I dig it, Baby

Al is trying to find the water line that goes from near the garage to the road, so he can add water to Rhode Island (those aggressively-pruned things are indeed rhododendrons), but the only way is to dig a ditch until he hits the pipe.  I suggested renting a small backhoe, but you can imagine what response I got.  So away he goes. 

He's getting pretty good at it.  Call if you need his services. 

Lily and I worked on a project involving Sharpies, 91% isopropyl alcohol and ceramic tiles. 

You know you want to try it.  Just search for "Sharpie art ceramic tiles" and find out how fascinating it is.  We both want to do more because we learned a lot from our first attempt.  

The first harvest.  Very tender and tasty.  Almost didn't need butter.  Almost. 

 This is all one ancient lavender plant.  The thing just keeps going, even though they say to replace them every 15 or so years.

Its backside is so wonderfully gnarly.  

Dilly Dilly

 It was Lavender Weekend and, as any self-respecting town which likes to claim even a tiny bit of Scottish heritage (some of the first settlers were from Scotland, ya know) the ceremonies must open with a bagpiper.  Sorry the picture isn't better.  That banner proclaims "Lavenderstock" because it was non-stop music groups for three days.  No rain, no mud, but there might have been a few doped kids wandering among the crowds. Most people were high on the calming scent of lavender everywhere.

No, our very own lavender isn't this big, but one of the nearby farms was busy.

Lily and Svea and I got stuck in the Perler bead craze and wonder how long the jar of 22,000 might keep us busy.  Wanna come play? 

At last!  Controls!  

Art class

 

Lily, my favorite eight-year old and I played with crayons and the hair dryer yesterday.

Hot glue the crayons to the canvas (we didn't have canvas so we used paper glued to cardboard), then attack it with a hair dryer.

Lesson one - Buy cheap crayons at the back-to-school sale. 

Lesson two - use a razor blade or x-acto knife to cut the side of the crayon label off or you'll be peeling little bits of paper for hours.

Lesson three - it splatters a lot so don't do it in the kitchen.

Lesson three and a half - you can get the splattered crayon off the backsplash - and the counter and under the cabinet and the stove and the counter -  by warming it with the hairdryer. 

Lesson four - a shower curtain liner makes a great tarp.

Lesson four and a half - don't melt the shower curtain.

Lesson five - when you aren't very tall it's best to work on the floor.

Lesson six - a heat gun might be another option because it wouldn't splatter the hot wax as much as the gale force wind from the hair dryer does.  Or use a lower setting which would take longer.

 But the results wouldn't be nearly as random and colorful.

Garden breakfast

 Al wants you to see his breakfast.  He goes out to the bucket garden and picks all this.

Doesn't he look pleased with the fruits of his labors?

Here are the results after picking off the good stuff.

Voila!

Bloomin'

 On the west side of our house.

 On the east side of our house.

Checking for leaks at the headwaters of the Stone Stream.  You know that Petri means rock or stone, (think petrified wood) so this might be what he has been waiting for his entire life.

 That was a lot of digging and rock hauling for an old fella.

It's gonna take a huge rainstorm or a million gallons of water to get any whitewater rafting.
Good thing we don't have a lot of mosquitoes here in Paradise.

 Lavender in the neighborhood.  Our new plants aren't this big and won't be for years.  But here in the Lavender Capital of North America  everybody has it, partly because it doesn't require much attention and the deer turn up their noses as they stroll past it, looking for tastier morsels.

.  If you're ever looking for a gorgeous B & B, Sea Cliff Gardens is the place.  Bill and Laura will take good care of you and this cute little frog will greet you in the rose bushes.

Knee High

 Al is so excited that his corn is knee high - even though it is only the tassel that stretched up to meet that requirement.    Do tassels count?  Notice that he didn't think anybody would know where his knee is without hoisting up his pant leg?  

Figs are popping out all over the tree.  Last year the birds got most of them so maybe we need a scarecrow.  Do you think I could sneak those raggy garden clothes away from Mr. Green Jeans when he isn't looking and make one to stand guard?

 

Who knew that artichokes would grow in Sequim?  We won't be having a dinner party to celebrate, because so far there are only two, but I'll let you know if that changes.  They aren't like zucchini, producing baskets full to sneak to the neighbor's front porch in the middle of the night.

These are Jerusalem artichokes, but only Superman would be able to see them underground.

Almost looks like the burning of Atlanta, but it's just another reason to live in Paradise.