An inspirational place

The Inn of the Seventh Ray as inspiration.

Maybe this is the answer to my lighting dilemma. Nothin' like twinkly white Christmas lights. And white panels...

Monkey Sea, Monkey Dunes

M, K, and friend J - winner today, Sandcastle Contest

Smokey, hot & sultry

Looks like fog, but it is not. It's smoke from the hundreds of fires that fabulous lightning storm caused. The lightning storm that raged over the weekend had over 6000 strikes according to a spokesperson at Calfire this morning in Shasta County. 602 fires consuming thousands of acres range from Santa Cruz to the Oregon border and from the Coast to Nevada but the states to the North and East of California also had their share of strikes and resulting blazes. This leaves fire crews “spread thin all over.” CalFire Report for entire state of California
Total Fires: 1,032
Acres involved: 132,235
Structures Destroyed: 17 residences, 1 commercial, 19 outbuildings to date.

Beauty, but with a real down side. Smoke so thick up and down the state that visibility in some places is almost zero. People being told to stay indoors.

Dividing water lilies

Water lilies can spread from seeds or the rhizomes. And mine has definitely spread. At first I had it in the pond in its pot, but the dog kept pulling the pot out of the water and chewing on the rootballs. So I took it out of the pot and let it naturalize. It's been in there for years and blooms more each year.

Today we cut a chunk of the rhizome off for my neighbor who is putting in a pond. I wasn't sure how it would go, but, I'm not worried anymore.

Best LIGHTNING Storm we've ever had

Found this shot by Destiny Young/Boonville this looks like what we saw.

Started last evening (SUMMER SOLSTICE), still light out, strange and fabulous cloud structures, the simultaneous sunset, thunder, flashes and streaks of lightning over the ocean. Everyone on the street came out to watch in awe. None of us had cameras. A few drops of rain, but a very dry storm. The lightning came and went all night, further away, so we saw the flashes but didn't hear the thunder. Awesome!

Roses

John F. Kennedy. (J&P?) Catalog says it has the strongest fragrance of any white rose - the flourishing scent of fresh fruit, the soft vanilla hues and the play of greens. It's pretty hard to mistake this rose for any other, with its hourglass form, sculpted ivory petals and the way it unfolds as gracefully as a good story, the effect is classic elegance.



Blooms 5-6" (and they weren't kidding, the roses are HUGE!) I bought this January 24, 1998. It's planted by the front window, very healthy, huge blooms, great scent - a definite FAVORITE. I'm thinking a few more in the back yard are in order. If cuttings of this one are as successful as Madame Leonie, it will be great.

(Note: Some online forum discussions question how JFK Rose does, with varied reports. Mine flourishes, tall, at least 6 feet, blooms reliably, huge creamy white blooms, great fragrance, has tolerated this coastal air, fog, cooler temps. Enough that I'm looking for another 1 or 2, and will also propagate by cuttings)

Albertine is another great rambler, planted starts from a friend, always puts on a good show. I still like Madame Leonie better, but Albertine blooms longer and more often.

Front Yard, New Bed

Solution

blurb.com
Free bookmaking software for Mac and PC
Softcover, Hardcover with a dust jacket or Hardcover with images printed on it.
$19.95 - $95.95 for 8x10 inches (20x25 centimeters)
An alternative to trying to rebind the journal.

Gotta love this!

A moss room, from the Chelsea Flower Show...

The past

Yeah, this what Dad & I usedta look like. :) We were young once, too, you know.

The fabulous Playset

Made of Port Orford Cedar, does not splinter, wears like iron. Spent many many hours looking for a good playset, lots of books of plans, responded to an ad in a local paper - Playset for sale, you dismantle and move, something along those lines. It was a doctor who was moving to Peru or somewhere. He wanted $700 and we paid it. One of the best buys, and best investments we ever made. Been in since 1999. Needs new canopies now, but otherwise same as the day it came here.

It has a castle, a sandbox, a fireman's pole, a slide, swings, monkeybars, and a tire swing. It's seen many hours of fun. The monkeybars became a rite of passage, because at first the kids were too little, it was too high, and too scary, and they'd try it and there were many screams for help. But when they mastered it, it was a BIG deal. Not just our kids but the neighbor kids too. They've set up tadpole farms in the upper castle. They've almost outgrown it now, all but the swings. We'll see what this summer brings.

(Just did a quick google search - the company, Krauss Craft Inc. is still in business, selling playsets, but boy have they changed.)

Can't resist

They STILL Have 'em! Gargoyle Downspouts... Must be a good seller! Improvements

Backyard plantings

Detail

What to do?

My neighbor's parents live in SoCal. These were landscaping ideas for the backyard.

The promenade

As it ended up, with poured concrete pillars and a stamped concrete patio/dance floor, it was a spectacular success in my book. Fun to see the sketches turn into something real. (And, yes, I will post pictures!)

Draft overview

Shows two additional patio areas, color scheme creamy yellow stone and tinted concrete or stucco to go with the house and the Italian feel, not red brick. More details when these projects rise to the 'get it done' level. There's a bocce ball court near the area of that lower patio, so that may dictate some changes. There's still a need for a nice barbeque area, just may have to be in a different spot.

Gotta plant a FIG tree

For one thing, then I can make Katie's Fig Recipe.

Fig Tree tips
Hmmm... Figs are shallow rooted and the roots are aggressive - the tree gets quite large and shades out everything under it....never knew that.
Cooking Light on growing figs Some of the best-tasting figs spoil quickly and cannot be shipped out of the region where they are grown. That's a good reason to grow your own.

Lots to choose from! Violette de Bordeaux - A small, super, jet black fig from Spainl, considered by many to be the very best tasting fig. It's very hardy,good for cold climates. Two crops. It's highly productive in pots. Dwarf and prolific.