Last summer, my fiancé Jose and I went on a road trip down the coast of California from San Francisco to Joshua Tree. I’ve lived in California for about 3 years at this point, and can say that I’ve actually seen quite a bit. My adventurous spirit serves well in that I would spend almost every weekend checking out a new area (usually with my dog by my side.) When I met Jose, the two of us would go to some of his favorite spots like Lake Tahoe, wineries in Livermore, and Santa Cruz.
We’ve been talking about this road trip for a while, but money, lack of time, and of course the pandemic all got in the way. We finally had money saved up and decided to go for it last July and we had the most amazing time seeing all of the diverse landscapes of California.
One of my favorite places we visited was Santa Barbara. The beautiful Spanish style white and terracotta tile roof buildings were the perfect backdrop to all of the vibrant bougainvillea we saw! They bloom year round and are busting everywhere you look around the city. They love the sun and truly thrive in this environment. When thinking of Santa Barbara, this fluorescent flower is one of the first images that pops into my mind, making it the inspiration behind this new color palette!