we love Bojack Horseman

The Netflix Original animated for adults series is all about BoJack, a horse who reminds me of Keil Bay only in his facial expressions and bay color, but one expression is such a perfect match it's uncanny!

Bojack is a TV star who struggles with anxiety, depression, and a lack of connection. He has moments of revelation which make me hopeful for him. 

Yesterday my daughter and I were on campus and we left our little bit of Bojack's glimpse of wisdom on a white board table in the library.

Artwork courtesy of dear daughter, rendition of Bojack's quote courtesy of me. And she managed to capture the Keil Bay expression perfectly! 

And a thank you to the blog readers and writers I have connected with here through the years. I am buoyed by all of you on a daily basis.

UC-Santa Cruz - the rest of the campus

One of the most beautiful and compelling aspects of UC-Santa Cruz's campus is the varied landscape. Thus far I've focused on the campus proper - the part situated at the top of the hill in the redwood forest. But the drive into campus is much different and very appealing.

There are barns and cattle on these golden rolling hills. It looks like a prairie - and is so beautiful. Below is the view from the parking offices.

And heading up the hill, which is very gently sloped:

Driving in, there is an area to pull off and walk and look at the mountains to the east:

I couldn't get enough of this vast view:

This view with the cloud made me linger.

Once you drive up into the redwoods and the campus proper there is a huge looping road that goes through campus and then back down on the other side. From this end you see Santa Cruz and the Pacific.

The arboretum (featured a few days ago here) is on this side of the campus as you head out. And this ocean view is visible from a few points in the arboretum as well as from the road as you're leaving.

Living in North Carolina where the ocean is on the eastern end of our state and the mountains on the Western edge, seeing mountains and ocean in opposite directions and such close proximity seems pure magic.

I loved this campus most of all, I think. It felt both infinitely majestic because of the landscapes and redwoods and yet very intimate and manageable walking from building to building. In a lot of ways it merged all the things I love about nature and higher learning into one fantastic package. 

Do you think they'd let November Hill relocate to the grassy hill right at the edge of the redwoods? I would be tempted.

Sunday morning sunflowers

Feed room fly patrol

The arboretum at UC-Santa Cruz

Late on the second day of our visit I took some time to explore the arboretum on the UC-Santa Cruz campus. What a wonderful and very different landscape than the main area up in the redwood forest!

This path was inviting and magical, and I love the carpenter bee sculpture:

There was gorgeous color along this path, so lush against the background of golden grasses.

Sadly I didn't have time to peruse each plant and document the names of things but I greatly enjoyed my walk and the quick browse. This tree made me want to climb in and hide out with a book.

I loved this brightly colored flower.

This was a favorite vista, in part because it is so different from our lush green in North Carolina.

The succulent bed was lovely. My photo doesn't capture the essence of the color it held.

The palm felt almost misplaced here, but was striking in its height.

Loved this little side path and the message on the bench.

I would love to have seen owls but it wasn't the right time of day.

This scene was striking too - I was up on a hill and the clouds looked like flying saucers in the distance. Wouldn't have been surprised if Mulder and Scully had appeared. 

This was simply gorgeous. I wish I could have one of these here on November Hill.

I saw this on my way out. I was one of only a few people there that afternoon and would have been spooked a little had I seen it going in!

This is only the tiniest look at the arboretum. I only took one path and didn't have time to fully explore the place. I hope I can go back again and see it for a longer visit. I love that it is actually on the campus. What a gorgeous place to unwind after class!