Island View Nursery in Carpinteria, California is a feast for the eyes. With a beautiful back drop of the St. Ynez Mountains, it is like being in the tropics-a bit like Costa Rica. It’s not so much the climate, but rather the vegetation and coastal setting that remind me of my travels in Coast Rica. Full of palms, potted plants trees, flowers, outdoor furniture, Mexican and Indonesian relics, I chose to paint two small wooden chairs and a table nestled in the shade of the avocado grove. I was drawn to the crooked chairs and table because they fit so well almost becoming one with the large-trunked gnarly avocado trees. I wondered why it was there and who sat there. As I was painting with some of my painting students, Juan, the gardener told me that he made this poetic scene as a sanctuary for his lunchtime. I saw pride in his eyes as he watched three painters attempt to capture the beauty that he made.