXSON, Docent and Communications Coordinator