December 2, 2015 - Today we went to visit the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. The adobe of Manuel Dominguez, on the Mexican land grant of Rancho San Pedro, was completed in 1826. The home features two foot thick adobe walls, heavy timbers and a flat, tarred roof. Much of the furniture is original to the Dominguez family. The Rancho San Pedro is the site of the First Spanish land grant in California. The land was granted in 1784 by King Carlos III to Juan Jose Dominguez, a retired Spanish soldier who came to California with the Portola expedition and later with Father Junipero Serra. The land has passed through successive generations and still remains in the Dominguez family.
On many of our tours, photography hasn't been permitted inside the building, but today we had a new twist, the docent didn't show up! So we peeked in the windows and explored everything on the outside, since that was all we could do. Their cactus garden is beautiful.
This cactus or succulent wasn't labeled, but it sure was interesting.
There are many different varieties of trees on the grounds including this Morton Bay Fig tree.
The tree with the green trunk is a Floss Silk tree and behind it is a California Pepper tree.
This is a beautiful Canary Island Date Palm.
This is the original outdoor kitchen for the adobe.
It's a shame we couldn't get inside, but we'll keep it on our list for another day. And next time we'll probably call ahead before making the hour and a half drive. It's still a very beautiful place to see.
We had lunch at Norm's before going to the Rancho, with meatloaf for me and a juicy burger for Judy.