Beauty in the small things, part 2

I have a hard time reading long posts, so I thought I would break this one up into two parts.

So, Santa Cruz does have some beautiful things in it.  Sometimes you have to choose to see them, no matter how big or small they may be.  For a while, I was choosing not to see them.  Recently, I am tried to be more intentional about see it.  So, here are some things I have enjoyed recently:

Ginger, Drew, and I have been taking walks when we get home from work.  Part of the reason is to simply relax after a full day of work.  Another reason we go on a walk, is to enjoy the amazing weather we are having right now.  It isn't too hot, or too cold.

On our walks, the sun is just starting to set.  Here, the horizon is so big, and the sky fills up with bright oranges and pinks (one of the few times I really enjoy a bright pink).  Recently, there have been lots of green parrots flying around.  In the evenings, they all fly to one part of the city to sleep.  In the mornings, they all fly the other direction for the day.  The kids come out and all play together in the park just across the street from our house.  We go out and watch them run around and play, even our dog plays with her friends in the park.

Every morning, we have horse drawn carts that come by our front gate with fresh milk from the cows that morning.  I have enjoyed being able to make some cheese.

We may never stop talking about all the fruit trees in our yard.  I LOVE being able to go outside, pick a few limes and make limeade.  Before living here, I never knew how wonderful lime blossoms smell.  It is hard to believe such a sour fruit comes from such a sweet smelling flower.  I also never realized how beautiful it is to watch a branch of bananas grow.  First a flower blooms, then the small bananas start appearing.  The banana stalk grows and grows, pushing the flower nearly to the ground.  I enjoy making my morning smoothie with the papaya that grew outside my bedroom, and the bananas that grew outside my living room.

Now the city is blooming like crazy with MANGO blooms.  If you come to visit between November and January, you might run the risk of getting sick of mangoes, if that is possible.  It is amazing to see the amount of mangoes, and the many different varieties too.  I am already making my collection of mango recipes.