July Blooms!

 So much is blooming right now and the bees and butterflies are everywhere!!!

I have been having so much fun walking around snapping photos of everything.  The Passion vine are such neat blooms- we have this one growing along the fence.

 The Pride of Barbados are blooming like crazy- here in the front as well as all over town.  Show stoppers for sure!!!

 The succulent blooms are hard to beat.  Small blooms but striking. 

 Most people have a love/hate with this little guy- some call him Mother of Thousands, Mother of Millions and Mexican Hat.  All names I have heard for this little Kalanchoe.  The love /hate part comes when you find them growing just about everywhere.....

 The bees have been everywhere and in mass.  It is realy neat- the blooms seem to be moving on their own but at a closer glance, it is just that there are tons of bees on the blooms.  Yea!!!

 The Pink Ruellia have been blooming nonstop.  I love these happy masses of blooms. 

This little guy was running around - so cute!!

The Monarchs have been out and about.  The Duranta seem to be a favorite this week of theirs but they pretty much will go to any bloom.  Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!!!  

Visit the Town of Malinalco, Mexico

We just returned from the most amazing town, Malinalco, Mexico.  It is a short 2 hour drive from Mexico City and it is by far one of the cutest most charming towns I have visited in some time.  

The town has hip cute restaurants and ice cream shops as well as some very unique and fun shopping.  

This was a photo (almost life sized) in one of the cutest little tea shops I have ever seen- La Casa de Valentina- which serves lunch and dinner as well.  The tea menu was one like I have never seen- you can order tea for headaches, dehydration, stress - list goes on and on.  Another great restaurant there was Los Placeres which I apparently didn't get photos of but was outstanding.

There is a beautiful church - Convento Agustino del Siglo XVI, which was an Augustine monastery-that we visited which had amazing frescos - I tried to get some photos but the photos did not do them justice.  

There were Bougainvilleas all over the place in adding pops of color all over.  Lavender was in full bloom, Agapanthus, Passion Vine, Morning Glory Vine, Acanthus, Aloes bursting with blooms- it was incredible.  It's a pretty small town so no links to link up to other than Wikipedia...

We walked pretty much all over, even visited the pyramids- Zona Arqueologica Malinalco- that were there- quite a little hike up there but well worth it when you arrive.   

You are pretty high up there- these are the views from the spot.

We stayed a little bit (maybe five minutes) outside of the center of town at a boutique hotel, 

Casa Alamillo, which was amazing.  

 Look at that cactus!!!!  You can't tell from the photo but there are citrus trees EVERYWHERE.  Lemons, Limes, Starfruit, Oranges.  They were all blooming and fragrance was intoxicating. 

Once you enter the gates, you don't want to leave.  The setting is serene, peaceful and the service outstanding.  It was hard to leave our little paradise to head out into the city though I do recommend it, just hurry back to the hotel.

The hotel is also part of a spa which offers the most outstanding and relaxing treatments I have had to date.  Purusha Ayurveda Spa is the website if you want to check it out.

Up above the rooms they have an organic garden in which they grown most of their veggies etc. that they serve in their incredible meals.  Here is a view from up there.

The hummingbirds- as hard to capture on film as the ones here at home, were HUGE.  They were easily twice the size of the ones we have at the nursery.  Not a great pic but hopefully you can tell how big he was.  He was going to town on that Aloe bloom but I couldn't get a better shot of him.

 

There is a little cave behind the hotel we walked up- there are two owls nests in there which was neat and the walk up there was beautiful.  At the back of the cave is this statue which I thought was beautiful.  The hotel owner said it was there and they just left it.  I would have too!!

 

The hotel has pots of amazing plants all over the place- this one struck my interest.  It looks like a Pride of Barbados but clearly is not.  Love it!!!

 

There were Passion Vines growing as well - who doesn't love a Passion Vine???  

Did you notice the massive cacti in the first photo of the hotel?  Can you imagine?  Love it!  Wish I had that here!!!!  I thought I got some shots of the Mexican Fence Post Cactus- another one I adore but I can't find the photos anywhere.  

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  One word- Amazing.  Can not wait to return!!

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