too busy to blog

Alas, it's just super hectic here, between the 'Project' and the start up of school.
There's a lovely early fall feeling in the air, nice temperatures-- though I know that plenty of 'hot' is still somewhere down the line. The garden is feeling slightly neglected, but hanging in there.

Field Trip, part 1

The first stop on our recent getaway was a visit to Hakone gardens, a Japanese Garden Wendy had heard about, in Saratoga, in the hills southwest of San Jose.

today

1) another decorative gourd...
2) this year's 'IT' plant-- Castor Bean
3) one of my most fragrant roses, 'Heirloom'-- but an underperformer, alas, in many other ways...

...In which Claire & Gary visit

...the Art Farm Motel, and go 'native'. Overalls & hats provided, if needed, to all guests.

Oh, and tomatoes.

sunny morning sunflowers

...and birdhouse gourds coming along...now that we've built them a support...

volunteer gourd brigade

Each year we have a few gourds start up from some decorative gourds of days gone by. It's always fun to watch & see what type they will be. If last year is any guide, we'll have 40 or 50 of this kind it's over...

Flowers for 'T'

Here's a bouquet of August-toned flowers, picked to take to our friend T, recovering from double surgery (last Thursday, & today). The results, so far as we know, are looking good. We wish her an excellent and speedy recovery...

dazzling dahlias

Today, I bring you a guest garden. These are the flowers of our neighbor China, who has been growing things on her piece of land for some 25 years, so she knows a thing or two about what she's doing! Dahlias seem to be her latest passion. Some of these are huge!

last week at the beach

Here's a series of photos I took last weeek when I wasn't blogging so much. Remember that heat wave? Niece Claire (Lauren was away at camp!) wanted to go to the beach at Bodega Bay with her friend Emily. I had fun taking action shots of their frollicking.
And my mom was in town for a very pleasant 10 day visit before taking the nieces back with her to Minnesota. (Shown here at lunch on our deck...)

photos

'Brandy' on a foggy morn...
Butterfly 'Weed'-- host plant for the Monarch butterfly-- though we've never seen them use it as such...

today...

a fuzzy little gourd...apples coming along... & Graham Thomas, always a beaut.
Sorry for the somewhat sporadic summertime posting!