Is it summer yet?

We have been having the most amazingly weird summer! There have been maybe 4 days when the temperatures exceeded 80 F, and more rain in the past week then usually falls for an entire summer, June through September.

While this has spelled miserable conditions for our heat- loving vegetables like peppers and tomatoes, the broccoli, cauliflower and slug crops have been awe-inspiring. We'd like to share these beauties:

 In fact, does broccoli ship well?

Tree house update

This is the scene of the tree house before construction began:

the two trees, site of future tree house, deck and connecting bridge

Mitch, left, and Mike try out the deck support system.

Mike and Charlie below the main tree house tree supports.

The view of the beginning phase from the deck tree down to the tree house tree.

So Cal trip, at last!

 

Amy and Jamie welcome us to the Village! You will notice that they are wearing warm clothing, as we conveniently imported refreshing Oregon weather all the way to Southern California.

Last month (yes that does make it sound like a long, long time ago, but really time has flown since then, so it's not) we drove down to see "the kids" in Los Angeles, their families, and Mike's Dad, Hank, in La Jolla. Amy, Jamie and their son, Felix, Patrick, Em, and their sons, Finn and Jack, and many of their friends and Em's sister and brother-in-law, live in Los Feliz Village. Los Feliz is not to be confused with Felix.

OK, got that? -  Lots of people who know each other living in one large apartment complex where the kids can run feral, no cars to worry about, a swimming pool, and a little park complete with barbeques and picnic tables. Sort of like a commune, without the existential angst. Or any over-arching "philosophy." Just a nifty way for families who like spending time together to do so. And, we'd like to add, a great way for visiting grandparents to get to see everybody in a relaxed and natural environment. Which makes it sound like a safari park, but it's not.

A friendly spotted dragon smiles - Oh, wait, that's not a dragon, that's Jack! And he's having a picnic dinner at the Los Feliz Village park with his family, aunts, uncle, cousin, and grandparents. No wonder he's so happy.

Em and her equally adorable sister, Bell, at the park/picnic area.

 From there we all went to La Jolla to see Hank. It was warmer and sunnier! We spent time on Saturday at the beach:

Beach boys.

Amy and Felix arrive.

Finn, left, and Jack got buried quite a few times.

While Finn did marine algae research,

Jack observed, kindly holding his grandpa's hand so Mike wouldn't be concerned about all the waves crashing in.

Jack did venture off from Mike, getting in some algal research of his own.

Sunday was Father's Day, and we had a bunch of Dore lineage fathers there for the event - four generations of males, in fact!

Finn on Patrick's lap, Hank, Mike with Jack, and Jamie with Felix. A handsome and happy band of fathers and sons, all a-Dore-able and a-Dored.

Finally, a stop at the playground to run off the ya-yas and then back to LA.

Mike unleashing his Ya-yas.

Felix doing the same.

It's a Burl! (Amy, BEWARE!)

En route home from So Cal, we stopped at the highly quirky roadside attraction between Grants Pass and Cave Junction, OR - It's a Burl! Beyond myrtle wood bowls, beyond chainsaw art, beyond even the Treesort, "It's a Burl!" offers a wood working extravaganza - a Disneyland of burls in a cornucopia of sizes, shapes, functions and levels of handiwork. Take a gander:

This is one of two treehouses on the premises. Note that the windows are framed by burls taken from branch scars.

This is the front of the show and sales room and much more! If you have the ability to click on the photo and see things more clearly, check out the carved face hanging at the back building's gable peak. Then scan through the porch miscellany.

A chair built from burls. The staff here were involved in many stages of the construction of various items of furniture, all from burls and other rough-hewn tree parts: benches, tables, chairs, love seats, lamps, you name it.

The resident carver seems quite skilled and possessed of a tendency to whimsy.  And far better at rendering than your average Oregon chain saw artist!

This is tree house #2, or maybe #1, considering its size and scope. There's a spiral staircase to get up into it, three floors of progressively grander square footage, and a final impressive view of It's a Burl-ville.

Another great face.

And another, on the post as one enters the show room. Again, check out the porch if you can enlarge the view.

"Burl-esque" is the display area for burls of all forms and origins. Each of the slabs of wood on the pallets is a burl, usually cut to 3 or 4 inch width.

 Finally, for the unenlightened, this link for the Wikipedia "burl" definition. And for the truly brave, "It's a Burl!"

Tribute gardens in full bloom

When we started landscaping our new home in earnest, maybe five years ago, we incorporated two areas specifically dedicated to honoring our moms. A "Pat garden" and a "Nelly garden." Our moms were pretty different women, yet similar in interesting ways. For instance, Nelly was born on May 1st and Pat's birthday was May 2nd. Both loved a good social gathering, but while Nelly's social world was more family, friends, tennis, bridge and party centered, Pat's was family, Art League, Girl Scouts, the family church and its school of fine arts. It has been fun to interpret each of these vibrant women in our choices of plants and colors.

This is an azalea right under the window. The coral color was one of Nelly's favorites in her wardrobe and in her home. 

The Nelly Garden is out our kitchen window, gets a lot of sun, and has more fancy flowers in it - lilies, azaleas, gladiolus, and a large, lovely lavendar pentstemon, 'Catherine de la Mer'. Nelly was a Southern California woman, had an impeccable sense of style, color and fashion, was an absolute social queen, and loved beauty.

Nelly Garden from the kitchen window, back in June.

And just today, as things progress.

Lilies and pentstemon.

The Pat Garden is on the northeast corner of the landscaping and much of it is shaded some part of the day by either a large walnut tree or that side of the house. As she was devoted to native wild flowers, we have incorporated many of those in this area - trillium, wild iris, violets, Oregon grape, and her favorite, foxgloves.

Columbines in the June sun.

A view from the east side with yarrow, lamb's ear and the foxgloves in the rear.

More Pat garden.