Just My Luck
ser·en·dip·i·ty noun \ ser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē \ : luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.
SERENDIPITY is also the name of a terrific antique store in the Old Town section of Temecula. They’ve got a very good garden section out back; I found these succulent containers in their green house. Created by Jeanne Garcia, for Rancho Garcia Garden Art, each vintage container boasts a complementary succulent. I was drawn to the diverse good looks of the vessels, with their mix of glazes and textures, and I loved their healthy and equally diverse plants. Unable to decide which I liked most, I took them all — including the amazing exploding swan that got to the cash register late and had to be added on. Lucky I did, too, or there would be an empty slot on my ’60s-era plant stand and the photo wouldn’t be nearly as charming. Discovering these together was a bit of good fortune, but they weren’t my only find that day . . .
Heading inside to the cashier, I looked up and spied this amazing antique wire brush suspended from the rafters. All it took was a question for a ladder and willing shop assistant to appear, and I had it and the scale it was attached to in my hands. By rotating the brush I had the bristles producing a visual effect that reminded me of ’60s-era op art. I added it and the scale to my happy haul.
It was only by chance we ended up in Temecula that day: We’d pulled off the freeway on our way back from Encinitas so that I could walk off a dastardly back spasm. While there we lucked upon a fruit stand owned by two cousins of mine; we had a nice chat … it was after that I made these finds. For a short stop, our visit to Old Town was full of surprise finds I valued personally. In a word, it was serendipitous.
SERENDIPITY
41950 Main Street, Temecula, CA 92592 • 951.506.4446 • Daily 10-6, Fri. to 9
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Rancho Garcia Garden Art (in the greenhouse at Serendipity)
Jeanne Garcia, 951.767.2454
Rancho Reubidoux 
spectacular as usual!
Aw, thanks, Ruthie! 😉
Love the planters and the wonderful display! Sorry, but I’m not “getting” the wire brush. LOL
Ha! Carol, you’re far from the first one who failed to see the specialness in something I found delightful … I think it’s amusing, too! 😉
Very nice… I’m going to have to stop there sometime and check it out. I love that the plant store’s name starts with Rancho… now that’s serendipity!
I thought the same thing a week later, WF, once I’d finally looked at the business card they’d given me.
WOW!!! What a great find. The plant stand is perfect and I especially love the swan.
I have a pain of old western boots of my husband fron out time in Texas that I want to plant once I find the right plants. It would be great if I could find an old steer skull to go with the boots. That would be my serendipity!
That sounds fun, Val, send me a picture when you get all the pieces together! 😉
The plants, the containers, and the stand make a PERFECT statement. They say, “Reuben has extremely good taste.”
Thanks, JR, I thought it looked pretty great, too!