Trip to Santa Clara

The CPSA Governing Board has convened in Santa Clara, CA for our spring planning meeting. We have three days of meetings with evenings out for dinner. This summer. at the CPSA convention, we are offering a plein air workshop for the Saturday daytime event. So today, our CA folks took the group to the Santa Clara Mission (which sits on the campus of Santa Clara University)where the artists will be doing their plein air painting.

Growing up in Nebraska and living in Colorado for about 25 years, I don't get a chance to see the charm of palm trees and the CA missions. (I visited the Carmel Mission about 22 years ago, which was a spectacular adventure.)

I thought I would share some of the better photos with you. Remember, I am not a photographer...but I am an artist and hope to use some of the palm tree shots I took for a landscape.

Heading home on Tuesday morning....

I'm not sure what kind of trees these are with the gnarled trunks but there is something very ancient looking about them.

Again, a giant fir type of tree I've not seen before

This picture does not do this enormity of this palm the justice it deserves. Very awe-inspiring.

Beautiful stone grotto on the grounds

Lots of fountains and holy water founts