Thursday, November 06, 2008

My Paradise Cove


Several of you have asked to see more pictures of the place where I live, so here are some! I live in a small studio attached to a house (top picture) - go up the steps and knock on the door on the left if you're around, and I'll make us a cup of tea. Paradise Cove is the name of this "community" in Malibu and a befitting name it is indeed. It has dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean, and paths leading to the beach, where Benjy is learning about the sea... It's also a very green area, replete with colorful flowers. I particularly love the trees here, and how the banana trees and the eucalyptus trees stand side by side; it reminds me of Uruguay somehow, as my grandmother used to have a banana tree in her Maldonado garden, in the middle of a eucalyptus-planted neighborhood. At night in Paradise Cove, the scent of eucalyptus fills the fresh ocean air, and it's heavenly.


In the days to come, we'll step into my studio, which I'm redecorating to make my own...

37 comments:

Mrs.French said...

stunning...wow...xo t

Candace said...

You do realize, Mary-Laure, that Paradise Cove is a great place for you to learn how to garden.

::wink::

Anonymous said...

next time I'll come to Paradise Cove Beach cafe' I'll look for you

Mary-Laure said...

CANDACE - I would SO love to learn!

ANONYMOUS - you're welcome any time, especially if I know who you are...?

limonana said...

wow! looks so lovely...i can see how it is your paradise!

Anonymous said...

Eucalyptus is such a fresh and intoxicating smell. The lemon eucalypts that grow near to my home... ah! how I love them.

Looking forward to your studio pics.

Laura in Paris said...

I see you can make it your paradise! Beautiful view of the majestic Pacific Ocean.

Elisa Day said...

Wonderful!

Kitty said...

Gosh - how beautiful. Thanks for sharing with us. x

Vanessa said...

All quite charming. Reminds me of my old apartment in New York, though you will certainly enjoy exceedingly better weather on that coast. :-)

Kai said...

It's gorgeous and simply stunning... :)

Anonymous said...

Dans ma jeunesse au Senegal et plus tard au Kenya j'ai toujours eu pres de la maison des bananiers dont je taillais souvent les larges feuilles. Malheureusement point d'eucalyptus aux alentours, seulement des flamboyants ou de splendides jacarandas qui n'embaumaient pas mes nuits comme a Paradise Cove.
Profite bien de la nature.

MISS GLITZY said...

Such a beautiful place... I'd like to knock on the door and have a cup of tea.

Tess Kincaid said...

What a charming, cozy and oh-so-California looking place! Hope you are feeling settled.

Miss Cavendish said...

So lovely. My b-i-l used to live on the beach (Newport Beach) and I loved visiting him there!

christina said...

This is beautiful Mary-Laure. I hope beautiful things unfold for you there. ; )

What a view.

Unknown said...

Beautiful place!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!!

Anonymous said...

seems lovely...cannot wait to see the rest....;)
xxnancy

Bonbon Oiseau said...

beautiful...and thank you for the tea...

J Elaine said...

It looks serene and fertile. I hope that you will begin a small garden to share...

..... said...

such nice pictures !!!

Kwana said...

Oh I love you and Benjy's new home. Paradise is a perfect name.

Iñaki said...

Oh oh oh!!! I loooooove those orange flowers!! What are they?

xx

Mary-Laure said...

GRACIA - actually, we also have lemon trees here, I was going to feature them in another post.

VANESSA - yep, nothing beats Californian weather!

JL - merci d'avoir partage ces souvenirs emouvants.

MISS CAVENDISH - I want to check out Newport Beach some time; any spots and hangouts you'd recommend?

JENNIFER - ah, if only I knew how to garden!

INAKI - I have NO idea what those flowers are, to tell you the truth. They're paper thin and really lovely. I'll have to ask...

Rina said...

que lindo se ve todo! ese mar! además me encanta cuando me recordás Uruguay, Maldonado...yo tengo tantos lindos recuerdos de estos lugares increibles!

Candace said...

Iñaki and any other plant enthusiasts: The name of the flowering plant in question is Bougainvillea.

The flower itself actually consists of three white blossoms, which grow in a cluster and are quite small.

The bold colors (and there are many color varieties) that you see are not flowers, but paper-thin leaves. I just learned that these are specialized leaves and are referred to as bracts.

Upon closer inspection, you will notice that these splendidly colored leaves conceal extremely sharp thorns, which make pruning a nightmare. Hence, you won't see me pruning this plant without using appropriate body armor. Even then, I still end up with battle scars.

Mary-Laure: You'll notice that this plant grows next to the driveway. If not maintained, it can become a real nuisance and can make getting into the car somewhat painful.

:)

Anonymous said...

I am not anonymous, there is nothing anonymous about me, especially my desire to visit you in LA sometime in December for a couple days. What do you say???
Lucy

Solange said...

wow, very nice, your pictures really show the atmosphere. I can imagine it must be wonderful to wake up to such a sea view each morning....

enjoy it :-)

Anonymous said...

Au kenya nous avions une fantastique barriere de bougainvilliers et a Baghdad aussi.Je m'etonne que tu n'aies pas pu identifier cette fleur my beloved hard disc...Attention a Benjy ca pique autant que les ronces.

yasu said...

lucky you and benjy to be in such beautiful environment!hope you are happy there..

Anonymous said...

beautiful, yes you must learn to garden it is forver rewarding. have you moved there permantly?

Mary-Laure said...

CANDANCE - tank you for all the info! Benjy will make sure to keep his little paws away from those thorns...

NADIA - Not sure yet, we'll see, but I really love it out here!

LUCY - oh DO please!

Laura Neulat said...

Candance,
Thank you for the botanic lesson! I find very interesting what you say, these flowers always looked like leaves to me, no wonder!
Mary-Laure may not remember, but in Nairobi, where she lived when she was little, Bougainvillia were everywhere and in every color! They decoarted the landscape in a luxurius way, so abundant!

Jill said...

looks so beautiful and charming!! enjoy settling into your new home. i'm looking forward to seeing more pictures!

My Castle in Spain said...

oh la la..another side of paradise!
it all looks so lush and charming.

You will be so happy gardening!

tangobaby said...

I love thinking of you and Benjy living in Malibou!

Chloe Van Paris said...

je viens quand ?
je suis libre tu sais