Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Spring Things 2009



















Spring around the house, from top to bottom--
--starting with tulips leftover (not eaten by gophers) in the back yard, planted for Faith and Spencer's reception. We moved the bench there last year.
In the kitchen, my most recent orchid. It's so perfect it almost looks fake.
Also on the island, lilacs the Petersen's invited us to pick. Great smell.
Another great smell outside from the wisteria bloom. We've been working it up the bridge and it's starting to look lovely.
Garden boxes planted by Caitlin and Rob last Saturday.
The Sunburst Locust tree--just starting to leaf out--that Dad and Rob moved from the other side of the waterfall (too close to the Nashi tree). It's 15 feet high, so we weren't sure it would survive, but it definitely did.
A third of our Cottonwood tree died last year. It got hot really fast and apparently the shock started killing some trees. We'll have to get that part cut down.
To empty the 2nd garden box (so we could plant the zucchini and cucumbers), Dad and Graydon transplanted all the iris in different places around the back yard--some, here, bordering the steps to the basement patio.
The Purple Robe Locust is in bloom.
Here is the little replica of the Frank Lloyd Wright garden sprite from Midway Gardens in Chicago. The original is about 7 feet tall.
Here's the view from the "tulip bench." When we planted those pine trees, the tallest was just barely as tall as the fence.
More iris starting to bloom at the base of the waterfall.
Dad's favorite pine tree. I clipped the trunk Saturday. Dad loves the split trunk.
Can you see the quail under the pine tree? Birds love our waterfall.
Another view of the Purple Robe.
From Mother's Day--a view of the tulips from the breezeway door.
Roses Dad got me for Mother's Day to enjoy at my desk all week long.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Cinco de Mayo Tulips!

















I forgot to load the pictures from the "bottom up" so they would be in sequence from top down. Sorry. Anyway, start at the bottom and go up for chronology. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with the usual Mexican food fest, the Mexican flag flying, and Linda Ronstadt's "Canciones de Mi Padre" playing. Rob had to work that night, so we had taco salad on Sunday as a warm-up. Then Tuesday, we had enchiladas, rellenos, a to-die-for guacamole that Jen made, and Dominic and Jen decided to look up recipes for fried ice cream! Graydon helped put it together and we all enjoyed. We went outside to take pictures of the tulips :) and of Grandpa and Grandma in front of the backyard crabapple tree. Oh, and Grandpa is a special favorite of Iris' right now as he is always ready to respond to her request to "Can you tell me a story?" I know Cinco de Mayo is no big deal in Mexico, but I had a fun conversation (en EspaƱol) with Antonia, a lady from Mexico who helps me clean every other week. It was the day after 5 Mayo and she was trying to remember the historical roots of the day. I reminded her that it was a victory over the French and she nodded and said that was right. Then she said that it was said in Mexico that when they beat a better trained and better equipped opponent--"No somos machos, pero somos muchos." (We're not that tough, but there are a lot of us.)

Thursday, May 14, 2009

In Mesa








Dad and Adam rode bikes to Adam's early Sunday morning Missionary Prep class. Monday night was baseball for Adam, Abby, and Mark.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Visit to Adam and Sara's





Citrus Country!









It was great seeing Bethany and Nate's family, their beautiful back yard, Amanda and Tanner's school program, the Pasadena Showcase Home (always amazing), and the Farmer's Market!