12 April: Ilwaco antiquing cash mob

Saturday, 12 April 2014

If you are just starting the blog here, let me explain that a cash mob is when a group of people converge on a business to make small purchases and boost the local economy. I’m not sure how busy today’s mob actually was. There weren’t as many photos taken as usual because Allan was off kayaking.

I began the event at Olde Towne Café by taking Luanne a bouquet of spring flowers.

flowers from my garden

Jenna (Queen La De Da) had helped with a beautiful sign outside of Olde Towne Café…

and café owner Luanne had filled a cart with forget me nots.

I did not linger at the café but instead walked two blocks to Robert’s Antique Gallery. Robert and Larry, gardening clients of ours, own two antique stores in town. On the way, I stepped into Penny Treat’s new art gallery, halfway between our featured shops of the day; I’d suggested that folks might stop by and say hello, and Jenna had done just that.

Jenna and Penny

At Robert’s shop, I heard a familiar voice in one of the several rooms. Imagine my delight when dear Patt appeared; she had driven all the way from her new home inland for the cash mob, due, I am sure, to love for her old home-from-home, Olde Towne Café.

Patt and her friend Esther from Astoria

Our client Cheri was there.

Shop dog Freckles looked especially droll.

I occupied myself taking photos for the store’s Facebook page. These things especially caught my eye:

for train buffs

little fishing floats

I like the top part but not the bottom of this fishing lamp.

I find this almost irresistible.

Our friend Joe Chasse would incorporate the old metal spice tins into the little trailers (caravans) that he makes out of ham tins.

Jenna found the word “hope” to add to her word collection, and is also holding a cute “leave a note” thingie.

From there, I walked to Larry’s Antique Gallery Too!, two blocks away (around the corner).

Larry’s shop. Both shops are mutually owned but it’s tradition that Larry is the shopkeeper in this one.

fishing lamps

I wish I had wall space for this strange cat. I might have to go back for it.

Larry and another shop dog, Sophie.

a lovely painting

one of three

Back at Olde Towne, the coffee klatschers and a few more cash mobbers converged.

Our Judy, Birdie, Jamie, Patt

Shelly of Grass Roots Garbage Gang sat next to me with Jenna. I used a jolly photo for the event’s Facebook page, but I love this more pensive one.

Shelly and Jenna

I took my leave from the cafe as I needed to try to get some more photos at the antique shops. After another look into Robert’s shop (he said he’d had all of 9 people and now there was a lull), I walked home along Lake Street. I felt rather low as I was not sure if cash mob had been much of a success. Next year, I will run it from October to March. By April, the high school and college spring break season has tipped us into tourist season. There had been 160th year anniversary festivities in Oysterville today as well. I’d heard that some of the regulars might come to cash mob later in the day. My own garden called to me so I did not wait to see.

Larry and Robert’s garden on my way home

and then Our Judy and Tom’s garden, with all the Japanese maples leafing out

Our Judy’s tulips

Just next door to Judy and Tom’s garden, New Judy’s new yard showed signs of digging. I should have taken a before photo!

approaching my garden

Tulip ‘Green Star’

I did not feel as much like weeding as I’d anticipated. The wind kicked up and after working in it for two days, the idea of weeding in a chilly wind at home did not strongly appeal. I was glad when Jamie popped by to visit (by my earlier invitation) and we could sit on the patio, sheltered against the south wall of the house. We conversed for well over an hour on some deep and interesting topics. During that time, Garden Tour Nancy texted me a photo of her day. She had gotten to tour the Huson garden in Oysterville after attending the anniversary there.

I am envious as have wanted to get in to see this garden for, well, years! photo by Nancy Allen

Jamie left at about 4:30 and I decided to simply force myself to pull one oyster basket full of horsetail and shotweed.

I excepted to get into the rhythm of gardening and forget about the wind but I did not. I saw a dead Euphorbia and a dead shrub or two that had suffered too much last winter. The idea of digging them out appealed slightly, but not quite enough. After half a basket of weeds, I gave up and went into the nice cozy house.

From the south window: looks deceptively warm and sunny.

All three big beds need much weeding.

And look, Allan got home from kayaking (there will be photos later) and went out to use the strimmer.

telephoto from my window

When I got online, I saw an enthusiastic Facebook comment from the owner of Heidi’s Inn Ilwaco about there being lots of happy people walking back and forth in downtown today. That gave me encouragement that the cash mob event got more crowded as the day went on.

I looked at the bouquet I’d picked for my table before Jamie’s visit. It had certainly reflected my blue mood.

I do hope I get my gardening drive back soon. Sunday should be warm weather with only a little wind. How I would love to spend it weeding at home and yet I feel that we should weed the boatyard garden as rain is due to return later this week.

Tomorrow, I might stick some yellow tulips right in the middle of that somber bouquet.

Read Full Post »

Long Beach work and play

Saturday, 22 February, 2014

We are somewhat behind on work so shouldn’t be playing on a nice day.  The skiving off work part was by necessity since I needed to take photos of the Peninsula Cash Mob event at M&D Designs in Long Beach, with lunch at Captain Bob’s Chowder.  First, however, some morning photos from our front garden:

tulips

I just can’t get a photo that captures the wonderful sweep of crocus in the front garden.

Iris reticulata

tulips and euphorbia

and my gift daphne about to bloom!

Uh oh, it was an eventful day and the blog hasn’t even made it out of the front garden yet.  On to cash mob!

M&D Designs

Kathleen kindly posed for the Facebook photo album.

M&D Designs offered refreshments and a prize drawing.

The shop has a wide assortment of local arts and crafts.

garden decor

bird feeders

wall vases

cranberry vine baskets

I think we had a pretty good turnout for the cash mob although I did not see as many regulars as usual.

I cannot reveal what I bought at M&D as it is a gift for Montana Mary.  Allan got a bottle of some sort to hang in the tree in his garden and Kathleen got a glass dangly for the window of her new beach cottage.

Debbie and Charlene, blog readers and very faithful cash mob attendees!

We SO appreciate the regulars who come to each “mob.”   Linda from The Wooden Horse (our previous cash mob shop) had taken the day off and came in to M&D with some family members.

Linda

Remembering that Linda said there would be some new garden themed items at The Wooden Horse, we peeked in there on the way to lunch and oh my, such pretty things she had acquired!

in The Wooden Horse

rustic picture frame

picture box

green on green on green

Linda, you have impeccable taste!

At noon, Kathleen and Allan and I had lunch at the cash mob café of the day, Captain Bob’s Chowder.  I was pleased that the tree and street planters between the two cash mob venues had burst forth with some narcissi.

crab cakes and crab roll, delicious! with gift bag from M&D

Our Kathleen

We are so thrilled that Kathleen has found a vacation and weekend cottage here; the most ideal thing would be if she could move here full time!  We are going to treat her to a slap up feast at the Depot Restaurant when she comes down to take possession.

We did not have to rush home to meet the ISP tech guy, as last night at midnight our internet had mysteriously and capriciously returned.  So as soon as lunch was over, Allan and I absolutely had to buckle down and get some work done in case the rain returns tomorrow.  There are still areas of Long Beach we have not tidied and a few private gardens we have not been to yet in 2014.

I had realized just before lunch that the perfect job would be to prune the Super Dorothy roses in the park just south of Captain Bob’s.  The debris would be lightweight in case the city works yard was locked (we still don’t have our key!) and I could keep an eye on the café to see if any more cash mobbers came and could be photographed.  (They may have; I got too absorbed in pruning to watch.)

south fence, before

after

before and after

west fence, before

after

We pruned out larger old trunks and the twiggy bits off the top of these climbing roses.  Soon we will give each a handful of magnesium sulfate “to encourage basal breaks” (new growth from the base).

We were thrilled to find the city works gate open and to be able to get rid of the debris, and still have time to cut back and weed in the “little popouts”.

before and after

before and after, looking south

We had taken an end of day opportunity earlier this month to chop the ornamental grass in the second little pop just south of this one so all I had to do was weed it.

wee pop out

It looks tatty right now and I hope to remember to throw some poppy seeds in there.  I yanked three large and very woody silver santolinas today.  Buried in this little popout up to their rims, I found two large pulp pots that must have had annuals in them (I think sweet alyssum).  I wonder who did that?  What a nice present (and why did I not notice it last year?)

pots of mystery

We can relax if tomorrow brings rain because we got so much done in Long Beach today and yesterday.  That’s a good feeling.

We arrived home at dusk;  Allan said something about the sunset, but I was focused on getting the cash mob photos uploaded to the Facebook page.  Then I looked out my window and saw a spectacular sky.  My camera refused to register the colours when I tried to get a photo out of the south window.

As I kept working on uploading cash mob photos, the colour intensified.

view from my desk; one pane is permanently fogged.

Finally Allan put his shoes back on (perhaps inspired by some loud pleas from my study) and went out to take some photos to close out today’s blog in style.

over New Judy’s roof

from our back garden

Lake Street

Read Full Post »

Olde Towne and cash mobbing

The Staycation routine of Olde Towne, reading, restaurants and a bit of gardening got interrupted by another holiday event somewhat of my own making.

Thursday, 19 December and Friday, 20 December 2013

Let me throw in three photos taken in downtown Long Beach on Thursday evening that did not make it into the Holiday Village post.

decorations at Marsh’s Free Museum in Long Beach

Long Beach looking south from midtown

and looking north in the sparkling holiday town

Friday, I made the usual restful round of the post office and Olde Towne Café.

cute decoration at the Ilwaco Post Office

At Olde Towne, Chester showed me a beautiful birdwatching calendar by Doug Swanson that is for sale at Rusty’s Coin Shop (First Place Mall in Long Beach).  (The red bird is a Summer Tanager.)

three of twelve impressive bird photos

Plenty of other folk were enjoying the good ambience of Olde Towne, as well, including a gathering including (left) Doug “In Doug We Trust” Knutzen of Box K Auto Repair and (right) Wendy from beachdog.com (expert local website design business) and her family.

Errands followed after Olde Towne.  At Long Beach City Hall, while picking up the last cheque of the year, it was pointed out to me that the cyclamen were blooming in Peggy’s memorial garden (Peggy’s Park).  For more about Peggy, see her garden on the 2013 Music in the Gardens tour.

Peggy planted these.

We acquired more lights on our errands run at the Dennis Company store in Long Beach where, in small town fashion, we encountered Tom and Judy as well as Donna M.   Our colour choice for lights was driven by the fact that the store was out of long strings of multi coloured lights, and white would be too glaring.  Purple will work for Halloween also (a big night here in Ilwaco).  Allan could not wrap the posts because of the wire mesh trellising right behind them; I think the way he attached the lights looks just fine.

Allan attached the new lighting in the pouring rain, at dusk!

Friday, 21 December 2013

I woke early (for staycation) to pleasant weather, with a feeling of mixed excitement about the cash mob event of the day mixed with frustration that I had indoor plans for the entire day during unexpected good gardening weather.

looking south…I want to clean up that center bed!

From my window, to the southwest, I could see the entrance to the Saturday Christmas Market.

The flag marks the market space, next door to Time Enough Books, telephoto (like my mind sees it)

The Peninsula Cash Mob, created by me and Michelle Z of The Breakers resort, encourages people to go to a certain shop at a pre-arranged time and spend between five and twenty dollars to boost the business.  Usually there is a café associated with the event.  For December, it had been Michelle’s brilliant idea to mob the Saturday Christmas Market where a few vendors from the much larger Ilwaco Saturday Market set up a festive Saturday sale during the month of December.

me, in purple, entering the market with another local

I became anxious immediately because the market, at 11 AM, did not look mobbed at all, so I went next door to Time Enough Books.  I always worry that a cash mob will turn out to be a flop with hardly anyone showing up.

Time Enough Books

After a few minutes, I dared to go back into the marketplace…and it was mobbed!

inside the Christmas market

wreaths with sand dollars

Rebecca, who used to operate The Canoe Room café at the port, shows off her purchases.

Charlene and Debbie, gardeners and readers of this blog, in holiday outfits

and buying treats from Pink Poppy Bakery

Allan looks over some glass colours; the Suzie Q’s Magical Glass folks are going to cut pieces for us to replace the ugly orange plastic in our very 70s exterior doors.

Jenna (Queen LaDeDa) supporting the market. I saw her at every booth.

Jenna fell in love with a purple bag.  If I used bags of this type, I would have been some tough competition for it.

a really gorgeous purple bag!

Our friend J9 is a big fan of the same style of bag and she and a friend each bought one at the market last weekend.  This vendor is at the summer market every Saturday.

I bought one of these adorable pillows two weeks ago as a present.

(It’s for someone who doesn’t read this blog, so I can safely post it here!)

Harmony Soapworks

Harmony Soapworks sells their soap online as well as at local shops, and they have regular shipments of soap going to Japan!

Our gardening client Ann

and another client, Cheri

Harmony Soapworks

Our friend Ed Strange of Strange Landscaping was at the Pink Poppy Bakery booth, and I swear he posed for this photo.

Madeline and Ed!

Pink Poppy Bakery is run by the daughter of Pink Poppy Farm, my favourite garden on both local garden tours this past summer.  Because she had run out of her amazing lemon sugar cookies, I ordered a box to be picked up on Christmas eve at her new storefront by the Long Beach arch.

Pink Poppy Madeline and Kathy (sister of Time Enough Books’ Karla) pose for the definitive cash mob shot

The camera loves Madeline and her Amelie-style flair

I was smitten with a new vendor.  They’d  been at the last outdoor Saturday Market in September and plan to be there twice a month next year.

Everything they had to offer appealed to me!

wreaths

signs

beachy words

beachy scrabble racks

At the other end of the room, Knotty and Knautical was down to just three glass bricks, having sold one to Debbie or Charlene (I think).

the Knotty and Knautical booth, also a regular at the outdoor market

the market, pretty well mobbed

I stepped out to stroll down Waterfront Way to Jenna’s shop and had a moment when I very much wanted to be home cleaning the dead foliage off of my river of Geranium ‘Rozanne’.  I find it hard to staycation without gardening; rainy days are a blessing to me.

the view from right outside the market

The good weather enabled a cute picture of “Queen La De Da” outside her shop.

our Jenna

inside the Queen La De Da’s shop…

Who did we find but Debbie and Charlene!

Jenna asked if I had told her spouse, Don, about the purple purse, so I popped back down to Don’s  art gallery and informed him.  He had me watch the shop while he went on a Christmas gift mission.  (I’m 100% sure they are too busy to read this blog, so don’t tell!)

Don almost ALWAYS has treats for customers in his gallery.

At two, Allan and I went to OleBob’s Café and met Michelle Z for lunch.  And who did we find there?

The very festive Charlene and Debbie!  Those gals know how to do a cash mob!

They had their Christmas present exchange, which included the wonderful new book of collected gardening columns by the late and much missed Dulcy Mahar.  Michelle, meanwhile, gifted me with a gorgeous green and purple scarf, the knitting of which benefits the South Pacific County Humane Society.  (Bonnie Carey of “bjs pet projects” makes the scarf, and donates her profits to the no-kill shelter.)  So I thought it was appropriate to have Mary model it later on in the day.

How did Michelle know these are “my” colours? 😉

And here I am with hardly any presents even wrapped!

We visited at OleBob’s for well over an hour…

OleBob’s holiday decor, and boats

…and were only a few minutes late to coffee klatch at Olde Towne!  Patt had come back to town and of course we had to gather with the group of her special Olde Towne friends.  Rain began to fall and I could finally stop thinking about gardening!

At Olde Towne, Jenna, MR and Donna, Tom and Judy, and Patt

Allan ran errands instead of joining us, his main mission being to donate some extra things to the Reach Out Thrift Store in Long Beach.  Our friend Cat (very much an Olde Towne regular) was working there and asked Allan to say hi for her to the gang since she couldn’t be there with us.

Cat with a little thrift store tree she was about to decorate.

I have to close with a little Olde Towne item that I found so charming (but was able to resist buying).

the idyllic childhood Christmas I didn’t quite have!

Now it haunts me.  If it is still there on Tuesday, it might come home with me!

Read Full Post »

23 Nov: bulb time, day 15

Saturday, 23 November, 2013

Tomorrow we will get back to some serious bulbing.  Enough were planted today to just barely qualify it as a bulbing day!  We had many distractions, in particular the monthly Peninsula Cash Mob event which we help organize.

Cash mob came almost first on the schedule.  We were distracted on the way by the site of the World’s Largest Dungeness Crab Pot Tree being decorated.

Allan took I both took a photo from this angle; his came out better.

His photo of adding garlands and lights was also better than mine!

Then we arrived at the Don Nisbett Art Gallery.

We felt the startlingly warm and pleasant weather may have gotten in the way of masses of people attending the mob.  For such a gorgeous day, it was reasonably successful.

a happy crowd

The idea of cash mob is that just a small purchase helps.  Don had set out a number of lower priced things:  magnets, cards, tiles, and a special deal on handpainted wine glasses.

Allan asked if Don had ever done a painting of the crab pot tree.  One of the cash mobbers found the painting to show us.  I loved the way his smile got bigger as I took the photo.

one…

two

three!   This fellow is an expert in invasive plants.  The crab pot tree is non invasive.

Don was working on a new painting…

artist at work

But we had to go to work for awhile at the boatyard.

The cosmos were completely done…

Cosmos season officially over!

At the boatyard, we are leaving some architectural stems and dried flowers and seedheads up, at least till midwinter or the next big storm.

boatyard garden

There was a horrific amount of creeping sorrel in some areas of the southernmost stretch of the long narrow garden.  We did not have time to deal with that today, and the sun’s low angle would have made it hard to weed.

not done!

At least we got the cosmos out…and ten Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ added to the garden, thus helping to qualify this as a “bulb time” day.

Back we went to the Nisbett Gallery, where we saw the painting Don had made:  by request, a steam punk crab!

Don with the purchasers, Dee D. and spouse.

Dee D. and her husband told us the steam punk crab had been their idea, for a relative who is very much into it.  I suggested they advise him to go to the Jules Verne room at the Sylvia Beach Hotel.

By the way, this is the view right outside Don’s gallery.

We had lunch at the cash mob restaurant of the day, OleBob’s Galley, just a few doors to the west.

OleBob’s

my delicious crab cake lunch and some purchases of Don’s art magnets.

For years, I thought the restaurant was pronounced Ole Bob’s (like Old Bob) till I learned it was named after two fishermen friends, Ole (pronounced Olee) and Bob, the latter being the dad of the people who own the restaurant now.

Ole and Bob

Their boat, the OLE BOB.

While we were dining, Allan (who was seated facing the water view) said “Dog!”  As in, Dog Alert!  I looked and saw the most amazing dog walking by and had to leave my meal to go meet him.

a Caucasian Ovtcharka!

The enormous Caucasian Ovtcharka (a breed I had never heard of) was tail wagging and pettable and had exceptionally soft fur.

As I finished my crab cakes, I worried a bit that not many cash mob diners had gone to OleBob’s.  The weather had just been too fine, I think.  I hope some locals do a belated cash mob lunch there next week.  (They will be open only Monday, Wednesday, and Friday due to Thanksgiving.  And I think they are open on Sundays.)

We also stopped it at Time Enough Books, my favourite bookstore, which happens to be between OleBob’s and Nisbett Gallery.

Time Enough Books

Owner Karla told us that for $200, any local citizen can sponsor a boat to be decorated for the lighted boat parade (this year on December 7) and of the $200, $100 will be donated to the Ilwaco High School music program.  The students will decorate (and undecorate) the boat.

Back at Don’s gallery to take a few more photos for the cash mob page, we saw our friend Robbie, who as a “Critter Sitter” had also been impressed with the big dog and had taken his photo.  I’m hoping she will send it to me as it is better than mine.

She did!

Our friend Robbie who has a Critter Sitter business bought this wine glass with dogs.

Robbie’s photo of me on photo detail, mainly to show the little camera behind most of this blog.

I got the classic photo of cash going over the counter:

Allan and Jenna

North of the parking lot after leaving the gallery, the sunlight cast an intense tree shadow on a green house at the south end of Myrtle Avenue.

tree house

And then we were on our way to work, or so we planned.  First we needed to stop at home (just a couple of blocks away) and pick up some fresh caught crab at the house of our neighbours Jeff and Mary.  Then I saw that New Judy’s front door was open and called out to our new neighbour, who had just moved in, and offered her some crab.  She was most pleased.  Soon Our Judy heard us talking and came over and the four of us had a good natter.  Allan was getting restless about work, while I adopted my new philosophy that many things are more important than work (if one has the luxury of having enough money to get through the winter).

With only two hours of daylight left, we finally got back into work mode and headed to The Depot Restaurant to pull their dead cosmos.

They’re not only merely dead, they’re really most sincerely dead.

We planted some ‘Akebono’ tulips and some ‘Fragrant Breeze’ narcissi and cut back the Persicaria that had gone to mush.

All it needs is some cow fiber to be put to bed for the winter.

I do think that in the kitchen garden, the rosemary are greening up after being given a tonic of Ironsafe and Lime.

greener?

And yet two are still quite brown.  The only other tonic I can think of is to add some magnesium sulfate (epsom salts).

middle one greening up but flanked by two small browned off ones

It’s a mystery.  If I had more time, I would get the soil tested.  It is Soil Energy, which has always been just fine for rosemary, on top of whatever old soil was in there.  I am thinking maybe the sprinkler system was on too much this past summer.

After the Depot we went to the Anchorage Cottages and cleared all the frosted annuals out of the windowboxes and containers.  The hardy fuchsias were all hit hard.  That makes me sad, as they often bloom into December.

Phooey!

I refuse to cut them back even though they look dead because I want them to be tall next year.  Next on the agenda for this job is a nice layer of mulch; the soil has lacked this for at least two years and is looking sandy grey and paltry.

Ten more Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ and I have almost dealt with that package of fifty that I’d forgotten to count!

We closed the day back at the port where I planted an Oriental poppy in the garden by Queen La De Da’s Art Castle and Allan dumped out and arranged a bag of white marble rocks we had gotten Jenna for her belated birthday.

The Queen’s garden glowing in the dusk.

Just to the north, crab pots in the parking lot

Of course, I had to walk around to the other side of Jenna’s shop to see the sunset colours in the water.

the marina

Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish Company

I was standing on the upper dock so could not back up enough to get the sky into this horizontal shot, so….

and here is another composition with Christmas lights on the railing:

lights

The temperature at sunset was still crazily balmy.

At home, I ate some of the crab from Jeff and Mary right over the sink and found it awfully hard to save any for dinner later on!  Then processed and uploaded the cash mob photos to the Facebook page and, of course, blogged.

Meanwhile, Allan went down the street and snagged a blue wading pool that had been set in a “free” pile outside the house of someone who is moving.  It will be perfect to set plants in, with the pots in shallow water, when waiting to plant them during next year’s annuals season.  Thanks to Sheila for this tip; I have awaiting the arrival of a free wading pool for quite some time.  Although it has a pinhole leak or two, as one might expect from something salvaged from a “free” (read “junk”) pile, Allan has some goop that will fix it.

Tomorrow should be a SERIOUS bulb day.  I have a huge order sorted for the A Frame (part of Klipsan Beach Cottages) and am hoping to also get a smaller but still substantial batch planted way up north in Marilyn’s garden.

Read Full Post »

26 Oct: art and friends

Saturday, 26 October, 2013

I had been photo-promoting the first Peninsula Cash Mob of the season for a couple of weeks on Facebook, teasing with photos of the wide range of local art at Bay Avenue Gallery in Ocean Park. We had to get up “early” on Saturday to get there….by 11:05. The starting time was 11:00. I was in suspense over whether or not the event would be successful.

window of Bay Avenue Gallery

Reflected in the gallery window is the old Taylor Hotel, now home of Adelaide’s coffee and the café that we had promoted as a possibility for cash mobbers to have lunch.

I should explain that “A cash mob is a group of people who assemble at a local business to make purchases and have a fun and positive impact on our local economy.” The Idea is to spend between $5 and $20 dollars. Usually a café is also mentioned for those who want to dine with friends and chat about the day (and life, the universe, and everything).

the main room of the gallery

gallery staff waiting….

At the desk, above, is Lisa who organizes the Peninsula Edible Garden Tour.

The first group of shoppers and browsers arrived a little after 11:15 and the pace kept steady and most satisfying all day long.

I realized early on that a wonderful piece of art that I had, in the past, voted for people’s choice award (it won!) at the Peninsula Art Show was by our new friend Joe Chasse. It had been a creative sculpture somewhat like these:

by Joe Chasse

I loved this description of Joe’s art:

Joe Chasse

(We met Joe through artist Heather Ramsay of my favourite shop ever, NIVA green.)

The gallery continued to be well filled with people and I felt a great relief that the event was a success. One of the shoppers was our friend Debbie Teashon, writer and photographer of Rainyside Gardeners!

Debbie deciding what her cash mob purchase will be.

Carol Thompson began a plein air painting in the courtyard while her husband tended a barrel in which pots were baking:

painting and pots

barrel firing and painting

fire

I couldn’t help but notice the space between the Bay Avenue studio building (where classes are given and where artists can come work on projects). The narrow, damp area called out to be for a fabulous swale garden with stepping stones, and I was told a friend of the owners has exactly that in mind.

Just some of the offerings at the gallery, all by local artists:

These three golfers might amuse Mr. Tootlepedal and his golfing friends as well as P.G. Wodehouse fans.

golfers three

cranberry plate by Karen Brownlee

steampunk jewelry

You can see more art in the background as I appreciated the presence of various well liked local folk.

Charlene and Debbie, regular blog readers! (Charlene left me a Daphne plant the other day!)

Charlene in the foreground, Allan to the left

local writer Birdie Etchison of the Olde Towne writers group

Jan Richardson with Allan and local artist Martha Lee

Jan’s garden, Windy Meadows, was on the Peninsula garden tour in 2012, Her little cottages at Windy Meadows Pottery fill me with joy.

I like the originals even better.

For lunch, Debbie and Allan and I met Michelle, cash mob co organizer. across the street at Adelaide’s.

Adelaide’s Coffee

at Adelaide’s

Debbie, me, Michelle

Allan’s artistic latte

absolutely scrumptious turkey special with some kind of cranberry chutney-like sauce

Adelaide’s also houses a small bookstore.

With lots of talk about cash mob itself, and Debbie and Michelle proving to be sympatico, lunch took well over an hour. Allan and I then returned to the gallery to take more photos.

Michelle arrives at the Gallery

The barrel firing had burned up a considerable amount of wood.

the pots were just beginning to show…

Debbie had gone to her hotel (at the Breakers in Long Beach) by then. Just before four o clock, Allan and I walked three blocks east to the new shop Beach Home Old and New which will be “cash mobbed” in May. It is the first time we had been there. I found it completely charming.

Beach Home Old and New on Bay Avenue in Ocean Park

utterly delightful!

We happened upon two artists there who assemble sturdily constructed garden decor with plates, and carefully picked our way around the plates laid on the floor.

My favourite: Desert Rose

We stayed long enough to see the display set up.

This is my kind of place. I love the alder used as decoration over the door between two rooms.

alder branch

The owner, Bonnie, had described this new item as “insect balls” and then thought…oops!

Orbs would be a better word.

In the same way that I realized I had voted for a piece of art by Joe Chasse once upon a time, when I saw shopkeeper Bonnie Lou Cozby’s photographs for sale, I recognized her style and knew that one of my favourite art pieces in my home is a photo by her, of sunflowers in the village of Nahcotta.

I’m so very taken with this shop that I have to share a string of photos. The funny thing is, I don’t shop much for home decor things, having so many items already from my grandmother. But I love everything here:

love the angry kitten at lower right!

I have a strong urge to go back and buy that angry kitten picture….but we probably will not be up there on the days (end of the week) when the shop is open…

When we walked back to Bay Avenue Gallery, we found that the pots in the barrel firing were enticingly peeking out of the ashes.

The next day, the gallery posted this photo of one of the resulting pots.

beautiful barrel fired pot, photo courtesy Bay Avenue Gallery

Allan and I had some time at home before our planned dinner out. We took that hour and a half to process and upload 161 photos to the Peninsula Cash Mob Facebook page for today’s event.

We then met Debbie at Pelicano Restaurant at the Port of Ilwaco and dined from 7 until 9:46 PM. Pelicano co owner Shelly (spouse of the amazing chef) once told me that when you book a table at Pelicano, “you own that table” till closing time. The pace is elegantly relaxed and of course Allan and Debbie and I had much to talk about. When we looked up, another restaurant had become empty and was being tidied by the staff. Shelly told us that we did not have to hurry to leave.

Pelicano host Shelly tells us not to worry about the late hour

flowers by the door at Pelicano

I’ll close with part of the menu for those who are interested in such things. It changes monthly and the food is delectable.

Pelicano October menu

For those who are REALLY interested, Allan had the pasta, I had the scallops, and Debbie had the Vietnamese chicken. We each had our own serving of the chocolate pot de creme. It is too good to share.

Read Full Post »

pre-tour work week, part three

Thursday, July 18th

Our very first thing on Thursday was to go to The Planter Box garden center to take some photos for the Peninsula Cash Mob Facebook page. Some of our friends were there, so we timed it well. Unlike offseason cash mobs, we could not wait around for more folks to show up. We heard later that Tom and Judy went and bought another Japanese maple for a grand total of 31 in their small garden.

friends at the cash mob

Then we began our work day back in Long Beach checking on the planters on the Sid Snyder beach approach. I want to share how good the World Mark resort garden looks at the west end of the road. It had been languishing and looking pretty awful a few years ago, with tatty overgrown Phormiums and lots of weeds. Local landscaper and nurseryman Steve Clarke took it on a little over a year ago and now it looks wonderful.

garden by Steve Clarke

We checked on Gene’s garden and did just a little more weeding and deadheading to keep it absolutely spiffing for tour day.

Allan weeding Gene’s cute little streetside pocket garden

ready for tour day at Gene and Peggy’s garden

Peggy, who created this garden, died of ovarian cancer late this spring. She would have been so proud of all the work Gene has done here. The arrangements of pots and hanging baskets is all his (with large baskets created by Nancy Aust of the Basket Case Greenhouse). All we did was add plants to the long streetside garden and do some advising and weeding on the rest of the garden.

Gene’s porch and driveway arrangements

Next, the Depot Restaurant, where the Dierama is in its full glory.

at the Depot

Cosmos filling in at the Depot

Then…

the weekly deadheading and horsetail purge at the Long Beach welcome sign

And on to Jo’s for the last thorough check up before garden tour day.

newly planted area looking good at Jo’s

friendly little bird at Jo’s

no telephoto required for Jo’s birds!

Jo’s garden is looking wonderful and would get one more pre-tour visit.

We next weeded in Long Beach’s Coulter Park because a “Railroad Days” event would take place the next day in the old train depot building there. (I love the annual Railroad Days but this year its weekend would be all garden touring instead.) It is so difficult to weed where a neighboring house lets salmonberry and bindweed grow up thickly on the other side of the fence so that it pops through both above and underground. I despair.

Coulter Park disaster

I had found a solution to the problem of having to water the Long Beach planters again. We would do them again on Thursday, and that would hold them through the weekend. We just would not have time on Friday. The plants must have been thrilled to get delicious water two days in a row…unheard of! Allan watered the tree gardens and bucket watered the Bolstadt beach approach planters (so tiring) and I did the city ones. No resting on the cute bench by NIVA green!

NIVA bench

By seven thirty, we were back in Ilwaco giving a good watering to Larry and Robert’s garden. Tom and Judy came across the street and visited with us while we finished up.

the boat needs more plants!!

right: Larry and Robert garden, and across the street, Tom and Judy’s

Finally, in the later evening at home I had a bit more time to check my garden. Even though I was expecting three discerning garden friends to visit I had not had time to make it perfect. That will have to wait till we are on the Edible Garden tour on August 11!

a lily at home

in the back garden

Friday, July 19th

We had cleared the decks of work and only needed to check the three tour gardens one last time! At each one, I took a series of photos of the garden in perfection, as I knew that on tour day there will be people milling about (another good photo subject, but I would like some clear shots of each garden as well).

We took our best table and chairs up to Marilyn’s lawn.

and only found this many weeds and clippings to remove!

Marilyn’s mom, Nancy, is ready for tour day!

and so is the garden, all filled in on the edges!

Yes, the Round Up disaster was successfully thwarted and the garden looks lush.

“Marilyn and Nancy’s healing garden”

Just down the street, a deer demonstrated why this garden is a good example of how one can have lots of flowers even with deer browsing by the house windows.

by the road

We made a quick stop at Jo’s and found very little to do other than take lots of photos to add to the tour day album.

Jo is ready, too.

Coco would love to meet all the people on tour day.

Coco

But Coco is going “to the doggy spa” on tour day so that there is no chance she might escape the garden with all the gates open and people going into and out of the house.

Sorry, Coco!

At Gene’s, we met his daughter who had come to help on the last day. Gene was off buying food for the tour since he, as all the tour hosts, were going all out on hospitality.

Gene’s garden is ready!

And finally…after texting them several times to report about how close we were to being done with work…we got to Olde Towne Café in time to join our friends from out of town!

Kathleen, Olde Towne owner Luanne, and Sheila!

Debbie Teashon showed up shortly after this photo was taken and the party was complete.

Later that evening we gathered for a Serious Pizza dinner in our garden along with Tom and Judy, our wonderful gardening neighbours from down the block.

pizza party with Sheila, Judy, Tom, Debbie, Allan

Kathleen was staying at the north end of the Peninsula so we would not see her again till Saturday.

Just outside the fence from our party patio (where we have quiet, good neighbour gatherings only!) sits my late neighbour Nora’s house. I miss her and hope that someday when it goes up for sale that some wonderful gardener neighbours buy it….someone like my friends here.

Oh for a good neighbour

Next, the Music in the Gardens tour! But first, do let me remind you of a wonderful tour coming up on July 27th:

Read Full Post »

15 June, day (almost) off

My idea of best kind of day off in gardening season, except perhaps for one touring gardens, is being in our own garden all day. Saturdays are never like that from May through September because I always go down to take some photos at the Ilwaco Saturday Market for the Discover Ilwaco page. It’s enjoyable enough, and is a project I set for myself so no one makes me do it (it’s a volunteer thing), but there are some Saturdays when it is hard to fit it in. This was one, and last week was another.

Some garden themed photos:

honey

stone vases

planters and bird feeders

kale at De Asis produce

From last week, when we managed to get down to take photos before Nora’s funeral:

radishes at Pink Poppy Bakery booth

flowers from Pink Poppy Bakery

garden art

Our little garden on the west side of the port office is filling in and the baskets by Nancy Aust of Basket Case Greenhouse are looking wonderful.

port office

Below, my view of our garden when I return from the market across Nora’s back lawn:

from outside the deer fence

We were expecting exciting garden company at 11:15 and I got back with time enough to put out a bit more of the garden art that is slowly making its way outside now that the late spring winds have stopped. (I just remembered a hanging blue bottle thing that is still not out!) Debbie, a local woman who reads this blog and her friend Helen, who has one of my favourite gardens in Astoria, were welcome guests. I had been looking forward to their visit. (Helen’s garden was so good that we went back to see it in the winter!)

Helen took to all the cats, and almost every one got picked up! Even cranky old Maddy got picked up and seemed to enjoy it…something we never dare to do because of her claws and teeth.

Helen and Mary by the bogsy wood

Helen and Smokey, the softest one of all

gardeners three, Debbie, Helen, me

on the patio

in the front garden

Helen and Debbie were on their way to the annual Garlic Festival in Ocean Park and Allan and I were going to a cash mob in Chinook, so we parted ways. We go to all the Peninsula Cash Mobs because we help organize and publicize the events. We hadn’t had coffee yet so our first stop in Chinook was the café part of the cash mob, Chinook Coffee Company.

Chinook Coffee Company, with pretty flowers

drive through coffee

When I set my coffee on top of the car to open the door, this crow stole the straw right out of the cup!

When Allan came out of the café, the crow flew over and grabbed the cuff of his jeans.

I went in to get a new straw and the barista said that the crow was the pet of someone who lived nearby. He certainly was bold.

I found him fascinating…until he jumped on my shoulder and bit my ear and the top of my head. Then it was more like “The Birds”.

Ow!

He flew off to a nearby roost when I moved but sat poised to return so we got in the car rather quickly and went to our next destination, Inpirations Stained Glass. The owner, Debbie Patana, when I described the experience said “OH, that’s Boyd’s crow” and added that the bird gets around town and is known for stealing pens at the outdoor art show over labour day.

Years ago in Seattle, Robert and I took a stained glass course and made some things. I like the glass and “jewels” and all that goes with the craft.

(Outside the front door were some pulmonarias, which you do not see in many gardens around here…)

Pulmonaria AKA spotted dog

The cash mob was a creative one; the shop offers some quicker projects for an afternoon of crafting, so I made two fish stamped onto a porcelain clay and Allan made a colourful bowl.

project making

calla lilies back with sheets of stained glass

I bought some jewels for my garden.

When my little fish are fired and coloured, they will look like the ones on the right:

little fish

They will be outdoors-hardy so I think they will look good in a small birdbath.

I have mentioned before that I find the show Deadliest Catch to be inspirational when it comes to hard work, so it was a treat for me to hear Debbie’s fishing stories as she comes from a fishing family; she grew up helping on the boat. She knew a lot of the oldtimers, including Nora, and I loved that.

creations at Inspirations

We got home at about three. I did some weeding but my main inspiration was to reorganize the patio to create better access to all the planters and to find and fill with soil some containers to grow edibles in. Allan nobly went to water the Ilwaco planters without me. Nancy had stopped by while we were out and left me some kale and lettuce starts and I at least got them planted: very significant because our not very edible garden is going to be on the edible garden tour in August. More on this tomorrow. At least I have strawberries; Devery came in the late afternoon and picked some. I told her to keep picking daily because a huge number are getting ripe each day.

Well, it’s a start, anyway.

I had better find a better place for that lettuce bowl than right next to my white, highly poisonous monkshood!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

11 May: annuals intermission

Not much got done today to progress toward the end of the planting of the annuals.  There are certain obligations that I have placed upon myself, one of which is taking photos every Saturday from May through September of the Port of Ilwaco Saturday Market.  Allan filled in once when I was at the Hardy Plant weekend, so the only day we have both missed since 2010 was last year when our garden was on the Peninsula garden tour.

Today I made it to the market almost at opening time (ten AM, early for me) because I had another place to be at 11.

On the way out our front gate, I noticed this stunning tulip had just come out in my garden.

Texas Gold?

Just around the corner, a mown path led enticingly into the neighbourhood’s lost garden.

garden of an empty house

At the market, the De Asis produce stand had asparagus.

fresh spears

I try each week to get dog as well as people and products photos. These same two brown Boston Terriers had walked by us in Long Beach yesterday while we worked on the planter outside Home at the Beach.

parade of dogs

To stick with a gardening theme, here is a bouquet at the Niceland booth:

Niceland

Some bright wooden flowers at a booth that sells wooden toys:

Gnome doors from The Wood Elf:

Quite a good price on a Wiegela:

Plants from The English Nursery (located in Seaview):

stone vases:

Colour coordination with the next door t shirt booth:

One of the regular booths had added a line of bright and clever planter boxes:

Another regular has gnomes:

too big for the gnome doors

…and decorative globes with sayings on them; I like these very much and should get some for my garden.

Pink Poppy Bakery always has flowers as well as treats:

Pink Poppy calla lilies

This week I was in time to get a like bundt cake.  It looked like they were soon to sell out; no wonder I did not get one when I ambled in at 2 PM last week.

lime cake

I pulled a few small shotweeds out of our new garden by the port office but did not have time for a thorough weeding.

port office garden

I need to get some painted sage into there.

Hurrying home, I saw that the California poppies are just starting to bloom in the Howerton Street gardens.

along Howerton

Then we were off to the Peninsula Cash Mob event at the Home at the Beach shop in Long Beach.  As an organizer of the mobs (where shoppers boost a business with small purchases on a prearranged day), I feel the need to be there to take photos.  Yesterday, we had redone the planters in front and they looked fresh and pretty.

in front of Home at the Beach

making a purchase

I won’t say what I bought because it is a future gift for Montana Mary, who might read this!

Our friend Kathleen S. joined us.  She just may have found a house to buy in Surfside, thus possibly becoming a step closer to being a full time Peninsulite!   In fact, she would be more of a Peninsulite than we are because technically Ilwaco is not part of the Long Beach Peninsula.

We ate at Benson’s By The Beach Restaurant, as there is almost always a café associated with the cash mob event.  I got a very different view of the Fifth Street Park gardens we often work in.

Kathleen and Allan at our window seat table

Years ago, Montana Mary herself wrote a letter to the editor of our local paper based on her experience sitting in the park.

window seat view

our gunnera

We had a great view of tourists taking pictures of each other by the giant frying pan.

At one o clock we simply had to roust ourselves out of all this fun and go to work, back to the planting of some annuals at The Anchorage Cottages (from whence Kathleen had just checked out to return to her city home up north).

Anchorage planting

That poor Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ in the small pot is rather bringing down the tone and will probably have go be ousted in the next round of planting.

“Greenland’ tulips still blooming

Tulip ‘Green Star’ has had a long bloom time.

Agyranthemum ‘Madeira Deep Pink’

After the Anchorage, we continued north, gathering up more Cosmos and painted sage at The Planter Box.   I was hoping to get as far as Klipsan Beach Cottages today but it was not to be.

We wanted to make sure the tulips at Golden Sands Assisted Living were deadheaded for Mother’s Day guests and were saddened to find that no one, no one at all, had done any watering there during the dry spell.    I thought we had had that all clear by last fall, that dry weather meant watering simply must begin.  I should have known better.

One of the elderly residents commented to Allan, “The plants need water!”  Our mission there is to create a beautiful garden for people who have had to leave their own gardens behind.  Some of the  plants we had transplanted from Cheri’s garden last time had survived except for the phlox.  It will probably come back but looks terrible:

wilty phlox (with annoying beach strawberry)

I was, however, quite pleased that our plantings of mostly free and simple plants had held up well.

The cow fiber mulch helped.

But all three birdbaths were bone dry, and no one even had the key to turn on the second faucet.  Fortunately, we had enough hose for Allan to hose water the whole garden from one spigot.  That left only one of us to weed.  I removed a wheelbarrow load of creeping sorrel and that infuriating wild strawberry.

An attendent walked by and cheerfully told me she had eaten the flowers of all the chives.  I went from being the nice gardener who had provided said chives to the mean (but trying to say it very nicely) gardener who asked that the chives in the ornamental garden be allowed to have pretty purple flowers without being eaten.  I felt bad about the whole thing but I want those flowers in there!

chive flowers all gone

I pointed out that the chives outside the ornamental quadrants were up for grabs but then realized how puny they are compared to the luscious ones that have been fed and manured.

pitiful chives outside the flower areas

This brings me to the problem of all the areas outside our four quadrants….a mess of weeds among some free daylilies we bunged in there last year.

just horrid!

I’m not sure the work budget even allows for the expenditure of time to get this all cleaned up, even though we charge considerably less here out of memory to my mom, for whom we started the courtyard flower gardens during the year she lived here.

My vision of a river of blue Geranium ‘Rozanne’ down the center of the drainage area was just ridiculous; they will never get enough water to grow well.

a futile plan

I tend to feel pretty discouraged by the lack of watering here.  The maintenance fellow, we are told, will set up the sprinklers on Monday, and we hope they will have better coverage than the cute and twirly but ineffective sprinklers of last year.

We had brought a few annuals to plant but took them away with us; we’ll wait till some rain (we hope!!) gets the soil damp deeper than on the surface (please!) before we inflict this environment on new plant babies.

Can this enclosed, deer-safe and wind-safe and every so promising garden ever become the paradise that I imagine it could be?  I refuse to give up on it.  It is better this year than last year so maybe there is hope that the dream can be achieved.

Read Full Post »

10 May: annuals hell, episode three

On the way to another day of planting in Long Beach (that’s Washington, not California), we stopped to plant two Diascia ‘Blue Denim’ (or ‘Denim Blue’) by Azure salon.  That’s our little theme for Ilwaco:  yellow or orange flowers for the yellow café, blue for the Azure Salon.  Then a quick compost bucket switch at Olde Towne Café, where we found that great strides had been made over the past week in the antiques rooms at the back of the shop.

looking into the back rooms

I took some photos for their Facebook page but did not have time for a coffee break.  In fact, I had awoken at eight AM in great anxiety about work but did not feel I should wake Allan early because I would be rather annoyed if he got a burst of early morning work energy and woke me early.  (We are both chronic night owls and at least we are compatible in our schedule;  my ex the famous mystery writer Chris used to be up, breakfasted, and returning from several yard sales before I even opened my eyes on Saturday morning!  I always felt I had missed out on some good yard sale acquisitions.)

But I digress.  My anxiety was mainly because I suddenly felt we simply MUST redo the planter in front of the charming shop called Home at the Beach before they are the featured  Peninsula Cash Mob site on Saturday.  And then the planter across the street would have to match.  Both were full of Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’.  That’s a perennial I once loved and now view with suspicion.  I once thought it was a good plant because it does not spread like the similar orange montbretia, , but it will take over a spot and spear through all surrounding plants.  I regret ever having planted it in any of the Long Beach planters.

Sheila and I attended a Hardy Plant Society study weekend where Adrian Bloom, whose nursery introduced ‘Lucifer’ to the gardening world, was the keynote speaker.  The emcee introduced him partly with the questions “How many of you grow Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’…and how many of you are trying to get rid of it?”  The audience laughed as we almost all raised our hands to both questions.  Adrian defended it as a very good plant (which it really is if one has the room).  He also is the one who introduced many many other great plants including one of my all time favourites, Geranium ‘Rozanne’.

So first we watered and added some annuals to the southernmost street planters and planted some cosmos (tall) in the Fifth Street park and then….the difficult task began.

before

When it blooms, the Crocosmia gets so tall it somewhat blocks the view of the shop.  I want prettier things with longer than a three week bloom period for the nice owners.

Allan begins to dig

The last time we removed Crocosmia from a planter, our shovel broke (and the manufacturer, Fiskars, honoured their lifetime guarantee!)

the planter across the street

These planters were two of four that I did as a volunteer way back in ’99 or 2000 when the planters were first installed.  They were installed without a maintenance plan other than perhaps volunteers would take them over, and later every other one was replaced with a street tree.  Then city administrator Nabiel Shawa said mine were “magnificent” and that’s what began the series of events that got me my Long Beach gardening job.  Originally the one across the street had no working water so was planted to be drought tolerant with Santolina, Geranium macrorrhizum, variegated bulbous oat grass and the Crocosmia and some Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’.  It worked, because the plantings have lasted for all these many years, but I am just tired of the same old thing.

While Allan dug (it took well over an hour if not more!), I watered and planted Cosmos and painted sage and some sanvitalia and calibrachoa ‘Lemon Slice’ (yum!) in several of the planters on the blocks to the south.

empty centers

The lavenders and sedums around the edges are just fine with me and can stay.

A trip to The Planter Box got us some painted sage and diascia and agyranthemums and at The Basket Case we added some different agyrs and different diascia and a lot of Cosmos ‘Sonata’ (the short one).

Fred and Nancy of The Basket Case have us shop in the back greenhouse so we don’t deplete the displays up front of all our favourites, and while there we met their son’s lovely old dog, Biggins.

a very sweet boy

And here are the planters later in the day, all nicey nice.

after

across the street, after

The old Adopt a Planter sign has not showed for years since it was covered with the hardy geranium!

historic sign

We took a short breather to consume the delicious cupcakes that Home at the Beach owners Kathy and Karyn had brought us from the new Sweet Celebrations cupcake shop.  Then we kept going till 8 PM, watering and planting.  We parked for part of the time near the new Veterans Field garden which looks more filled in than last week.

Veterans Field

Perhaps the worst of annuals hell is already over.  Planting the Long Beach planters is the hardest spring planting job because of working in traffic, watching for cars, people honking in a friendly way (but still startling!) and just the sheer size of it.  We will go through again adding more but the basic annuals planting is done now.

And now only ONE planter has lots of Crocosmia.   It is in front of Wind World Kites and the owner actually loves the plant and does not mind the way it sort of hides the shop at its peak, so we will leave it there for him.  It is also under several street trees and tends to bloom like fireworks right around the fourth of July, making the town look festive.

The dry weather has put us behind on our other jobs (watering Long Beach took precedence) so tomorrow after taking photos at Saturday Market and Cash Mob we hope to get to at least two, preferably three gardens up north.

Read Full Post »

much more socializing than working

If the weather had been nicer I would have felt guilty about the amount of time we spent socializing today, but the intense chill in the air gave us a good excuse to goof off.

We did take the work trailer with us just in case (and also because I knew we had a couple of large plants to pick up at The Basket Case). Our initial mission, however, was social and community minded. With new local friend Michelle Z, I started a “Peninsula Cash Mob” over the winter. Every three weeks or so we promote, on Facebook, a local shop with the idea that people will gather there on a certain mid morning to shop, spending between $5 and $20 (or even just being there) and then some will also have lunch at a local restaurant. Today our focus shop was Stylin’: A Unique Consignment Shop in Long Beach. Because of it being a women’s clothing and accessory store, we did not get our usual mixed gender crowd but still had a good turn out.

Stylin’ just north of downtown Long Beach

While we were there the wind and rain battered away outside so I felt no worries about hanging around for an hour taking photos. I even bought a sweater with a lovely gold dragon on it. But I had no idea, not being much of a femme dresser, what the initials L-RL stood for below the dragon. Someone told me…something to do with Ralph Lauren? But who is the first L? I remain mystified.

If I carried purses, I might go for these flowery ones:

indoor flowers of the day

And while I could not even imagine getting my toes into these shoes, I had to admire their intricate look and could imagine them as part of a steampunk ensemble:

In continued icy rain and a harsh wintery wind, we drove to the day’s cash mob lunch spot, The Lightship Restaurant, where we had the pleasure of sitting with Michelle and with Robbie, local animal rescuer and critter sitter.

me and Robbie

Robbie is an expert orchid enthusiast who will be teaching a class on the subject at our local college. As with many local friends, most of our getting to know each other has been on Facebook and I think this is the first time we had actually spent time together at a social event, but we already knew each well. (She also commented that Allan is very, very funny.)

We solved a number of local problems during our lunch chat.

our delicious food items. (My burrito will be a late snack as well!)

After lunch, I got to meet Nugget, Michelle’s supposed foster dog and now Michelle’s actual permanent dog, a clever little escapee who ran away the minute he arrived on the Peninsula and spent 12 worrisome days scampering around the Long Beach Golf Course, afraid of all humans. Robbie was a part of the team of rescuers who tracked and fed him for days till he came home. He’s now a lovely little pampered companion dog.

with local celebrity Nugget

And then the sun came out so off went Allan and I to some deadheading and pruning at The Anchorage Cottages. Here are the best tulips of the day:

I do feel that Tulip ‘Gavota’ and whatever that other one is look excellent with brick. No sign yet of sweet pea sprouts along the chimney base, but they were planted about a week later that the ones at Andersen’s RV Park (that are breaking ground now).

Just as we were dealing with the last of the small weeds a sudden mixed rain and hailstorm drenched us and pinged painfully off our heads while we loaded ourselves into the car. This was a good time to make another buying trip to The Basket Case. I needed to make sure I got my mitts on enough Jade Frost Eryngium (even though in my experience the leaves do like to revert to green), and I’m thrilled to be able to buy many reasonably priced and healthy plants of Lobelia tupa, a plant that used to be very hard to find around here.

Lobelia tupa

I kindly left behind just a few of those and of Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ for other customers.

Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’, my favourite perennial

With the car fully packed, we drove in another spot of clear weather to check on a container planting request at the office of longtime client Cheri’s Discovery Coast Real Estate. The containers turned out to be quite a bit smaller than I had imagined, but one had the very nasty Aegepodium weed…a MUST not plant that some nurseries still sell, so the soil from that one will go in our garbage can.

I should have taken a photo to warn you all off that horrible, horrible groundcover…but at the end of the little project, this happened:

cold rain

We could definitely see that the sky was light around the edges but with the wind blowing at 20 mph it seemed that any light spot would blow over us quickly and bring more rain. The temperature of about 45 degrees F felt much colder to me, and my weather wimpiness led to this:

Olde Towne

a few customers lingering at closing time

During the less than an hour that we indulged in another break, rain and sun, rain and sun passed in quick succession. And now, at home, while Allan determinedly runs the weedeater around the garden bed edges, I am firmly settled into my computer chair where I will upload the day’s cash mob photos to Facebook and then…a relaxing joy!…reenter the world of Mr. and Mrs. Tootlepedal in 2011.

If I could have managed it, or if I had been braver, I might have moved to Scotland years ago, but I can inhabit the beautiful border countryside in my imagination through the Tootlepedal blog…just as I have mentally lived through many gardening years in New Zealand through Moosey’s Country Garden. I am now glad that I did not go because I do believe that my right livelihood is right exactly where I live today.

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »