roses, always roses

"Teasing Georgia" & "Golden Celebration",
two David Austin roses new this year, both looking good today...

coming soon:
photos from the Garden Conservancy's Open Garden Days this past weekend...

morning moment

Tony, his coffee, and his journal pages on a beautiful fall morn.

Reason # 35: Graton Day!

Long ago (five years) and not-so-far away (on Graton Road), when two artists began their search for a home in Sonoma County, the first house they looked at was in Graton. By chance, it happened to be on Graton Day. After the parade passed by, they sat in the Willowwood (not even knowing then that it was owned and run by Matt & Lulu, who Tony knew from a previous life & Carrara's in the East Bay), and wrote up their list of wants and needs, and decided that Graton was in fact the place. A year later (a long year of searching), also entirely by chance, it was on Graton Day that the moving van pulled away, and they had moved to Graton. They strolled downtown, the parade went by, there were candles lit & a full moon, and dancing in the street.

Yes, that couple was us, and ever since we've had a great fondness for the smalltown celebration that is Graton Day. 'One Block Heaven', they call it. (check out the new link to 'Graton.info' at right)
local citizenry, Tony, Sooz & Michael
Kid's band: Divan, featuring Truman Coy (Micahael & Wendy's son) on far right

...and closer up...

activities for kids (and a climbing wall!)

tortoises roam the street

fresh tomatoes!
and of course, awards for largest (and 'most character') zucchini. (I sat this year out, but next year--watch out!)


..and a pie baking contest, and rummage sale, information booths, local restaurant's fare...

Reason We Love Our Town # 34:

Neighborhood Potlucks!
(okay, there really isn't any numbering system, just so many reasons.) Every other Friday--or whenever someone wants to host one-- they happen, at different households around town. This one was at the home of our over-the-back-fence neighbors, Catherine & Michael, so we got to go through the secret gate.

castor bean blooms

The castor bean plant puts out it's funny flower. Okay, its grown mainly for the foliage. Caution: parts are poisonous!

some photos from earlier

Here are some photos that go back to my trip with Wendy in mid-August, which have been sitting here on the desktop ever since.
The first three are from Costonoa, a very cool resort-ish place with deluxe tent cabins (heated matress pads!) down the coast between Half Moon Bay & Santa Cruz. Originally discovered by Wendy, she sent me & Tony there as a birthday gift some years ago. (We went again this past weekend, with a couple more friends, as a birthday celebration, which was great fun!)
There are many parks down around there; the 'hills' shots are from a short walk in one of them, and the butterfly is from a creekside walk in the redwoods at Butano State Park.

Oh, and finally a garden shot from 'Hidden Villa' in the Los Altos hills, where we took yet another, longer hike.

more!

1) Harvest study in greens and golds
2) The King basks in the glory of it all
3) Birdhouse encircled with jasmine
4) Scabiosa just blooms & blooms; doesn't it deserve a prettier name?!?
5) Medallion-- taller than I am. Some flowers just ask to have their pictures taken every day. Sometimes twice.

hello, o patient garden people

Are you still out there?!? Here's a glimpse of what's still looking good in the mid-September garden.
Actually, overall,
most of it.
There's a little crispiness around some edges, but roses, hollyhocks etc--
still going strong.
The weather is GORGEOUS.
In that early Fall,
cooler way.
A yard sale is calling my name...

new kitty in town

OK, not OUR town; but we got a vicarious experience in picking out this little darling (or did she pick us??) at the Humane Society & giving her to Alice, Tony's mom, for her birthday.



I know, I know, where are the burning man pics???!!!
Maybe tomorrow