I’m Worthy McCartney, and I have been associated with Robinson Gardens and the Friends for a number of years. What a delight it is to always drive up Elden and walk through the entry into the best-kept secret in Beverly Hills…the beautiful gardens, palm trees, flowers, the décor, scents, and beauty that all scream the best of California…
My love for the beauty of California is practically lifelong…having first arrived when my father was transferred here with the Air Force in 1974… At that time, I lived in Orange County which was one strawberry field after another… South Coast Plaza was not yet built out, and a ride up the 405 was quick to my Alma Mater, UCLA…
Not long after arriving, my mom and I visited Catalina Island because she had originally visited it on a trip after high school with a girlfriend in 1946. They took the steamer to the Island. The moment I arrived at the harbor, I thought Catalina was simply magical... That joy remains today, and I appreciate the Island more today for its pristine beauty and conservation efforts.
Please look and find photos of the beautiful Botanical Garden at the Wrigley Memorial, the view from the Memorial back to the San Pedro Channel…the beautiful Catalina tiles which today are still the symbol of Catalina…
Thanks to the Catalina Conservancy and the Island Company, Catalina continues to thrive and only gets better and better! The Conservancy is focused on returning the interior to a place with only endemic plants. Their efforts are ongoing, and they have successfully brought back the Catalina Island fox from endangered to thriving, and we now have bald eagles back after a very long and arduous task…again, thanks to the Conservancy.
My place on Catalina is my getaway, yet so close by… Simply an hour ferry ride from Long Beach and a million miles away from the traffic lights, freeways, and congestion of pre-pandemic Los Angeles… We get around in golf carts, without a single traffic light and a place with just 2% of the island inhabited…
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough…”
Chewy Salted Caramel Cookies
Alenoosh Davoodian
A lovely lady very involved with the County side of the Virginia Robinson Gardens, Alenoosh oversees the visitors’ tours, accounting, and helps with the Children's Program. Recently, we discovered her tremendous baking skills.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, melted
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1½ cups dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup soft caramel, cut into quarters
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt or Kosher salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter. Add the sugars, vanilla, egg, flour, and salt. Mix together.
- Stir in the caramels and chocolate chips. Then place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto the pans, and sprinkle coarse salt on top of each cookie.
- Place in the oven, and bake 12-15 minutes until cookies are golden.
Foxboro Gardens
Katrina Fuchs, a longtime member of the Friends of Robinson Gardens
When we began house hunting, we would casually enter through the front door and immediately saunter out the back. We wanted to leave our 3-story townhouse for a big, bountiful yard. We were interested in creating a warm, dreamy, and charming outdoor room. Once we found our dream home, I wanted my husband to fall in love with our outdoor space I was creating -- one that reminded him of his European upbringing and allowed him to reminisce, relax and dream after a long day or week at work.
Our property wasn’t large, but it was perfect! We started with a couple of hedges and in no time, we enclosed the property lines with gorgeous green layered hedges and boxwood vignettes filled with roses. Under the direction of Eric Solberg, our skilled and visionary landscaper, we began to cultivate a beautiful, formal, enchanting, and everlasting garden…full of sunshine and lots of magic.
We removed all our grass and installed gravel which felt serene, calm, and beautiful. The boxwood hedges were filled with cascading pink landscape roses, and potted boxwood plants were shaped into amazing balls.
Today, it is still a work-in-progress, but one that we simply and lovingly enjoy every second of every day.
Kerstin Royce
Wow, three very favorites of mine: Catalina , yummy cookies and a green beautiful garden. Thanks!!
Clare Wagner
Wow. Loved seeing and reading all of these.
Julia Klein
Love all of these articles. There are so many interesting and talented Friends who share their personal lives with us.
Patti Reinstein
Beautiful stories and photos. Loved reminiscing about Catalina. Adored the formal garden with the crunch of the stone. Can’t wait to try to bake Allenoosh’s yummy cookies…..will get ingredients tomorrow ❤️
Regina Drucker
Worthy, what a JOY to find a spot on Earth that sings to One’s Soul…a place where One finds Peace, Happiness and Joy. Catalina is that Home where your Heart is.