From the front porch

17 Jun
On the porch

On the porch

Shelby joined me on the front porch this Sunday (Father’s Day) morning.  I was out at 6:00 am for a 3 mile walk to beat the heat.  The sunrise was glorious with pinks and purples.  The technical data from the walk was recorded on my Garmin 305 including heart rate.  So after I downloaded the data and while the Garmin was charging, Shelby and I watched for birds flying into the pondless bubbling fountain.  A hummingbird paused long enough for a drink!  I thought about the spirea shrubs that Mam-ma Tuggle had for years in front of her porch, the dragonfly sculptures from Kingsgate Studio and the coreopsis that I got a couple of years ago at Girls Night Out at Avon Gardens.  Great view!

Inspiration

8 Jun

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Inspiration for the last two posts came from Twitter and another WordPress blog.  The inspiration for this one comes from a friend and coworker, Ann Wilkerson, who recently took these photographs in Dallas, TX.  The Dallas Arboretum features the artwork of Dale Chihuly May 5th – November 5th.  The photos of the glass sculptures speak for themselves.  www.dallasarboretum.org/chihuly/index.htm

6 Jun

Elfcroft was in London the week before the Julbilee to celebrate family birthdays and sightsee. Love these photos from the party!

Little Observationist's avatarLittle London Observationist

By most accounts of the press, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee boat pageant was a near flawless success, apart from the bit of rain (that may or may not have added to the “British-ness” of the festivities). About a million of us Londoners gathered on the wet pavements along the Thames to watch 1,000 impressive, decorated boats, including the Spirit of Chartwell that carried the Queen down the river just past Tower Bridge which opened ceremoniously as her vessel passed.

We arrived early (or what we thought was early, quite a few hours before the boats were meant to begin their journey down the Thames) but didn’t manage to get a viewing spot, so we settled on people watching whilst we waited and stood near a screen playing back scenes from the Queen’s history on the throne. Eventually, it got too crowded to see the screen and there was definitely no…

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Quilt gardens

23 May

I learned about this from a tweet!  Beautiful and very interesting!

http://www.amishcountry.org/things-to-do/quilt-gardens

http://www.tradingplaceamerica.com/quiltgarden.php

http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/tripplanner/TripIdeaDetails.aspx?id=4914&regions=1,&categories=0,

Fascinating 🙂

“Blooming-ton” containers, before pictures

20 May

Yes, there is room for annual flowers/plants in the lawn of perennial flowers/plants!  We choose to use containers for annuals.  Last year we enjoyed ferns on the new breezeway.

Last weekend I planted “Wave” petunias in the old containers.  These hang like photos on a wall in an indoor room by decorating the fence “wall”.  Cost = $3 each.

Wave petunias

The next project was filling hanging baskets.  These have another variety of “Wave” petunias.  We did three more baskets with begonias.  Cost = $5 each (including new cocoa fiber liners).

Hanging baskets

Three pairs of foam containers flank the front porch step.  My tradition/habit is to have geraniums and spike plant (foliage).  I choose variated Salvia for the largest of the containers.  Cost = $4 each.

Front step containers

Last but not least is a pair of containers for purple fountain grass by the garage doors.  This terra-cotta looking container has weathered well over 10+ years (unlike the real thing).  Cost = $8 each.

Purple fountain grass

Container contents Total = $74 plus some potting soil and mulch to top off.

Primetime for peonies

15 May

Virginia Dare

Sword Dance

Garden Parfait

Karl Rosenfield

Foxtrot

The foliage is lovely throughout the summer, when it is time for other flowers taking center stage.

Over the years, it is easy to lose track of the names.  Posting photos is a great opportunity to look up names and get re-acquainted.

One thing leads to another

13 May

Could it be that an attraction to cotton print fabrics is genetic?  Both grandmothers made more than a few quilts each.

Once upon a time (several years ago), I found several fabrics featuring black bears.  Maybe there is a project with Dad’s name on it. He is also know as Papa Bear.  With no particular purpose in mind, the fabric ended up in the shopping cart then on my “What To Do With This” list.  Eventually, the fabric was paired with Nature-fil Batting TM.  This batting is 50% bamboo and 50% organic cotton.  With the help of Elfcroft assistants Shelby and Eve, two 48″X72″ quilts were made and given to Mama and Papa Bear.

Bear quilt project with Eve and Shelby

Encore!  By special request, we made a third one with coordinating fabric.  This one was a challenge with quilting due to the long running pattern.  Hmmmmm….a quilting frame would be handy.  Didn’t Mary Ann send me Aunt Mary’s needlepoint frame….20 years ago?  Of course, it was still in the box in the guest room with instructions!  Very helpful although small.

Needle point frame from Merribees Co, Memphis, TN

Eve is missing from the next picture.  She loves curling up in her “tent”.

Eve’s tent

Purrrr!

Naming conventions

8 May

I usually use the expression “naming conventions” with electronic files.  It came to mind when considering who or how did these hosta varieties get their common names.  This post has a few names that may be new to you.

Earth Angel

Guacamole

Rain Forest Sunrise

Abba Dabba Do!

Sounds fun 🙂

 

Pink Splash

6 May

Dianthus Firewitch

Dianthus Pixie

Dianthus Sangria Splash

If you see a pink splash this time of year, it is likely Dianthus also referred to as “pinks”.  I have these three varieties.  The foliage is more gray than green.  Firewitch and Pixie have been at home at home for eight years.  Sangria Splash is the latest addition in 2009.  There are some red varieties.  I have tried “Eastern Star” a couple of times unsuccessfully.

Kodak Gallery: Elizabeth’s Gallery

20 Apr

Last week I learned how to combine uploaded photos into a slide show, which is a great function when you want to share more than a few photos in a post.  I went back and applied a slide show to a post from last year on “alphabet photography” that did not format well.

Then, I noticed a new feature on Kodak Gallery!  They have website space for account holders to publish albums for sharing which short cuts the login process normally required……So, here I go!  This time last year, I had two adventures in the hunt for spring wildflowers one in Indiana and one in Delaware.  “Spring wildflowers 2011” captures our sightings and more.  This was very educational and great fun!  Enjoy 🙂

Kodak Gallery: Elizabeth’s Gallery.

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