We're having the best summer weather

The best in decades. Sun, not too much fog, and not too much wind. Downright warm. You can go outside on a sunny day without wearing a ski-suit!

We've got tons of goldfinches, lots of hummingbirds, some cedar waxwings nesting in the back tangle (saw the baby begging the mama to feed him). The Chilean Jasmine is blooming right now, roses are going strong.

Except for my long-neglected disaster, everything is good, and we're working on remedying that.

The deck now has two full coats of stain, it's drying as we speak. It's taken some weeks to scrub, dry and then stain it, but it's done, and water beads up.

The futon frame is almost all painted, and will make a nice summer daybed out there. We generally have our best time of year in Indian Summer, which is ahead of us yet.

It's encouraging. I love this time of year anyway, and this is the best year in memory.

Summer Sangria

Orange and lemon slices, nectarines, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, limoncello, pink lemonade concentrate, two big bottles of Pinot Grigio. Great!

And while we're on the topic of alcohol :) ◼ The Drunken Botanist,by Amy Stewart, is a fun read, and a great collection of plants.

Monkey Sea, Monkey Dunes

M, K, and friend J - winner today, Sandcastle Contest

Smokey, hot & sultry

Looks like fog, but it is not. It's smoke from the hundreds of fires that fabulous lightning storm caused. The lightning storm that raged over the weekend had over 6000 strikes according to a spokesperson at Calfire this morning in Shasta County. 602 fires consuming thousands of acres range from Santa Cruz to the Oregon border and from the Coast to Nevada but the states to the North and East of California also had their share of strikes and resulting blazes. This leaves fire crews “spread thin all over.” CalFire Report for entire state of California
Total Fires: 1,032
Acres involved: 132,235
Structures Destroyed: 17 residences, 1 commercial, 19 outbuildings to date.

Beauty, but with a real down side. Smoke so thick up and down the state that visibility in some places is almost zero. People being told to stay indoors.

Dividing water lilies

Water lilies can spread from seeds or the rhizomes. And mine has definitely spread. At first I had it in the pond in its pot, but the dog kept pulling the pot out of the water and chewing on the rootballs. So I took it out of the pot and let it naturalize. It's been in there for years and blooms more each year.

Today we cut a chunk of the rhizome off for my neighbor who is putting in a pond. I wasn't sure how it would go, but, I'm not worried anymore.

Best LIGHTNING Storm we've ever had

Found this shot by Destiny Young/Boonville this looks like what we saw.

Started last evening (SUMMER SOLSTICE), still light out, strange and fabulous cloud structures, the simultaneous sunset, thunder, flashes and streaks of lightning over the ocean. Everyone on the street came out to watch in awe. None of us had cameras. A few drops of rain, but a very dry storm. The lightning came and went all night, further away, so we saw the flashes but didn't hear the thunder. Awesome!

Roses

John F. Kennedy. (J&P?) Catalog says it has the strongest fragrance of any white rose - the flourishing scent of fresh fruit, the soft vanilla hues and the play of greens. It's pretty hard to mistake this rose for any other, with its hourglass form, sculpted ivory petals and the way it unfolds as gracefully as a good story, the effect is classic elegance.



Blooms 5-6" (and they weren't kidding, the roses are HUGE!) I bought this January 24, 1998. It's planted by the front window, very healthy, huge blooms, great scent - a definite FAVORITE. I'm thinking a few more in the back yard are in order. If cuttings of this one are as successful as Madame Leonie, it will be great.

(Note: Some online forum discussions question how JFK Rose does, with varied reports. Mine flourishes, tall, at least 6 feet, blooms reliably, huge creamy white blooms, great fragrance, has tolerated this coastal air, fog, cooler temps. Enough that I'm looking for another 1 or 2, and will also propagate by cuttings)

Albertine is another great rambler, planted starts from a friend, always puts on a good show. I still like Madame Leonie better, but Albertine blooms longer and more often.