Celebrating America

 It's America's birthday. We celebrate birthdays.

In small towns and big cities and everywhere in between there will be parades and picnics and flag waving and fireworks bursting in the night sky. There will be joy!

No matter what your politics, we all have reasons to celebrate. My opposition to our current administration won't let negativity spoil my celebrating. 

We have been watching a lot of World Cup action. Wednesday we geared up to cheer on the USA team.

The USA won and moves on to the round of 16. That match was in Los Angeles. On that same day Seattle hosted a match between Senegal and Belgium. The city was crazy with soccer fans from many nations. Next Monday the USA team will meet Belgium in Seattle.  That may even be more crazy.

Today we watched an amazing match between world champs Argentina and the little African island nation of Cape Verde. Cape Verde took the match into overtime and held on almost to the end, finally losing 3-2. While Argentina won, the world was celebrating the heroics of Cape Verde. The world comes together through the international sport of soccer/futbol. 

As a nation, so can we. No matter what divides us, and there are good reasons, we can come together over what unites us. 

This afternoon  I made my celebration food, brownies and macaron salad for our family gathering tomorrow evening.  Jill makes the pie now. I bought some cookies for the Parade Party hosted by friends tomorrow morning.

 

After dinner I picked some flowers to refresh my kitchen bouquet, trading pink for red for red, white and blue. 

I'm ready to celebrate America! 

USA!

Gig Harbor Garden Tour, Part 3

 Garden #5 is a walk in the woods. Rebekah and Zach Blue have planted their woodland garden with more that 100 Japanese maples, which must be glorious in the fall. In spring banks of rhododendrons bloom. In early summer it is just a serene place to stroll. 

The music sounded like lovely wind chimes.

Water music added to the ambiance. 

Garden #6 is a 5 acre naturally forested space surrounding a stately home, gardened by Dan Shoap and Jeff Stelmach.

Follow me up the drive and around to the back of the house.

A colorful border and seating areas along the back deer fence.

A rose bush provides an arbor for alstroemeria and clematis. 

There is a water feature near the house and deck. 

I can think of so many more photos I could have/should have taken. It was all wonderful.

Gig Harbor Garden Tour, Part 2

 

Garden #3 surrounds an historic home on the harbor with classic elegance. Jill and Chris Denis made us feel at home from the entry gate to the potager to the formality of the front garden to the spacious beauty of the slope to the harbor. 

The Matilija poppy down by the water's edge was huge, well clipped to a tight bush, and I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of the whole thing. I got distracted by the comfortable seating area next to it, which, since I was sitting, didn't get a photo of it either. You'll have to take my word for it that the harbor was also right there. 

A very impressive old Black Walnut tree punctuated the lower lawn. 

Garden #4 is a property now in its second generation of family ownership and is now gardened by Beverly ash Gilbert and Jerry Gilbert. 

Tour guests enter through a wooded area, part of the 20 acres surrounding the house and garden. Then we  cross the orchard to be greeted by a magnificent 500 year old Douglas Fir Tree. 

Themed gardens lead around the corner of the house to the koi pond.

A sloping path takes us under trees and down the bank to views of the sound. Watch out! Duck!

After some moments of serenity, sitting on that deck, we climb back up.

We find a sunny sitting spot, and then the shade of that big old fir. 

Part 3 to come.