TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Taking a Walk in Santa Monica, California

Friday, February 27, 2015

Taking a Walk in Santa Monica, California

I used to do step exercise, swimming, and yoga for my workout, but dropped out. Now I walk, do stationary biking and stretching.

Walking works for me. It's easy and pleasurable. I get fresh air, I get to look around, and time passes quickly. According to the American Heart Association, these are the rewards of walking even 30 minutes a day:

Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels
Improve blood lipid profile
Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity
Enhance mental well being
Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer
Reduce the risk of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes

I took some pictures during my recent walk in my neighborhood in Santa Monica. There are a number of well-landscaped homes, a multi-colored house, a tree house, a park, and some closeups of plants.

It's only February but it feels like Spring. The forecast for the weekend is rain, but because California is experiencing a severe drought, we welcome rain.

The house above is mine. There is a bush in front with huge white flowers called the Mantilija Poppy, a California native plant. I love this plant. The white flowers with the yellow center part are very dramatic. These flowers are described as looking like fried eggs, and they do look like that.

Read also
Long Beach, California: Beauty Queens, Parkers' Lighthouse, Queen Mary, MOLAA
The Pinata District of Los Angeles, California - Ole!
Los Angeles, California: The Fairfax District and Canter's Deli
California: Night Tour of Santa Monica Pier

Tags:Santa Monica, California, Southern California, homes, houses, gardens, pictures

This is all for now,
Cecilia

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's official website is ceciliabrainarddotcom. She is the award-winning author and editor of 22 books, including When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, Selected Stories, Vigan and Other Stories, and more. She edited Growing Up Filipino 1, 2, & 3, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and other books.. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Cecilia has received many awards, including a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has lectured and performed at UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She has served in the Board of literary arts groups such as PEN, PAWWA (Pacific Asian American Writers West), among others.