A few things have changed over the years,
but the main house and the gardens are as I remember them.
This tree, which I believe is a type of ficus, was planted in 1873.
It was simply too huge to fit the entire thing in the picture.
Here's my daughter, Cheryl, standing in a fold of the massive trunk.
Looking toward the Virginia Country Club, which was founded in 1909.
This pond was added in the 1930s.
The woman standing on the left was the docent who led our tour.
She was dressed for the period and played the role of someone who had lived in the rancho as a child, explaining what we were seeing from her perspective. It was rather entertaining, and fun.
I about fell over when I saw this cactus. I don't think I have ever seen one this large!!!
Cheryl was absolutely dwarfed by this thing.
I thought Saguaros were big, but this one takes the cake.
This oven dates back to the early days of the rancho.
Looking toward the main house from the gardens.
