THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTIONS AND BOTANICAL GARDENS

By Charles N. Stevens

Photos by Dolores Seidman

One of the most enjoyable places to visit, a world-renowned tourist attraction, the “Huntington” is only a half hour drive from Monterey Park. Dolores and I often visit this gem, finding it pleasant just to walk through the ever-changing gardens, spacious lawns and art galleries. Sometimes we sit on a bench in an attractive area and simply enjoy observing the flowers and watching the hummingbirds dart in and out of the scene. There is so much to see if we just look.

We frequently sit on another bench overlooking the Japanese Gardens with its typical Japanese house, rainbow bridge and pools where colorful koi swim gracefully through the water. A short walk from here takes us to the latest addition of the Huntington’s landscape, the authentic Chinese Gardens.  A walkway follows the edges of a large pool with polished wooden pavilions along the way. At one point a stone bridge arches over the pool. Lotus grows in one portion of the pool and a waterfall splashes down in another. There is also a tea house and a small café offering limited Chinese dishes. Strolling the perimeter of the gardens is always relaxing, and there are areas to rest in the pavilions. The gardens follow the ancient rules of what a Chinese garden should be.

When we meet our family at the Huntington, we sooner or later wind up at the Children’s Garden. The great grandkids enjoy getting wet from squirting fountains, misters and vibrating pools. The children love it. They run here and there, laughing and shouting to their friends. The adults enjoy watching them. There are also little nooks with lattices and foliage where children can “play house” or long tunnels they can run through.

Since Dolores and I enjoy art, we often visit the galleries. The first is the Huntington mansion where Henry Huntington with all his millions once lived. A portion of it is now an art museum featuring European art and is the site of his two famous paintings, “Pinky” and “Blue Boy.” “Blue Boy” is now being restored and during certain periods the public can watch the restorer painstakingly repairing it, bit by bit.

My favorite gallery is the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American art where I look forward to seeing two of my favorite paintings, Mary Cassatt’s “Breakfast in Bed” and Edward Hopper’s “The Long Leg” depicting a leaning white sailboat on a very blue sea. The gallery displays art from colonial times to the relatively modern.

The smaller Boone Gallery hosts periodic exhibitions. Presently the theme is “1919” and depicts the important events locally and in the world during that year.

Anchoring the Huntington is the library. Part of it is reserved for their archives where scholars work on research from thousands of historical books and manuscripts and another for the public where artifacts of historic or literary value are displayed such as the Gutenberg Bible. Among the wide range of displays are a manuscript of Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”, folio editions of Shakespeare’s plays and the first editions and manuscripts of famous historical and literary figures.

But I’m leaving out a lot. There are acres devoted to Australian trees and shrubs and a vast collection of cacti from all over the world. There is a restaurant and a store as well as the new Education and Visitor’s Center that includes an auditorium for special events.

There is something for everyone at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens! They are open Wednesday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesday.

The walkway leading to the gardens is lined with olive trees.

The Japanese Garden is very relaxing to look upon. Note the rainbow bridge over the pond.

The authentic Chinese garden is the newest addition to the Huntington.

This painting of mother and child by Mary Cassatt is our favorite in the museum dedicated to American art.

Edward Hopper's "The Last Leg" is striking with its deep blue sea.

MONTEREY PARK AUTHOR PUBLISHES 4th BOOK – Seeking More of the Sky: Growing Up in the 1930’s:

Charles “Norm” Stevens, a 43 year resident of Monterey Park has recently published his 4^th book: Seeking More of the Sky: Growing Up in the 1930’s. This is the story of a young boy growing up in Inglewood, California in the l930’s. This was a time during the depression when unemployment was affecting many and the banks were closed, while the clouds of war were gathering in Europe. But he was lucky enough to be raised in a loving family, the power of that love reflected throughout his stories.

Stevens is the author of three previous books about his experiences during WWII:

An Innocent at Polebrook: A Memoir of an 8th Air Force Bombardier (Story of his 34 bombing missions from his base at Polebrook, England over Germany and France)

The Innocent Cadet: Becoming A World War II Bombardier (A prequel to the first, telling of his training in the U.S. before going overseas into combat.)

Back from Combat: A WWII Bombardier Faces His Military Future from Combat: (This book details the time from when he returned from combat in England until the end of the war.)

He is known to the readers of The Citizen’s Voice as the author of Travel Log Articles including “Cruising the Rhine and Mosel”,” Best of the West”, “In Search of Snow” ,  “From Paris to Normandy on the Seine”, and “Exploring New York”.  He is retired, having taught for 32 years, primarily in the Montebello Unified School District.

Those interested in purchasing an autographed copy of any of his books, may contact the author at 323-721-8230 or  Normstevens24@gmail.com.