Gardens gone wild

This post is going to be a selection of garden pictures. Don't say I didn't warn you.

It took a while to get going, but I'm pretty happy with the way the front flowerbed turned out.

As for this carrot, Brian put it best: "Hm, little genetic challenge there?"

One of the epic battles: Pumpkins vs Tomatoes!

"The corn is as high as an elephant's eye...."

Close-up of the foliage of my Japanese Maple. Note to Brian: no, it is not diseased. It is supposed to look like that.

Hardy Gladiolus

Delphinium in front of more hardy gladiolus

FREEEDOOOMMMMM! (This picture was taken a few weeks ago -- that pumpkin is the size of a volleyball now.)

Look who's back! Apparently, pansies can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.

Eve's first day of school

Today was Eve's first real day of kindergarten.






The whole experience is still too new for either of us to have formed an opinion about it yet. "Further bulletins as events warrant." -Calvin & Hobbes

Before and after

In the beginning, there was a pool.

It was nice as pools went, but I wanted it gone. So with the assistance of some local contractors, we turned this...


Into this...
Which has now become this:

Thank you Brian, for getting me my long-sought garden plot!

Thanks a lot, sweetie

An email from Brian, who is on a business trip:

"Forgot to bring Digi cam. But here is view from my hotel room. Guess it pays to show up before they have many rooms cleaned."

My response: "Dude. You suck. :-)"

I knew to keep an eye on the zucchini, but...

I'm pretty sure my snow peas are violating the law of conservation of mass. How else could such quantities of biomass result from water, a little dirt, and a seed?

I've just had to make my first foray into freezing produce, in a desperate attempt to keep up with the tidal wave of peas coming out of my three little rows (one each of English, sugar snap and snow peas). The English and sugar snap peas are producing respectable yet modest amounts; it's the snow peas that seem to have no concept of restraint. Them and the strawberries, profligate floozies that they are.

Reason I love where I live, #14

Fireworks.

Growing up in Oregon, there were heavy restrictions on the kinds of fireworks the public could legally purchase and use, and those restrictions pretty much reduced us to sparklers, ground blooms and fountains. Washington, it turns out, has no such restrictions.

A few weeks ago, our neighbors two houses down mentioned that they were going to be having a "big fireworks show" out of their backyard on the 4th of July. It turns out that "big fireworks show" means a $3000, 45 minute long barrage that was literally bigger and better than most of the city-sponsored fireworks shows I went to growing up. Mom, seriously, this thing went on longer and was showier than McMinnville's shows were back in the day. We set up our camp chairs out on our driveway and had as good as front row seats. I'm still a little bit blown away.

Zoo!

About a week ago, my brother visited us for a few days, and together we took the kids to the zoo in Portland. It was the first time my kids had ever been to a zoo. Here be pictures.

Kids with Uncle Daniel

Eve in front of the sea lion exhibit.

That sea lion was a showoff. And huge. The pictures can't really convey his SIZE.

Bats!

The giraffe's enclosure was being cleaned, so here he is in giraffe lockup.

The zebra, enjoying the lush Northwest greenery.

Hippo

Child's view of elephant (Eve or Isaiah took this)

Adult's view of elephant

Ever since we arrived at the zoo, Isaiah had been going on about wanting to see the dinosaurs. We tried to tell him that there were no dinosaurs at the zoo, but he was insistent that there were.

And wouldn't you know it

...he was right.

goway. lemme lone.