Yesterday the UrbanToddler and I made a date with Mr. Urban’s mother for today. It was to be our first post-loss outing together and I wanted it to be special for her. She is way too young to have lost her life partner. And that has made her find the ways of the world somewhat cruel and senseless. In times of great distress and loss, being close to beautiful nature and special people work your wounds like a charm. So I felt that a visit to FILOLI was in order.
FILOLI is a 16 acre country estate and formal garden in Woodside , California , spread between the foothills of Santa Cruz Mountain and the Crystal Springs Lake . It was built by the Bourne family in 1915, and in 1975 subsequent owners of the estate, the Roth family, donated the estate in its entirety to the National Trust for the Historic Preservation. You may remember FILOLI from scenes of Dynasty, as the Carrington mansion…
As we parked the car and walked through the magnificent olive grove I could see a little color finally coming back into my mother in law’s face. I told her then that the name FILOLI was based on Mr. Bourne’s credo: "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life." That brought a little smile to her face.
The UrbanToddler also got to work by taking hold of her grandma’s finger and leading her through the gardens, beckoning her to smell the flowers.
After lunch, just when our date was about to wrap up, a beloved friend called to let us know that he had come from Dallas to visit us. My mother in law sprung into action, and made us delicious Persian herbed rice. I grilled some Salmon with fresh thyme and rosemary. And by 6 pm, we were all sitting around the table, visiting with a dear friend, and Mr. Urban had opened yet another bottle of Berringer Cab… To FILOLI!
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