Cannon Beach Cottage Tour ’17: cottage and mansion

Saturday, 9 September 2017

Cannon Beach Cottage and Garden Tour

a benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum

For the second year, the wording of the cottage tour description included “dream homes”.

I gleaned that there were a couple of reasons for this.  In recent years, some larger homes have been featured.  It had become more difficult to find historic small cottages, as many have been remodeled and enlarged.  (I find that heart rending but I am probably in the minority. I’m an avid watcher of tiny house shows on HGTV and I appreciate the small and humble.)  I admire the tour organizers for changing the description to reflect the new reality of the tour, and I appreciate their efforts in finding as many small cottages as possible.

So far today, we been touring in the low lying neighbourhood north of the Ecola Creek estuary.

satellite view

We were about to go uphill to the ocean view ridge.  A docent at the last cottage we had viewed noticed my decrepitude and suggested we drive to the last two homes because of a steep hill.  While I have never in the past, no matter how hobbled, resorted to driving on this tour, I am glad we took his advice.

Our route took us up this hill.  Walking tour-goers took the stairs.

I saw I had a raindrop on my lens!

Then we went down a steep, gravelly street to the lowland again.

Mindy’s Cottage

You can read Mindy’s blog here.

Allan’s photo

I somehow missed noticing the garden to the north, and did not peer over the fence.

Oh, but look! Allan noticed and got a photo!

inside: Classic white, blue, and yellow beachy decor (Allan’s photo)

I met Mindy’s delightful cat.

sweet tucked in feet

a lovely sit spot

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo. I missed seeing kitty emerge onto the porch.

Allan’s photo

I wish I had gone out there and looked back.

Allan’s photo

Driving around the block took us to the wealthiest homes on the ridge.

ocean view home

beside the driveway

The east side has a cottage look.

From steps down to the dune path, north side, you can see why the house is bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside.

 

Allan’s photo

 

artful gate

The gate pivots vertically though the outer edges taper outwards. Allan admired that the offset upper hinge is the solution.

Allan’s photo

 

looking out the west window; Chapman Point and Bird Rocks to the right

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

A fireplace door handle (Allan’s photo)

Allan went to the lower level:

surfboards

on a closed door

green on green

west side patio

postscript

We walked half a block to a view point.

house next door for sale, by Sotheby’s, of course.

I sometimes wish we had put a circular drive in our front garden, so that we would not have to unhook the work trailer at night.

I peeked in.

houses continue up the hill to the north (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo nearby

Allan’s photo of another house nearby

public beach path half a block north

Although there be many mansions, the beaches in Oregon are public.  You can read the history, here.

Chapman Beach

We drove back through the flatlands.

a house that I would like to live in and surround with a garden

We wanted to look at Pam Fleming’s downtown Seaside gardens.  Unfortunately for us, the street was blocked off for a car show and we were out of energy to find a parking spot nearby.

a brief drive through Seaside

Pam’s diligent watering of the Seaside hanging baskets has paid off beautifully.  She stands and counts (to one minute, I think) as she waters each one daily.

The Astoria-Megler bridge seemed to disappear before reaching Washington State.

Thus ends one of the most anticipated events of our summer, and with it comes the end of tourist season.  I am already looking forward to next year’s cottage tour.

 

 

 

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Cannon Beach Cottage Tour ’17: two cottages

Saturday, 9 September 2017

Cannon Beach Cottage and Garden Tour

a benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum

1972 Cottage

from the program:  This house was built in 1972.  There have been a few changes to the house, including remodeling the kitchen, bathroom, new floors, windows, the deck and the skylight.  And interesting feature is that the deck is built around the tree.  The homeowner’s kids have enjoyed walking to the beach and playing in the sand; the pictures in the home tell many stories.  The owner was the vice principal and principal of Seaside School for many years.

Allan’s photo

over the inside of the front door

high school theatre productions by the cottage owner

bunk bed book nook

interlude

The house just to the south of our next destination had a beachy garden.

the house next door

We overheard one of the docents say that this part of north Cannon Beach was hit hard in the 1964 tsunami.  You can read more about that here.  We could see that the estuary was just a couple of blocks to the south.  It was disconcerting to imagine a tsunami flowing up the street. Allan found a map that shows, in orange, the low lying area where these cottages sit.

1924 Cottage

darling dining nook with view of that beachy next door garden

reminds me of our friends Don and Jenna

kitchen tiles

on a bedroom dresser

bedside reading

I have read this book.

Must read this one.

I was smitten with this cottage and its books.  Of all the cottages today, it was my favourite.

And it has a clawfoot tub (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

back garden

outdoor shower (Allan’s photo)

by the door to the garage loft

Allan went up to the garage loft, not me.

nautical things table in the loft

west garden

Allan’s photo

We walked half a block north to look for the farmhouse and barn.

We think this is the farmhouse.

And this has to be the remodeled barn.

interlude

across the street

I would like this. It is probably only $300K or so.

Next: the last two homes of the tour.

 

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Cannon Beach Cottage Tour ’17: Inga’s Cottage and a “Tree House”

Saturday, 9 September 2017

Cannon Beach Cottage and Garden Tour

a benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum

Inga’s Cottage

Just up the street from Salmon Trout House is Inga’s Cottage.  It had been on the tour in a previous year, an anniversary tour which had so many cottages that we ran out of time before seeing this one at the north end of town.  I was glad to get the chance to see it today.

It is a vacation rental and is also the part time home of the owner.

Inga’s Cottage

from the cottage’s Facebook page

We all leave our shoes off when touring.

beachy turquoise front door

view of neighbouring garden

a guest book!

As longtime readers of this blog know, I am obsessed with guest books.

Fortunately, it was not a very full guest book or we would have been delayed.

courtyard view bedroom

courtyard

Allan went to the upstairs, which I find difficult (coming down, not going up) these days.  Allan says only one side of the duplex was viewable.

bathroom floor tiles

beautiful lamp

Interlude

We now walked  a block west to a street where two more cottages were featured.  Along the way,  small cottages appealed to me:

I want two bay windows like this on my double wide, in the front.

a double wide! a rare sight in Cannon Beach

nicely framed greenhouse window

such a sweet blue cottage

porch with hammock

tiny

“And they lived happily ever after.” (per the life ring)

trellis

I could happily live in any of these.

Clerodendron trichotomum

Clerodendron flowers (Allan’s photo) will be followed by stunning berries.

Clerodendron in my old garden, the best bloom and berries I ever had from it.  Adding to my must have list to reacquire.

tiny, with a big remodel of a small cottage going on next door

“Tree House” 

When I entered this home, I immediately noticed how it felt surrounded by greenery. I commented to the owner, who was there, and she said that to her it feels like a tree house.

front porch (Allan’s photo)

north side of front porch

salal

north window

west window view with wetland below full of skunk cabbage (aka swamp lanterns)

south window

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

bird watching deck (Allan’s photo)

bird watching deck (Allan’s photo)

I went out to the patio on the south side.

south side patio

at the edge of the wetland

succulents window box

south side fence with cutouts

blurry, but shows clever way to hide the works of the electrical box (Allan’s photo)

interlude

At the end of the street sat a house that looked so very private.

a true hideaway

On our walk to the next home, a substantial drizzle had begun.  I was pleased and also cold and damp.  I admired this cottage along the way:

Next: two delightfully small cottages

 

 

 

 

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Cannon Beach Cottage Tour ’17: Lannie’s Cottage and Salmon Trout House

Saturday, 9 September 2017

Cannon Beach Cottage and Garden Tour

a benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum

Lannie’s Cottage

closing in on the cottage

front garden

For some reason, neither Allan nor I got a photo of the front of the cottage.  Possibly it was crowded with tour guests and we thought we’d do so on the way out, and did not.

The entry is up stairs.

back deck has view of ocean (Allan’s photo)

the travel tiles

(Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

garden shed

love the sinuous wood

the iconic Haystack Rock

The Daily Astorian featured this article about Lannie and her cottage.

“On the outside, the house looked terrible, [prosepective buyer Kelly] Giampa recalled. “We almost didn’t want to go in,” she said. “But when we walked in, Lannie greeted us in the kitchen, which was unusual because usually the seller isn’t there.”

They immediately connected and soon bonded over their shared love of Broadway, music and shared roots in Portland.

In the transition, Hurst quickly became family to the Giampas. “We told her to keep a key to the house,” Giampa said. “It was our house.”

 “…… to Giampa, what makes her home special is the friendship that formed there before Hurst’s death in 2010. That’s what she hopes to share with more than 500 people who signed up for this year’s tour.

“To me, this house is a person. That’s how it’s always been. Every time I’ve walked in here the past 15 years, it feels like I’m getting a hug,” she said. “It feels like Lannie.”

Lannie herself

You can read a bit more about Lannie here.

“Even after Hurst moved back to Portland full time in 2002, she would get calls from Hurst asking if she could pop in. Hurst would come over to have dinner with Giampa’s family, and in Portland the two made a habit of going to the theater together. When they were in bloom, Giampa would make sure to bring Hurst a bouquet of the cow lilies that grew in their shared yard.”

interlude

We walked back through the grounds of the Ecola Creek Lodge, and encountered a group of Peninsulites, including Karyn and Kathy, who own Home at the Beach.

Home at the Beach Kathy, left

As Allan and I walked back to Les Shirley Park, we noticed that the estuary was just past a field to our left.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo; not exactly a path to the estuary

plaque by a grove of trees (Allan’s photo)

a cottage near our next destination

interesting car decal along the way

a license plate our friend Jenna (Queen La De Da) should have

Salmon Trout House

Salmon Trout House

limbed up myrtles in front

The stairs up were easy.

front corner of steps

window sill

in the kitchen

kitchen counter corner

window seat

Allan’s photo of a cute clock

Allan’s photo

upstairs (Allan’s photo)

curved windows (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

idyllic reading nook (Allan’s photo)

shower outside the back door for washing off beach sand

on the back deck

back patio with a natural water feature just beyond

a shed placed well for privacy

I think this is the John Klein house next door referred to in the description.

stairs down

back garden

A creek runs right next to the fire patio.

I thought, “I’d make that water show more.”

Allan overheard that the neighbourhood is built around a wetland, thus some of the houses are on stilts, or built up high, and I imagine that the stream is much higher in winter.

I walked along the north side of the house.

the house next door to the north

North side path, looking back. Creek is on the left.

Allan’s photo

interlude

I walked up the street a bit because I was interested in how the creek related to the homes.

That peak-roofed entry arbour is a classic Cannon Beach style.

a simple small cottage (which in Cannon Beach is probably worth a quarter of a million or more).

house accessed by bridge, with enticing landscape

another bridge access

by a driveway, with salal

Next: a cottage just up the street and another two blocks west

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cannon Beach Cottage Tour ’17: Coral Room Cottage

Saturday, 9 September 2017

Cannon Beach Cottage Tour

a benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum

cottage with coral room

The cottage, built in the year 2000, had a lavish little garden in front.

Allan’s photo

My grandmother had this sign in her garden. I did not notice it here till I looked at our photos.

Allan’s photo

 

Allan’s photo

sun porch window and tour docent

front window view

One of the rules of the cottage tour is a restriction on interior photos.  We so much appreciate that the tour director gives us press passes, and we treat the cottages with the respect of not giving away too much.

view out the front window

I love these tree trunks.  Allan thinks they are a mural, not wallpaper as I assumed.

Allan’s photo

kitchen windowsill

Allan noticed this beautiful solution to replacing fluorescent ceiling panels.

beloved

Downstairs back window view shows that this neighbourhood is getting built up with modern  homes, which is a shame in my opinion.  In the central areas of Cannon Beach, I think the architectural style is more restricted.

The Coral Room (Allan’s photo)

Loved seeing the books (Allan’s photo)

a parting look

Interlude

next door mini balcony

next door garden

a nearby garden

Would that all the newer houses looked more like this.  Classic low maintenance beachy landscape.

little cottage in the trees

next: two cottages

 

 

 

 

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Cannon Beach Cottage Tour ’17: Ecola Creek Lodge

Saturday, 9 September 2017

Cannon Beach Cottage Tour

a benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum

We attended one of our favourite annual events, the tour of homes in Cannon Beach, this time in a neighbourhood north of the estuary where I had never walked around.

We saw homes between Ecola Creek estuary and Chapman Point.  The starting point was Les Shirley Park by E 5th Street.

satellite view

Here we go.

The queue for maps at Les Shirley Park. We had purchased our tickets online a month ago; one exchanges one’s ticket for the tour map.

While walking to our first destination, we noticed a tiny creek running toward the estuary.

Impatiens capensis, the native orange jewelweed. (Allan’s photo)

Bindweed appreciation (Allan’s photo)

Ecola Creek Lodge

NW corner of the lodge

I was pleased to realize that the little tower was going to be part of our tour.

Inside, we found an essay on this history.  It helps to know that “A remittance man is a historic term for an emigrant, often from Britain to a colony, supported by regular payments from home, on the expectation that he stay away.”   Cannon Beach was quite a repository for them back in the day.

Inside Room #8:

the corner room

We strolled all around the grounds.

south side deck

koi pond, surrounded by shrubbery (very safe for guests)

I liked the weathered rusticity of the buildings.

Looking again at the pond garden…

A sign explained the best viewing point.

The deck provided a clear view of fish.

Looking down from the deck, as instructed, we saw a wealth of fish.

And an enormous koi.

I found on the lodge website a photo showing the koi pond earlier in the year.

courtesy Ecola Creek Lodge

We walked around the north side of the resort again.

Allan’s photo, the SW corner tower

just east of the room we had toured

Peacock window. I’d like to see what it looks like from the inside.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

 

coming around the east side

Allan’s photo

Oh! The entrance is on the east side.

by the office

Next: a cottage with a tiny cottage garden

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Cannon Beach Cottage Tour ’16: a garden and a dream house

Saturday, 10 September 2016

A benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center

We now walked to north of the Tolovana Beach Wayside.  The rest of the tour took place in these blocks:

along the way: walkers engaging with a very tame bunny by the main road

Allan’s photo of the much admired bunny

Along the highway, Allan saw this sign and remembered that we had toured the Lost Art of Nursing Museum on the 2011 tour.

#11:  The garden at the Inn at Cannon Beach

I had planned to leave this garden-only stop for last so that we’d for sure have time to see all the cottages.  We had walked up to Hemlock, the main road, not sure if there was a cut through.  (I see now from the map that we could have walked along Pacific all the way to the next home on the tour.)  I saw the tour marker pointing to a place and when I figured out where we were, we toured the garden after all.  (My original plan would have worked out better for time.)  I thought the inn was a big fancy “dream home” until I took a step to one side and saw the sign: Inn at Cannon Beach.

me having a moment of confusion (Allan’s photo)

from the programme:  Take a stroll through this lush garden centered around a courtyard pond.  The grounds at the Inn at Cannon Beach are the perfect example of how a hotel shows Cannon Beach at its best with nature teaming with the beautiful garden.  You’ll notice a bountiful variety of hydrangeas, fuchsias, water lilies, and Crocosmia Lucifer, among others.

Allan’s photo

bunnies on the front lawn

a walkway between two wings of the inn

Akebia on the arbor. Mine never have made pods like these.

akebia pod

outdoor seating

bunnies everywhere!

I know they damage gardens, yet…dang, they are cute!

the pond

more wildlife

Allan’s photo

agapanthus (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

debonair

fuzzball

departing through the pergola

I overhead guests saying they had very much enjoyed their stay.

the front lawn bunnies; if only they would stick to just grazing on the lawn

sign post across the street. Cute how Australia is upside down.

#1:  “vintage beach retro” dream home

I appreciated that this year the description of the tour said “vintage cottages [and] beach dream homes”, making it clear that not all the homes on offer would be old. As an avid fan of tiny vintage cottages, the new description saved me from surprise when I saw large modern houses.  This one, while big, looked like it could be a well done add-on to a historic cottage.

from the programme:  One of the newer homes on the tour, built in 2000, it is the perfect design of vintage beach retro.  The home was built by local architect, Jimmy Onstott, whose work has appeared in Oregon Home Magazine.  The ironwork was done by Darryl Nelson, a 3rd generation Timberline blacksmith.  Many of the features in the home are antique or salvaged, including the front door, which is from a Portland school.

We’ve twice toured a cottage in previous years with metalwork by Darryl Nelson.

the front garden

hardy fuchsia (Allan’s photo)

west end of front garden

west side path

the front door from an Portland school (Allan’s photo), great for leaving notes!

Just watch, pretty soon we are going to have a chalkboard on our manufactured home front door!

an old fashioned pantry off the kitchen

lovely Jadeite dishes

out the back

looks very much like a vintage cottage, well done! (Allan’s photo)

a sittable skylight (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

dreamy tub with skylight (Allan’s photo)

Here are some more photos from the website of the interior designer.  Even though this house was modern, it was most definitely dreamy.

next: a long walk and two vintage cottages

 

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Cannon Beach Cottage Tour: Brallier Cottage and Tolovana Hall

Saturday, 10 September 2016

A benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center

cottage 9: Brallier Cottage

I knew this cottage was not the one with the square tower because it was two blocks inland.

from the programme:  County records indicate that Frank Brallier [for whom a street is named] purchased the lot in 1916, and the colonial Dutch style cottage was then built in 1926 by Mr. Mattson who also built the Wave Crest Hotel just next door.  Rumor has it, the front room of the cottage was a store and post office.  Few modifications have been made to this beach cottage over the years, and the current homeowner, who purchased the house in 1991, has endeavored to maintain the cottage’s original integrity.

The cottage is just below the Wave Crest Inn.

The Wave Crest Inn was on a previous tour.  I liked it so much it makes me happy just to see it.

the glorious Wave Crest Inn

the donning of booties to go into the cottage

living room

Allan’s photo

a cozy set up in the livingroom

by the heat stove

I love a claw foot tub, and especially a green one.

claw foot luxury

old fashioned corner sink

main bedroom with classic beadboard walls

kitchen wainscoting and wallpaper

I love the cutlery rack.

perfectly vintage kitchen

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo: Notice all the beadboard, a classic beach cottage material.

Allan’s photo

view out the back: a row of tiny cottages

Allan went upstairs on his usual mission to show me around later, through photos.  I might have made it, but yesterday evening at the Slow Drag I’d had a fellow bump hard into me, trompling one foot and bending my bad knee backward, so walking between the cottages was about all I was up to today—no stairs.

an open railing

sweet

I love rooms with sloping attic roofs, because from age 10-18 my bedroom and sitting room were in an attic.

This would give me wonderful sleep.

dreamy nook of sleepiness

love the pointed doorway

all angles

How well I remember low-ceilinged sit spots from my own attic room.

going back down

When Allan returned to the main floor, I was already outside.  He noticed a complete set of Foyle’s War on the shelf and struck up a conversation with the owner.

The cottage owner explained to Allan the historical photos on the wall.

His mother is to the left of the 3 women posing in borrowed WW1 uniforms.

old Tolovana Park

Allan’s conversation continued with a tour guest whose mother had been in World War II in England.  Allan came outside to get me to write down the titles of the two excellent shows we just saw about that time:  The 1940s House and Home Fires.

#10: Tolovana Hall Gardens

from the programme:  This beautiful garden shows Cannon Beach at its best with a beautiful array of hydrangeas, fuchsias, fern shrubs, and even a sundial.  The garden is lovingly maintained by the Cannon Beach Garden Club.  The Garden Club started in 1926 and will be celebrating their 90th year.

When we approached Tolovana Hall, on the east side of the main road through town, I recognized it as the place where I had attended a garden club lecture by Lucy Hardiman last autumn.

Tolovana Hall

Allan’s photo

Tolovana Hall

Allan’s photo

plaque: Tolovana Club 1951

from the west side deck

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

inside: tea and cookies

Allan’s photo

one of several bouquets by the garden club

more garden club bouquets

Allan noticed this map on the wall, with one of my favourite places featured.  I did not notice it at all.

The Sylvia Beach Hotel!

interlude

We would now return to cottage #6, the one we had skipped because it had been too crowded.  I was still anticipating finding the cottage with the square tower, rumoured to be on this year’s tour.  We hadn’t found it in the south end cottages, so I must have been mistaken about its location.  It would either be among the four cottages to the north of the Tolovana Wayside…or it wasn’t on the tour after all.

From Cottage Tour 2011: This is the tower I was looking for.

We walked two blocks west down a slightly sloping road toward Pacific, the road with beach front houses. I noticed a cute set of four cottages that had been for sale last time I was here, in 2011.

row of cottages today

and for sale back in 2010

And then….what did I see…as we came down the slope toward cottage #6…

THE SQUARE TOWER!!!

I realized that cottage 6 WAS the cottage with the tower.  I just had not been able to see it from the street right in front of the cottage, and I had not looked behind me as we had walked on to the next one.  I went down the side block just to see the tower as I had in 2010.

looking north over the modern house next door

Next: Perhaps the dreamiest cottage on the west coast…

 

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Cannon Beach Cottage Tour 2016: a cottage garden

Saturday, 10 September 2016

A benefit for the Cannon Beach History Center

#5: a garden on South Pacific Street

from the programme:  “This backyard retreat is not to be missed.  Open the picket fence to discover stone paths winding through lush grass, and gardens bursting with dahlias, giant gladiolas, and pots of geraniums.  Nature has also found a home here; bees, butterflies, and even a garden kitty list lazily in and out.”

None of the descriptions in the tour programme included the word “tower”, so I was still seeking the tower cottage (and worrying that perhaps it was not on the tour after all).  I thought, because this next stop was on the west side of the street, that it might be the cottage with the tower, the one I was most eager to see.  It was not.  When I read the above description more closely, I realized that this charming little garden did not include the adjacent cottage, which led to an amusing moment that we heard about later.  Our friends Pam and Sean did not realize that the cottage was not included so they walked right in, and immediately realized no other tour goers were inside.  “We’re breaking and entering!” exclaimed Sean, as they quickly retreated into the garden.

Approaching the garden; the lawn is higher than the street.

streetside garden

asters (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

at the gate

Allan’s photo

the picket fence gate

inside the picket fence

inside the picket fence

Allan’s photo

big cottage and garden cottage

porch of the little cottage (guest house?)

Allan in the garden

interlude

Just down the block, we passed another delightful garden.  I could see the owner behind the fence and I called out, “Your garden should be on the tour, too!”  “They asked me, and I said no,” she replied!  I understood why:  It is time consuming to get ready for a tour if you a garden perfectionist, and the tour attracts about 300 people at least.  Of course, I prowled around the exterior anyway, just as I see people doing outside my front garden.

from the street

roses all in orange and peachy tones

ocean at the end of the block

nasturtiums and sweet peas

sweet peas on the south fence

sweet peas (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

We could tell that the garden was mighty fine inside the privacy fence, as well, just from seeing the tops of some showy dahlias.

next: a cottage built in 1928, and another garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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13 September: back to Cannon Beach

Sunday, 13 September 2015

Back we drove, early (for us) to be sure to get to Debbie Teashon’s talk on time.  She was speaking at an 11 AM tea as the closing event for the 2015 Cannon Beach Cottage and Garden Tour.

On the way, we saw a large number of bicyclists along the side of Highway 101.  It did not look like much fun to me with cars whizzing by.

Sometimes singly, sometimes in groups along the narrow shoulder….

Cannon Beach: Tolovana Park

When we arrived at Tolovana Park, we realized that it was the morning’s destination for all those bicyclists.

bicyclist and mascot

This was one of the two unconnected groups.

They took each other’s photos with Haystack Rock (not shown) in the background.

Justifiably proud of themselves.

Right next to them, a woman read quietly.  (far right)

On the beach, a man was making fast time with a sand wheelchair.

chair made for going over sand

the other bicycle group (Allan’s photo)

The America by Bicycle group is averaging 67 miles a day. They started in Astoria and are heading to souther California.

“Ride the West is a western state adventure along the Pacific Coast from Oregon to Southern California. This 23-day fully-supported touring-pace ride averages 67 miles per day and crosses through 2 states (California is really long!). The 1398 mile route begins in Astoria OR and wends its way south to Costa Mesa, CA.”

Debbie Teashon’s garden talk

The treats were all laid out near the Tolovana Inn conference room.

a fancy sort of tea

much nicer than most bagged tea

Each table had a beautiful bouquet.

I finally got to see in person what Debbie means when she says that doing the “hero pose” before an event gives one strength and confidence.

She says it really works.

hero pose (Allan’s photo)

That’s our Debbie.

I have known Debbie online, and soon after that in person, since the year 2000 when I discovered her Rainyside website and began to participate in the forum there.  That forum has been overtaken by her Facebook page and Facebook group where the core group of Rainysiders is still strongly connected.  Jeanne and her mom Mary Kay from Portland were at this talk because of Rainyside.

waiting for the talk (Allan’s photo)

Rainyside Jeanne on the right

Debbie’s topic was extending the garden into fall and winter.  She reminded me of two shrubs that I used to have in my old garden and want to have again.

Every time I’m asked if I want someone to look for a plant for me, I mention this one.

I had completely forgotten about this euonymous with amazing pink and orange flowers.

Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’; Like Debbie, I find it hard to tell this improved one apart from ‘Autumn Joy’. It is said to not flop as much.  (Allan’s photo of Debbie’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Debbie’s new book, Gardening for the Home Brewer (Allan’s photo)

After the lecture, our table chatted till we had to leave the room for the next event.  At our table was a woman from Port Townsend named Marilyn; it turned out that she sometimes reads this blog!

Jeanne, Mary, Debbie, Allan, and I had lunch at Mo’s, a convenient spot because it is just north of the Tolovana Inn.

east side of Mo’s

Allan’s photo

After Debbie, Jeanne, and Mary Kay had gone back to their cars, Allan and I saw bunnies on the lawn by Tolovana Park.

Allan’s photo

I would not like them in my garden, but they sure are cute here. (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

home again

On the way home, a grocery stop at Costco netted me more bags of bulbs than I want to admit.

Costco bulbs

Costco bulb shopping advice:  Sometimes different sorts of bulbs are hidden way at the back where they cannot even be reached.

A bag of iris reticulata was barely visible way in tbe back.

It is sometimes possible to scoot a rack away so that one can reach in from behind, or ask a floor clerk for help if the racks are not on wheels.  I was determined and scooched in from the back to check out all the bags, scoring some hidden Fritillaria imperialis.

The Astoria Megler bridge was lined with cars going south, among them many “rods” from this weekend’s Rod Run in Long Beach and Ocean Park.

They are heading back home.

This marks the final festival of the tourist season and the beginning of the quieter time on the peninsula.  I am so happy.

Feeling exhausted by the social whirl of the Slow Drag followed by two Cottage Tour Days, we hoped to not have to water the Ilwaco planters even though they had not been watered since Wednesday.  We poked our fingers in several and were thrilled to find them just damp enough to hold till tomorrow.

overjoyed that it does not need water

planter and tree garden by Azure Salon

At home, I thought about fall gardening and made a list of projects on the work board.  The projects can start at any time; the fall clean up will wait till October or November along with bulb planting time.

the autumnal work board

 

 

 

 

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