Laguna Beach, CA
United States
Mountain Rd. & beach Laguna Beach Garden of Peace and Love since 1 December 1989
without names
Peace and Love Garden Mountain Road Beach Laguna Beach
Mountain Road Beach includes a beautiful Peace and Love Garden filled with cherubs, hearts and good vibes. All that glitters is not gold, but may contain other earth elements such as water, sand and soil. An unexpected retreat awaits those who happen upon or know about Mountain Road Beach in Laguna Beach. A beautiful garden with cherub statues, beautifully shaped rocks, flowers, an artificial white dove on a post, and a wooden plaque sign, "Garden of Peace & Love", all are tucked past the street level view as you descend a set of steps to Mountain Road Beach.
If you are open to good vibes, the experience may offer you a moment of respite, quiet and even inner peace. Delighted and surprised by this little beach garden oasis, I discovered (by asking a local guy) how long the garden has been around. About five years, as he reckoned. "Really cool," I said back. "Peace, I love you," he replied, then held two fingers up in a peace sign. Kind of shocked that this little garden and peaceniks exist when all you normally get is a one-finger salute of rudeness from people on the road, I knew I'd walked into a time warp. Remembering the days when I thought about world peace, I felt a bit of joy for this brief moment in time, yet sadness for where we'd traveled during several decades of growth as a planet.
Artificial statues and ceramics can wash away and decay, but the tender loving care of those who nurture this little Laguna Beach garden lives in the strategic placement of items, and symbols painted on rocks and plaques. It is but one of several California beach locations where the locals have taken on a challenge of maintaining a message.
Photo © D. Stock Beach California

2008
D. Stock, unknown