Wednesday, 29 September 2017
Allan was sad to see the painting of the shed gutter had not worked.
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo: Paint had fallen into a spider web.
This spider, who had likely entered the van on some plant debris, had made a web inside my van door. I did not let her come to work with us.
These garden spiders don’t scare me.
We stopped at Dennis Co on the way to work to get some paint for the window trim (which you have seen in yesterday’s post). Allan was also able to repaint the gutter successfully.
Anchorage Cottages
The weather was just too hot to do any of the pruning projects we had planned.
These viburnums can wait for another day.
arbutus and hydrangea in the center courtyard
On the way to our next job, I was appalled at the temperature.
Klipsan Beach Cottages
We stayed only to do the most important deadheading and tidying. The heat was just too much.
bird bath view
roses
the other bird bath with Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’
Japanese anemone
hardy fuchsia
autumnal hamamelis
Peninsula Landscape Supply
We picked up a yard of Soil Energy.
bird baths by the pond
We learned that starting next week, PLS will be going to their off season hours, open till three on Tuesday, Thursdays, Saturdays. This will require us to be less spontaneous during mulching season. We will have to make proper plans and schedules.
signs available in the office
On the way back to Ilwaco, we decided we had to delay our boatyard mulching project till early evening’s cooler weather.
Ridiculous weather! What happened to our nice crisp autumn?
home
This is the handsome gate of our “Starvation Alley Cranberry Farm” neighbours to the east.
At the base of the ornamental plum in our front garden (a tree I did not plant) is a hamamelis glowing with autumn colour.
Look to the left side of the tree trunk.
Tiger Eyes sumac
another hamamelis
I retreated indoors from the heat and was joined for a bit by our neighbours to the west, Devery, and her dog Royal.
It was Royal’s first time in our house. He was excited.
Ilwaco boatyard
After five o clock, we mulched 1/3 of the boatyard. I think my estimate that three yards will cover it all is pretty close.
before (Allan’s photo)
after (Allan’s photo)
Allan sweeps up
Aster ‘Harrington’s Pink’
leveling mulch with a broom
looking south from the north end
As we had begun our mulching, a Londoner on a bicycle had stopped to ask the location of Salt Pub. I had to tell him the sad news that it is closed on Wednesdays. Where could he eat, he asked, after returning from a two block jaunt to make sure Salt was closed. I was sad to say that the only option was our little local market. In an ideal world, we would have invited him to come to our house for a campfire, with sausages, and then driven him to his campsite at Cape Disappointment, but our conversation took place just as we got stuck in to an hour of unloading mulch.
After work, we went to the little market ourselves in search of some fancy sausages, and found him outside. He had managed to find an apple for his dinner, with some cheese that he already had. I was afraid that “Disappointment” might sum up his feelings, and I did so wish he had been here on a night when Salt was open.
the Londoner
I was able to guide him to having breakfast tomorrow morning at the Portside Café, where his quest for pancakes should be well satisfied.
We had a good chinwag about politics. He said he almost bet £5000 on Brexit not passing, and woke up in shock that morning (and relief that he had not made the bet). He had experienced the same shock and dismay last November 9 at the result of our election.
I told him that I used to be married to a Leedsman. “Oh, that must have been tough!” said he.
Allan and I did not succeed at the local in our quest for fancy sausages so drove on up to Sid’s Market in Seaview, where we met with success. We also met again a nice RVing couple who had asked us at the boatyard where to shop for groceries. They, too, had met with shopping success. We then went home to have a campfire on the one of the warmest evenings of the year.
Nicotiana by the campfire
the moon just caught in the trees
Allan’s photo
coals
When I looked at the temperature at 1 AM, it was still 72 degrees outside. That is just unheard of here at the beach.
Friday, 29 September 2017
After taking Thursday off so Allan could finish painting the shed, we slept late.
Skooter slept late, too. He puts his feet over Allan’s head like earmuffs.
We had believed the forecast of a half inch of rain. The rain came overnight rather than during the day, which turned out so fine that tourists would be looking at our public gardens. While we did not have to water, we certainly had to tidy after all.
This much rain overnight!
By the post office, we saw the first sign of Ilwaco Halloween.
And so it begins.
The Depot Restaurant
just some quick deadheading
Coreopsis ‘Flower Tower’ towering
Long Beach
the welcome sign
We tidied the gardens at Veterans Field while the Columbia Pacific Farmers Market was in session.
Allan’s photo
I found a home for a duplicate plant of mine in Fifth Street Park. I had bought in, then realized it was the same white sanguisorba I had acquired at a Hardy Plant sale from Dan Hinkley, back when it just had a number, not a name.
Allan planted it in here, toward the back.
Needing energy, we got coffee to go.
at Abbracci Coffee Bar
We did a walk around town just to deadhead the planters.
passing by the farmers market again
I stopped it at NIVA green to take a few photos for their Facebook page, and for some reason I had to buy this little stove.
It spoke to me somehow. Now it is mine and I don’t quite know what to do with it.
Allan pulled Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ from under the street tree near the pharmacy.
before
after
Here is a sad thing: The old, peeling cranberry mural on the south end of Dennis Company is now almost covered. $58,000 has been spent to try to restore it five different times, and it is now too far gone to save.
Goodbye to a Long Beach icon. (Allan’s photos)
The paint peeled badly after a restoration just a couple of years ago.
Here it is in better days. I will miss it.
We then drove up to Peninsula Landscape Supply for another yard of Soil Energy.
The shaved ice booth was heading down to Ilwaco for Saturday Market.
Ilwaco boatyard garden
We got another third of the garden mulched, all the way to the south side of the gate.
Unfortunately, we have to cover a multitude of poppy seeds. In my own garden, I might dig and replant them. No time for that here.
I’ve saved seeds and will re-sow.
To finish our relatively short day, we deadheaded the cosmos at the port office and Time Enough Books gardens. I took some photos of the marina from near the port office.
someone else enjoying the view
an hour before sunset, along Howerton Avenue
home
Kniphofia ‘Earliest of All’ is changing shape.
Devery came to pick some Cripp’s Pink apples to make some applesauce.
She stood on a bucket to get some.
Canna in bloom in the water boxes
I made a sit spot in the new bogsy wood clearing.
on the table: broken china bits that I found in 2010 when making our garden
I had a sudden brainstorm which Allan helped me bring to fruition.
Skooter supervising
He helped me move this….
…out to the salmonberry cave….
…where I like it very much.
And it gave me room for a new little sit spot on the east wall of the house.
Next: another long weekend. We are enjoying the short work weeks between tourist season and the soon to arrive fall clean up and bulb season.
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