My friend Peche Turner and I visited this cactus garden on the campus of Stanford University on an overcast Monday morning. Our goals were simple -- to take pictures and to see what our cameras could do. In my case, I was getting acquainted with a brand new camera.

The 17,000-square-foot garden is located near the mausoleum in which Leland and Jane Stanford, along with their son Leland Jr., are buried. It was designed for the Stanford's country home by landscape architect Rudolf Ulrich between 1881 and 1883. After Leland Jr.'s death in 1884, his parents established Leland Stanford Jr. University on their property. In the early years, couples reportedly used this garden as a romantic meeting place. Universities, it seems, have always been about more than just book learning.

I selected 20 photos from that morning and posted them on these two pages. By clicking on the thumbnails, you can see larger images.