A Walk in the Park

Hello. I hope this brief post finds you all happy and well. Things have been a bit intense lately, at work and school and especially in my head. There is a team presentation due in class today and another test on Thursday. After that, maybe I can breathe a little bit for a couple of days and think about something else. In the meantime, I wanted to share some photos with you. These were taken in the canyon just North of our home on Sunday. It had been raining and the canyon was beautiful, all the leaves are turning too. Funny, Tom and I wouldn’t have gone on that hike, but I needed some photos of poison oak for the class presentation and it forced us out there. We were both so happy and vowed to go again this coming Sunday. Enjoy:

...Fall colors: Toxicodendron diversiloba (Poison Oak!)

It stopped raining just long enough for our hike, and the blue sky was beautiful.

...blue sky through a Sycamore tree

We found some juicy looking mushrooms growing on an oak tree.

...fungus on oak

I really really LOVE Sycamore trees.

...California Sycamore

This one is surround by a carpet of Poison Oak, which is also growing up the trunk – beautiful and very itchy.

...it really needs a tire swing.

Sometimes, when I’m in this canyon, I forget that it’s right next to the highway.

...a place to rest on the way home.

Read Full Post »

Many Thanks

Many thanks to all of you for your kind words and positive reinforcement following my last post. The collaboration with Ruth was a resounding success and I can’t wait till our next one. I’m sure I speak for both of us when I say that the response from our audience put some much needed wind in the sails. Most of us take photos, write poetry, paint or draw, garden – whatever form the creative process takes – we do it because we love it, audience or no. But, when it brings even the smallest amount of pleasure to someone else – well, it’s a pretty awesome feeling. Plus, I made some new friends. Thank you again, Ruth, for sharing your wonderful words and your kind friends with me. Until we meet again…

...Muir Woods - California - September 25, 2011

Read Full Post »

The Proboscis and the Butterfly.

The heat and the need to study are keeping me out of the garden today. I’m ok with that. There is a HUGE new vocabulary to learn for class and most of the outdoor plants don’t need anything but water right now. So, as I head off into a cool part of the house to learn about the chemical bonding habits of hydrogen molecules and why that matters to plants, I will leave you with a butterfly I met at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco when we were up there last month to visit Terri and Emily. Happy Sunday!

meet the Tiger Longwing Butterfly (Heliconius hecale)

I got to looking at the photo and noticed how well I could see the proboscis, which is a straw-like mouth, curled up and quite visible. It’s hard to get that in a butterfly photo since they usually flutter off when you approach. So, I enlarged the photo – I think this is a pretty awesome picture of a butterfly and she looks quite lovely against her green background:

Read Full Post »

The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

As promised, I took a lot of photos on the tour of the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. Terri and Emily took us there because the special exhibit was out of Amy Stewart’s book “Wicked Plants” which I have read and loved. The old Gothic conservatories and hot-houses are another love, so basically it was an awesome day all around spent with some of my most favorite people in the world ever. Thank you, Terri and Emily 🙂 I was going to find the names of all the plants and label them for you, but that would keep me from posting them sooner. Basically, enjoying the photos this time is better than worrying about the names. There are orchid things and waxy things and steamy things…mostly tropical things and some poisonous things…enjoy.

Read Full Post »

Just a Note…

Well, let me just say I’ve been having a wonderful time lately and haven’t had the opportunity to post. I even skipped the Tuesday’s Muse post this week because She and I were busy playing elsewhere. Things are coming along swimmingly and the garden is thriving in the mid-summer heat. We just got back from a lovely weekend in San Francisco as well. There will be lots of photos of plants to post from our visit. I’ve also been ruminating on some serious cleaning out and editing in my life, house, garden, and this website. Everything is chaos and there is too much STUFF. So, I’ve been busy busy busy. Perhaps this weekend I’ll have a good post ready, as soon as I can focus on one single thing instead of 800 as I’m doing now. I’ve learned to indulge myself in the ‘too many irons in the fire’ phase because eventually it all comes around to making sense. But not yet. In the meantime please enjoy this hot steamy photo taken in San Francisco at the Conservatory of Flowers where Terri and Emily took us for an awesome tour…more on that later…

San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers - Wicked Plants Exhibition - July 2011

Read Full Post »

Take me to the Fair!

Tom and I took a few hours off last week and went to the Del Mar County Fair. We hadn’t been in almost a decade. Everything was the same. I had to have a corn dog, like always. We looked at the livestock and I remembered the years of my youth spent in the country. The smell of manure does that to me. It wasn’t unpleasant. The smell of manure I mean.

Baby goats are the cutest thing ever. If only they had fit in my purse!

According to the sign, these two goats are named “Beyonce” and “Maybeline” which is why they got their pictures taken. I really do love goats.

Beyonce and Maybeline are too busy for a photo shoot.

We looked at the winners of the flower contests and I enjoyed waltzing around saying ‘oh I can grow a better Rose than that blue ribbon thing’ until I ran into a purple Dahlia bigger than my head. That shut me up. I didn’t take a picture of it because displaying that prize-winning flower on my website didn’t seem right. I did get pictures of non-award display plants that tickled my fancy:

The 'day-glo' colors of this Bromeliad reminded me of an aerobics leotard I had in the 80's.

I fell in love madly with a Fuschia

Bloomers and Petticoats

or maybe a ballerina in a tutu

Years ago I dragged Tom through the gardening displays making mental notes about the garden I wanted ‘some day’ and yesterday I walked through thinking ‘wow I totally did it’ and that was a great feeling!

African "Lion's Tail" fit their description perfectly

We visited the vegetable and farm displays, always my favorite.

can I get an "Amen" up in here?!

I loved the colors of this Cabbage

A Sea of Sunflower Happiness

There's always time to stop and talk to a Bee

We looked at the photography exhibits and I thought about the dilemma I’ve had over whether or not I should put my name or website on all my photos. Some garden bloggers do that, something written across every photo they post so that it’s there forever like a big scar. It’s been on my mind for a year and half now and I firmly decided at the Fair that no, no I will not put any identification whatsoever on my online plant photos. Yes, I took them and they are technically mine. But, it’s a photo of the natural world which does not belong to me. There have been billions of poppies bloom on the planet throughout the course of history and capturing an image of one more is not something for which I need permanent credit. My intention is to share that moment in time with you, and I do it freely. If someone wants to ‘steal’ a photo of a flower from my website, that’s a good thing for the world. If someone wants to print it, frame it, and enter it in a photo contest, then they had more gumption than I did and I hope it wins a ribbon – woo! Perhaps I’ll change my mind one day, perhaps not.

Ok, does anyone know what this is?

We saw everything in three hours, mocked everyone’s fashion choices, wondered at the numbers of people in line to eat deep fried butter, bought a ‘ratchet pruner’ , which has become a new favorite tool, and now we don’t have to go back for another decade, unless I decide to enter a flower growing contest. No, definitely not.

Read Full Post »

Garden Treasure

There was a story in the news this morning about a man named Andreas living in a town called Wiener Neustadt, which is south of Vienna in Austria. He was turning the soil over in his backyard and uncovered buried treasure. Hundreds of pieces of jewelry and baubles around 650 years old: a nifty reward for doing one of those ordinary mundane gardening tasks we all do in the Spring. Who buried it? Was it a pirate? I bet it was! The best part of the story is that he was considering loaning the collection to a museum instead of cashing in. I would do the same thing of course. Well, after I played “Pirate Dress Up” for a few weeks, THEN I would loan it out.

Kauai

It reminded me of all the things I have unearthed while gardening. Mostly toys like little plastic soldiers or marbles, some tiny skeletons which I assumed were Halloween favors from long ago, animal bones, costume jewelry for little girls and strange articles of clothing. Every time I find something it gets my imagination working. How did that get there or what was the child like who was playing in this dirt, or how did that sock get buried under this tree and is it evidence in some serial killer’s murder spree? A few times I’ve hit a power line or a water pipe that I wasn’t supposed to hit – oops. The best ‘buried treasure’ story came from my grandmother. Apparently my grandfather was digging her a garden many years ago in Indiana when they were first married. He found a wedding ring, a real one. He immediately came in the house and asked her to marry him again. She always said “of course I said yes.” She wore both rings on the same finger for as long as I can remember.

Resist the urge to jump! - Kauai

Gardeners are like mini-archeologists. We are compelled to dig and till, turn over and stir up Earth, always with an eye open to what’s down there. We bury some things and we find some things. How many amazing and random objects have seen the light of day once again simply because some of us cannot leave the soil alone. It’s pretty awesome when you think about it. Makes me want to go garden.

My very own pirate, Tom, getting some morning exercise in Kauai with his new rooster buddy, who followed him around all morning.

All of today’s photos were from a trip to Kauai a few years ago because thinking about treasure makes me think of pirates and pirates make me think of tropical island paradise. And also Johnny Depp – the best pirate ever!

Read Full Post »

The Road Waits

Kauai 2008

The Road

Here is the road: the light
comes and goes then returns again.
Be gentle with your fellow travelers
as they move through the world of stone and stars
whirling with you yet every one alone.
The road waits.
Do not ask questions but when it invites you
to dance at daybreak, say yes.
Each step is the journey; a single note the song.

~ Arlene Gay Levine ~

Read Full Post »

A Peek at Peju

We were driving down the highway just north of Yountville on a rainy January day. There was no agenda or destination except whatever looked interesting along the way. It was dark and cloudy and there weren’t a lot of people out. It was one of my favorite types of days: haunting and more than mildly Bronte-esque. (Ok, so maybe I’m the only one who thinks of Wuthering Heights when I’m in the country on a dark day.) We were almost past these trees when we both noticed them, rising up in the darkness like some strange creatures from a ‘film noir’ ghost story. We immediately did a u-turn so we could get a closer look. In the car, it sounded more like “OOOOH STOP!”

Peju's haunting driveway

It turns out we were at the Peju Family Winery. Having tasted their wine before, we decided to get a closer look at the trees, then head indoors for a tasting. Some wineries in this area want you to make an appointment. We are truly grateful to the wineries who do not. 🙂

Tom looking jaunty with his umbrella!

Tom’s cellphone rang when we stepped in, so I distracted the lady at the front desk by asking her about the trees. She told me they were Sycamore trees that had been trimmed and trained. They have been working on this strange shape for over 20 years, patiently letting them grow in an arch over the road. I was impressed at the discipline, like a bonsai project of gargantuan proportions.

rain-soaked Peju vineyards

The building, called “The Tower”, is beautiful and reminded me of the estates we saw in the countryside outside of Paris, France. They have an art gallery upstairs, a shop with kitchen goodies and books…and, of course, the tasting room!

The Tower

Inside, we met Mr. Robert Sherman, who let us taste what I will honestly say were my favorite wines of the entire trip. Of course we bought as much as we could afford and yes, they ship! If you ever visit the Peju winery, be sure to ask for Robert – he was awesome and knows his way around a bottle of wine! He also grows tomatoes and we had a fabulous conversation about the hazards of growing them in the unseasonably chilly and short California summers of late. (That made my day!) The good Mr. Sherman even gave me permission to photograph the stained glass wall that was in the tasting room, which is in the main part the “Tower”. This is where I wish my camera had been just a bit better. I have been complaining about it lately…I think it’s getting a bit worn out from the millions of photos I’ve taken with it, so forgive the mild fuzziness of these:

The colors were so vibrant in person. Bright blue irises, red poppies…

…and warm golden pears. No, I think they’re lemons!

Having spent our wine budget, we headed back outdoors to see the formal gardens, which were soaking up the rain.

Yes, I do have to photograph every vine I see crawling up a wall, or a gate, or a…

Rusty iron makes me happy too.

Another favorite detail of this stop was the white marble sculpture by Welton Rotz called “Eternal Cycle.” In all of my travels, I have never seen anything quite like it and I was excited to see a reference to the “Triple Goddess” in such a random place. I walked around and around it until I was dizzy and soaked, but it was worth it.

The maiden, small and moving upward…

The Maiden

…the mother, full and steady…

The Mother

…the crone, shrinking and wizened.

The Crone

And, of course, another quick peek at the Sycamore trees!

Tom at Peju

Thanks to the Peju Family Winery and Robert Sherman for one the highlights of our trip! Every time we open one of the bottles of wine we bought, we get sentimental and all romantic and stuff…and that’s all I’m going to say about that!

Read Full Post »

One of Life’s Gifts

“One of life’s gifts is that each of us, no matter how tired and downtrodden, finds reasons for thankfulness: for the crops carried in from the fields and the grapes from the vineyard.”

~ J. Robert Moskin

Napa Valley Vineyard, January 2011

Read Full Post »

Welcome to Bardessono

Bardessono - January 2011

While in Yountville, Tom and I stayed at Bardessono, a relatively new resident in Yountville and our first official “green” hotel experience. Bardessono is so green, it touts the “LEED Platinum Certificate” , which I can only compare to the Michelin Star program for restaurants. An associate of mine who is an architect explained it this way: if the construction of the building uses materials found naturally within a five mile radius, it gets x amount of LEED points, if it recycles waste it gets x amount of LEED points, etc. As you accumulate points, you get a higher certificate, Platinum being the highest.

The upper deck lap pool wasn't very crowded on a rainy January day

When we checked into our room, it was brought to our attention that there were no carpets, bedspreads or curtains. Right away I noticed how clean it felt. I have always been one to cringe at the thought of how many people have walked on a Vegas’ hotel room carpet, or what the hell had been happening to that bedspread at the hands of the previous tenant. Eww. So, score a point from me right at the get-go!

View of the courtyard from the pool deck

We were shown the mini-fridge, which was full of bottled water. Glass bottles full of water filtered on site by the hotel. No, we didn’t have to pay $8 to drink it and then throw away a plastic bottle. It was delicious too! The toiletries were all full-sized and refillable. No waste made by bringing those little plastic shampoo and lotions home and then tossing them. The bed was made with fluffy clean linens, not some heavy gross smelly brocade thing that you hesitate to sit on, much less climb into and sleep! The windows had mechanized shades set inside the glass which automatically opened when you came into your hotel room. There was even a fireplace.

The courtyard reminded me of a Japanese garden

We ate several meals in the hotel restaurant. They had house-cured meats and some of their own garden foods, as well as local foods and wine. We drank a lot of coffee, which was all made with a French Press. We have one of these at home and always forget to use it. Time to get it out and dust it off – it’s really worth it for the extra coffee flavor.

Bardessono - central courtyard area

One of the first things I did after checking in was luxuriate in the extra deep window spa tub that was in our room.

Tub with a view

I almost always take a bath right after checking into a hotel. Have to wash off all that airport/airplane/humanity grossness. This is now officially my favorite bathtub, and I’ve literally taken baths all over the world! The window view made it even better. Our room had an amazingly ‘open’ view, but provided some serious privacy so I could relax.

Ahhhhhh

We walked around the grounds quite a bit to look at their vineyard and vegetable gardens here and there amid the landscape. I realized that the gardens made me feel like I was a special guest at a country estate and not a hotel. They’ve managed to create Zen in a way I’ve never experienced staying anywhere else. This feeling was reinforced by the staff; everyone was friendly and helpful and remembered our names, helped us out with directions and kept us well fed. The valets made sure we had umbrellas when it rained and offered us complimentary bicycles to use around town.

Simplicty creates a restful atmosphere

I would love to stay there again next year, unless we decide to go up into the mountains a little further. I’ll be saving my pennies though, Bardessono isn’t the most inexpensive place in town, nor should it be – they’ve exceeded too many expectations. We lucked out this year, despite our super-tight budget, and were able to use points we had accumulated on a credit card. Whew! Everything fit into place and we loved our peaceful and delicious stay.

entry to the Yountville Walking Trail right behind the Bardessono

Read Full Post »

A Walk Through Yountville

The town of Yountville has to be one of my all time favorite places to stay for a romantic getaway. It’s not really about what there is to do there, but what there is NOT. It could just be my imagination or the fact that we like to visit during the off season; I have never seen trash in the gutter anywhere, heard noisy or obnoxious people or cars, seen an altercation of any kind, or had bad food or wine. There seems to be a ‘hush ordinance’ and everybody follows it. Everything is green and growing and freshly rained on and trees! Lots and lots of trees!

Maintaining order in Yountville

There aren’t a lot of children and even the few I witnessed in a school yard were quiet and subdued. (This is an important quality in other people’s children when I’m having a romantic weekend.) The most chaotic thing I’ve ever experienced is the long line outside of the Bouchon Bakery. There will be no review for the bakery, since I’ve never been in there. For some reason, I don’t like to wait in line for coffee.

in the quiet schoolyard - I wonder who she was.

The effect of all this order and quietude is that I actually relax. There are old towering oak trees everywhere and people really leave you alone, allowing me space to breathe in nature and fresh air, to hear my own thoughts, to dream of that little farm I’m going to have with a vineyard and some goats and maybe a chicken or two….well it’s fun to dream!

the "Stone Mushroom Garden" by Rich Botto in the center of town

One morning, Tom and I took a walk from our hotel around the village. It was a cool, foggy morning after a day and night of rain. The sense of peace that came over us while we walked was worth the flight up there.

Hopper Creek

It doesn’t take but a few blocks to be out of town and in the country. Vineyards and gardens and old oak trees are all you see for miles.

wild mustard and fog

Happy California Cows

While we walked, we loosely mapped out our day. Take a drive through the mountains and look at trees. Pull over when we see a winery we’d like to taste. Stop for lunch somewhere…

I love these trees

…maybe dinner at one of our favorite restaurants; Hurley’s or Bistro Jeanty…

there's nothing quite like old vines on an old building

…and since it was so foggy and rainy, there’s was a lengthy discussion on the taking of naps.

fog rolling through the Napa Valley

Read Full Post »

Adaptable to Change

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
~Charles Darwin

grape leaves in autumn

Ok, let me just say right up front that this has been one of the hardest fall/winter seasons for me that I can remember. No details here, since this is not a bitching post. The fact that there have been no recent entries here speaks for itself. Also, I haven’t gardened in so long, there’s no telling what’s alive out there! But, I’m here now, and with some happiness intact, if not my sanity. Perhaps there are a few more crows feet, some weird thing with that nerve that runs down the back of my hip and leg, my belly put on a few pounds of comfort food, and I certainly drank a little solace wine along the way. Oh, and I completely lost my temper at some strange man who insisted on following me home and stalking me up the driveway to personally critique, and subsequently report to the authorities, one possibly over-brief visit to the stop sign two blocks from my house on a particularly horrible afternoon – he will certainly not be doing that to any other woman. Ever. I assure you. Silly man probably still doesn’t know what hit him. Bwahahaahaha! So, as far as damages go, not too bad.

Miss Peanut stalks a Dandelion poof. She's probably wishing for a mouse.

Yesterday was Tom and my 16th Wedding Anniversary and a very good day all the way around. It came at just the right time, at the end of a very long quarter, and seemed to put a cap on the season, leaving some optimism in its wake. Some important and worrisome projects we’ve been working on made progress in a very positive way, we shared a good day for our business with a happy client, and finished off the day basking in the glow of still being deeply in love and happy together. And so much has changed. When you’ve been with your partner for so many years, neither of you are the same person you were then, or even yesterday. The ability to be changed and accept change in others is the key isn’t it? And not just with relationships – it’s that way with every area of life. Ok, enough of all that and back to point of my journal!

go ahead, make a wish!

Somewhere in all the chaos and worry, Tom and I booked a little trip to Napa to celebrate our 16 years and get away from the office for a few days. We literally dragged ourselves up there, completely unprepared and clinging desperately to all of our obligations as if we didn’t think we could survive without them. We tried really hard to relax and almost succeeded! The photos came out really well and I’m enjoying the trip more through the photos than I did when I was there. Weird, but true.

Jungle Peanut

Here’s my plan, which I’ll put in writing to give it a better chance at fruition;

* finish work today and take the rest of my Saturday afternoon to rest
* Tomorrow I will start posting fabulous Napa photos and then head out to the garden to assess the winter’s damage. I know winter isn’t over yet and I have lost a lot to frostbite and neglect, but my garden muse is out there somewhere, dormant in the muck, and I need to wake her up.
* Monday I start cleaning up the messes made over the last couple months, everywhere! The year-end filing alone would make a lesser bean counter cry. Hell, sometimes it makes me cry. But the Moon is waning, so the timing couldn’t be better for cleaning up and clearing out – office, garden, closets, brain….well, I guess you can’t make changes without making messes. Oh, and you know what else I learned? Growing pains actually HURT! See you tomorrow!

a little Napa teaser...

Read Full Post »

If It Is Not Too Dark

Sunrise walk with Tom - Kauai

If It Is Not Too Dark

by Hafiz

Go for a walk, if it is not too dark.
Get some fresh air, try to smile.
Say something kind
To a safe-looking stranger, if one happens by.

Always exercise your heart’s knowing.

You might as well attempt something real
Along this path:

Take your spouse or lover into your arms
The way you did when you first met.
Let tenderness pour from your eyes
The way the Sun gazes warmly on the earth.

Play a game with some children.
Extend yourself to a friend.
Sing a few ribald songs to your pets and plants –
Why not let them get drunk and wild!

Let’s toast
Every rung we’ve climbed on Evolution’s ladder.
Whisper, “I love you! I love you!”
To the whole mad world.

Let’s stop reading about God –
We will never understand Him.

Jump to your feet, wave your fists,
Threaten and warn the whole Universe

That your heart can no longer live
Without real love!

Read Full Post »

True Blood…nuff said.

Scabiosa columbaria 6-5-10

Tom and I just got back from a weekend in Newport Beach. We went up for business and stayed for pleasure. What a wonderful couple of days it was too. All worries were left behind and we did our favorite things together…romantic walks, romantic lunches, romantic dinners….well you know. When I got back I spent two hours catching up with watering. Everything needed it and by the time I do the orchids and house plants and everything outside, I’m pooped. Tonight I’ll water the grass and be done with water till Tuesday. It’s hard for me to keep on the schedule that the “City of San Diego” wants me to keep with watering. But I do my best.

Anise - Pimpinella anisum

It was strange to come home after only a couple days gone and find the garden the same but very very different. All the plants are still there but the tomatoes went berserk and suddenly need help getting back up in their cages. The grapes have burst forth once again and my previous efforts to vine them up seem to have been futile.

Grapes June 2010

The potatoes are as tall as I am and I haven’t built the dirt up around them yet, I’m missing some tomato cages, the leeks need more soil…As I went around the yard, almost every plant told me it needed some attention and Cicero (my beta fish) needs a good bath since it’s the New Moon and there’s a fungus growing on his Greek temple columns. The list is growing faster than I can think the thought.

Baby Apples June 5 2010

I’ve been focusing on business lately but now my garden needs some love!

Squash Blossoms 2010

But none of it matters today! Sundays and New Moons don’t always fall together, but today they did and I’m taking advantage. No more lists or chores until tomorrow morning. For now, I’m off to watch “dude tv” with my husband and son and this evening I’m watching the first episode of the new season of True Blood: the only TV show I really really like any more and the one thing I’m doing tonight no matter what! I’ve been waiting forever for it to come back and I’m not missing a moment of it!

Swiss Chard, Hollyhocks, Nasturtiums, Tomatoes, Feverfew

So right at this moment, I’m about as happy as one can get. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining at last, I just spent a romantic weekend away with my man, the flowers are blooming and my garden looks better than ever, there are sparkly bubbles in my favorite Champagne flute, True Blood is on tonight, I’m feeling good and I’m in a good mood, the Moon is New…none of this is going to last, so I’m off to wallow in it. Happy Sunday everyone!

Read Full Post »

Hearts Wildly Open

Atlanta, Georgia

Breathe
Breathe love
into the cup
of your hands
and place your flaming
palms against your heart
Let this warmth
melt your fears
like wax before a fire
and watch the delicious
softening reveal
the wildflower
of your heart.
We must live
with Hearts Wide Open
Hearts Wildly Open.
–Kali Heydel

Atlanta, Georgia

Actually, I’m waiting for my schedule to be wildly open since I just received an envelope full of seed packets from Seed Savers Exchange! Here’s what I got:

Anise (the mail smells like licorice today!)

anise

Love Lies Bleeding (ordered just for the name and to put into vases)

Love Lies Bleeding

Long Tom Tomato (just for my husband Tom)

Long Tom Tomato

Night Scented Tobacco (these have beautiful trumpet shaped flowers)

Night Scented Tobacco

Hyssop

hyssop

Magnus Lovage

lovage

St John’s Wort

St. John's Wort

Red Milkweed/Prairie

Red Milkweed

Cherokee Purple Tomato

Cherokee Purple Tomato

Black Sea Man Tomato

Black Sea Man Tomato

Himalayan Blue Poppy

Himalayan Blue Poppy

Dragon Carrot (I’m such a sucker for a dramatically named plant!)

Dragon Carrots

And right now I’ve got a serious case of ants in my pants because I’ve got to get my work done and then go to school this evening: no gardening for another couple days! Well, as the opening line of the above poem advises, I must breathe NOT hyperventilate!

Atlanta, Georgia

Read Full Post »

Napa Wildflowers

Very little grows on jagged rock. Be grounded. Be crumbled so wildflowers will come up where you are. ~ Rumi

The first time I went to the Napa Valley, it was in the middle of summer. My husband and daughter, daughter-in-law and I went over for a few hours to have lunch and buy a little wine. It’s only about an hour and a half drive from Terri and Emily’s house in San Francisco. It was pretty hot and full of tourists, but it was beautiful (well, that, and I’m a total wino!) and I fell in love with a few restaurant kitchen gardens while we there. I decided I needed to do the restaurant kitchen garden thing some day, after I graduate with my botany degree…I’m gonna need a couple acres, at least! In the meantime, I’m practicing in my backyard. Also, I cut my toe wide open on a nail sticking out of a wooden sidewalk at one of the wineries. So much excitement! (and NO I was not drunk!)

This time, Tom and I decided to spend a couple days for our 15th wedding anniversary, after visiting the girls in the city for some walking and book shopping (our favorite!). We had received an offer from a winery that made our stay at the Villagio Inn & Spa cheaper than if we’d hidden out at a Motel 6. Virgin Airlines took us up there for $39, how can you beat that?! This is why we love traveling in the winter. Also, the rain and cold makes the scenery seem more brooding and Bronte-esque, which is ultimately better than perky bright sunshine, unless you’re in Hawaii.

Besides, it was certainly time to get out of the house for a little romance. When you work at home, leaving the “office” becomes difficult, “closing” the office is entirely impossible, and you eventually just have to run away – before you start decapitating innocent bystanders.

It stormed the entire time we were there, which may ruin a trip for some but we LOVE stormy weather. Terri and Emily’s cats were very entertaining during one particularly CLOSE lightning storm. I never even saw them run and hide – they were just there one second and the next they were gone – POOF! Poor kitties!

Tom

The added bonus was a near empty Yountville. We practically had the entire village to ourselves and walked right in to all the restaurants we wanted to sample. It was so empty, that when we stopped at Carneros to buy the girls some bubbles, we were the only visitors – the parking lot was empty. Perfect for my misanthropic travel-tude!

One of my favorites parts of the trip was discovering that the yellow wildflowers growing under all the nekkid grape vines was wild mustard, which is a member of the brassica family and some consider it a noxious weed. I’ve read that letting different types of brassicas grow on fallow land, then grinding them up into the dirt, is really great way to condition the soil and put nutrients back in. Unfortunately, I was unable to corner any of the growers to find out if that’s what they were up to here.

Yellow mustard blooms were everywhere and added such a beautiful contrast to the neon-green grass and the dark, wet vines…well, I just couldn’t stop taking pictures! They even have a Napa Valley Mustard Festival and all the shops had tiny paintings of vineyards with yellow flowers. (maybe I’ll even attempt a sketch or watercolor one of these days)

Other nature highlights from the weekend:

Everything with a surface was covered with moss or lichen, or both.

We found these tiny red and white flowers while on a walk in the city with Terri and Emily…I’m still trying to find out what they are:

and this crazy looking snake tree, also a species unknown to me, in a canyon park near T and E’s house:

Food and wine favorites:

Stepped in to Hurley’s for lunch on a whim and had the best risotto of my life with an equally amazing 2007 Pinot from ZD Vineyards. Also at ZD was “Pearl’s Garden”, planted in honor of somebody’s Grandma, where I snapped a pic of this rain-soaked pyracantha.

Got to eat at Bottega, celebrity chef Michael Chiarello’s restaurant a block away from our hotel. Even better, his bolognese sauce wasn’t so much better than mine that I felt bad 🙂 and Tom makes a much better steak! (sorry Mr C.)

Also ate at Bistro Jeanty, which was warm and welcoming and served the best beef stew – perfect on a rainy night! We sat at the community table since we didn’t have reservations, but I think it was even homier that way. If I ever own a restaurant, Bistro Jeanty will by my model. Yumm.

All in all, one of our most successful anniversary weekends away, and after more than 15 years of wandering the globe together that’s really something! Being able to visit our daughter and her wife while we’re in our favorite city makes the journey even more wonderful. I’m so proud of both of them, and they are totally kick-ass hostesses! Tom and I have decided to make an annual Napa-versary out of it. We used to go to Vegas, but for some reason Vegas has lost its appeal. Maybe it’s the newly discovered wild mustard blooms beckoning from a far away misty valley…

Read Full Post »

3 Minutes by The Sea

SONNET 60 – William Shakespeare

Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toil all forwards do contend.
Nativity, once in the main of light,
Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d,
Crooked elipses ‘gainst his glory fight,
And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow,
Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth,
And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,
Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.

When you live in California, people tend to assume you spend a lot of time at the beach or have an ‘ocean view’. Actually, a very small percentage of Californians have an ocean view (we don’t feel every earthquake either) and to most of us, it’s damned hard to find time to drive over to see it. I live only about 10 minutes from the beach, but I haven’t actually BEEN in almost six months. Usually, it takes an out of town visitor to get me to spend an afternoon on the sand. This isn’t because I don’t love it or enjoy being there…I really do like the ocean and the beach. But, like anything else, a million things come along to distract me or take priority, then it’s too late or, worse, tourist season! I do not go to the beach during tourist season if I can avoid it – eek! Having a husband who survived skin cancer is also on the list of reasons why going to the beach is not a constant habit. I do, however, long for it on occasion – usually when I know I can’t get there.

If I were being truly honest, I would say I prefer the mountains. That’s where the trees are! As a kid, one of my favorite things to do was hike through the aspen groves in Colorado.
There is absolutely nothing more peaceful than standing in a silent damp forest waiting for the slightest breeze to make the tops of the trees whisper at you. The ocean roars with aggression and there are always other people there. In the forest, you can feel truly alone with yourself and your thoughts, and nature seems to respect your privacy.

Today, Tom and I had some errands to run in Ocean Beach, so we decided to include lunch and a quick drive by the sea.

There are some storm fronts heading our way so the news has been announcing larger than normal waves.

This always piques my interest in going so off we went. It really was beautiful and, although we were only there for like 3 minutes, I got lungs full of fresh clean air and remembered that life isn’t all paperwork. It’s sand and sun, dogs and hippies, pelicans and taking a break for lunch with your man. While there, I vowed to get down to the water more often this year, to remember that experiencing nature is a necessity and maybe not a luxury after all. We’ll see how that works out, but today was beautiful and I was grateful for the encounter, however brief.

Read Full Post »

Do I still get a Tooth Fairy and will he be Handsome?

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you’re going to fall
Tell ’em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Alice
When she was just small
(from White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane – one of my favorites!)

“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” ~Hans Christian Anderson

Today, I’m finally going in to have a troublesome tooth removed and a bone graft to get ready for a fabulous shiny new implant. Most people don’t look forward to dental work, but I haven’t been getting along with this stupid thing in my head for over two years so I’m practically jumping up and down with wild abandon (well I’m shuffling around miserably but INSIDE there’s jumping). We’re ‘over’ each other and it’s time to part ways. So, between that and work and getting ready for a weekend in San Francisco with Tom for our wedding anniversary (15 years and not a single dull moment!), I may not post for a few days but wanted to share some critters found in the garden last summer.

Other info about the day:

it’s raining!
it’s 67 degrees
the moon is waning in Capricorn
it’s Andrea’s Birthday!! Happy Birthday Andrea!

OK…now I’m off to the surgeon and then home to rest, or read another chapter in the Sookie Stackhouse books…mmmm vampires on a rainy day! Fabulous!

Read Full Post »