Garden Field Trip

 Our garden club is affiliated with the Northwest Perennial Alliance and was formed about 20 years ago. Members have come and gone, with a few of us from the original club still hanging on.

Some of us live in the city, some in developments, some in more rural areas. A few of us are intensive gardeners, some of us keep a small home garden, some of us just putter a bit outside. Some of us just want to go on garden field trips and out to lunch. 

We've gone just about everywhere and seen every public and some private gardens in the area. This month's organizer decided on staying in the city. We visited the Center for Urban Horticulture, affiliated with the University of Washington, then went to University Village, an upscale shopping center near the university, for lunch and touring of the plantings in the people friendly center. 

Late summer brings blousy borders and seed heads glowing in the sun against deep blue skies. 

Yes, I sat here. Be assured that I take advantage of places to sit and rest while others stand to chat away. 

Seed heads of oat grass glowing in the sun. 

In the Fragrance Garden there were scented late blooming Daphne, Gardenias. and lilies. 

The Courtyard

Blooming border out back. 

And then it was lunch time in a nice Italian retaurant in University Village.

Afterward, Gretchen, our organizer, had suppiled us with maps of the plantings. I was tired but I decided I could enjoy the surroundings while finding the Starbucks and treating ourselves to the ultimate summer beverage, a Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream and caramel drip! It's not something we have often, but, hey, we were looking at plants. See?

A favorite garden store we hadn't visited for a long time. 

It was a delightful long morning into the afternoon, we saw beautiful things, visited with friends, had good food, got lots of walking, and came home to our garden in the sun and no reason to do any work at all. 

Near and Far

 Saturday we had a slow trip to Whidbey Island, first getting out of Seattle with the I-5 bridge closed, and then a long wait in line at the ferry dock.

When we finally arrived at Tom's cousin's home on the beach at Maxwelton, we had a good time visiting with people we knew and people we didn't know, his relatives and her relatives.  

Our hosts, Jan and Doug, provided us with good food, good company, and a great view. 

Over the weekend we heard from Irene, with photos through Jill. about Irene's adventures in the North Cascades. 

Irene in the fog, and with fat furry marmots. 

In Bellingham for a few days to resupply, she reports that she slept all day Friday, has been enjoying Canada so far, and "it has been a very wonderful trip." After a few days in Vancouver, BC, she will be off to five days of kyaking in the San Juans Islands. Wow! What an amazing experience she is having.

Sunday was a slow day for us. In the late morning we went for a walk, enjoying the cooler weather. 

On Monday we spent a chunk of the morning going into the city to the KP Medical Center for what turned out to be a 10 minute cardiology appointment. Since I have an artificial arotic heart valve, I need periodic check ins in order to get refills on my dental antibiotic, which I have to take whenever I have dental work done. I needed a refill. 

We came home and finished Monday housework and laundry, and in the afternoon I did a work out on the stationary bike.

Now it's Tuesday afternoon. We had our regular Zoom meet up and went for another walk in the park. Then I did the dusting, while Tom worked in the yard.

I think we might be done for the day. It's time to read and take it easy until time to fix dinner. Tomorrow we have a garden club field trip, so we've gotta' rest up.

Another Week Already

 Where did it go? What did I do? 

I picked flowers.

I did lots of physical therapy.

I worked out on my stationary bike two days.

I went for a mile walk in the park on another day. It was cooler later in this week.

Part of the coolness was due to a big smoke cloud filtering the sun. A fire in the Olympics west of us continues to burn. Everything had a orangy glow. 

On Wednesday Tom and I went to a teacher friends home and beautiful garden for lunch with retired educator friends. Seems we are all getting old and falling a part some. We can still talk though. We had good visits. 

On Thursday we met with a wonderful young man to get a bid on removing limbs that are draping over our roof. We had our roof cleaned a short while ago but the guys couldn't work under the overhanging limbs of the big fir and cedar tree. It was time to do something about that. Brandon was fun to visit with as he worked. He loved our yard and our trees and we shared on interest in Sounders Soccer, and more.

Friday we went to breakfast and then in the afternoon I got a haircut. In the late afternoon and evening I watched Mariners baseball and then Seahawks football. Double Seattle victories. 

And it RAINED! Quite a bit, although according to the experts, still not enough to make up for when, since April, it has hardly rained at all.

Now it's Saturday morning and the sun is shining, beginning to dry things out. Soon we will be leaving for an afternoon and evening at a Cousin's place on Whidbey Island for a family gathering of cousins from Tom's Mother's side of the family, different people than the Phosie Gertie, which will be coming up soon also. 

So now I've gotta go. Hopefully I'm be back with another post before another week is up.

Saturday Morning at the Farmers Market

 It's hot here today on this Tuesday moring, already 80 and headed for 91. I know that in some parts of the country, that's nothing, but here in the coastal Pacific NW we wilt easily. 

This morning so far I have managed to do a few of my PT exercises, had a Zoom meet up with teacher friends, and then I have been taking care of business on my desk top computer. With the work done, I remembered that I took photos on Saturday morning at the Des Moines Farmers Market, where we went just for fun, before the day got hot.

I mostly took photos of flowers, of course.

From soft and subtle to brassy and bold, flower colors never clash.

How would you like to spend hours just making bouquets? 

The markets are full of summer fruits and berries. We have also been going to the local Burien Farmers Market on Thursdays.

There were lots of folks just enjoying themselves on this beautiful summer morning. 

This day we bought baked goods, some for home, and some to eat at the Quarter Deck, the on site coffee shop and watering hole.

The market is held at the Des Moines Marina, which is on Puget Sound. 

After indulging in my almond croissant, Tom had a chocolate one,  and our lattes, we joined the strollers and rail standers in enjoying the blueness of it all,

It was a great morning. 

And now this morning is almost gone, and I still have to finish my exercises. Guess I'd better get moving.

Title?

I couldn't decide what to call this post, probably because I didn't really have a reason to post one, but I thought I should check in, so I wanted to try, and  see what happens. 

As you know, I like to post lots of photos, but I am having trouble with my iCloud photos on both of my computers. They don't want to open. I have no idea why, so I am trying to work around it. 

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Well, it is two days later, but this evening I have finally found a fix to my iCloud photo problem, and I am quite pleased with my self. It took too much time and too many failed attempts but finally the right Googling took me to the fix, uninstalling and reinstalling iCloud. 

The Cannas are beginning to bloom. 

 

There's just something special about sunflowers in blue bottles. Maybe it's the Swedish in me. 

Giant ones stay in the garden.

This hydrangia is called Pinky Winky. My sister-in- law thought that was way to gay sounding, but gay can also mean happy, as it used to. These are happy flowers. 

The lilies in the rose bed have put on an extravaganza, especially the white Casablancas. 

I picked a couple of single lilies to bring in the house. They have lasted over a week, and the fragrance is wonderful. 

And now I think I can call it an evening. I have my photo fun back. 

Rally Round the Flag

After missing all of the protest action during the month of July, we decided we'd better get back out there to support the cause of Democracy and call attention to all of the issues that we find the need to protest in the actions of the Trump administration.

Today we were back out at Big Catch Plaza in Des Moines.

 Need a poster? I didn't because I brought my own.

The crowd was much smaller today, and the cars driving by were  also much fewer, but this is a long campaign, and we will persist.

My poster reflects the sadness I feel over the cruelty of the Trump administration. People being grabbed off the street and disappeared, families broken up, jobs and services ended, career government workers fired, hunger and starvation and death increasing in third world countries, and so much more. 

The damage to our democracy and the rise of authoritarianism in our country is frightening and discouraging as well.  

We need to stay informed and involved. Our country is counting on us.