All the photos from this series have been taken from a second story balcony.
Compare these photos with those in the last post to see the progress.
There will be more to come.
Stay tuned…
Still Growing Strong…
Tag Archives: nature
Stay Tuned…
Change is coming. Last week I thought this plant looked different. Then decided, maybe not. By Saturday, I knew a bloom was coming. The gardener remembers planting this agave 30 years ago.
I’ve heard the bloom growth is phenomenally fast. The following displays what can happen in only two days.
Besides growing fast, the blooms are supposed to be spectacular. Expect periodic photo updates.
It will be fun to watch, and a wee bit bittersweet. With the bloom, comes death. It will be sad to loose this plant as it is a showcase specimen on the pathway to a patio area. Perhaps it’ll spawn another.
I Love Living Here…
Frequently, I’m asked how I’m enjoying my new home.
My response flows.
“I’m loving it more every day.”
Perhaps I’m under the influence of the intoxicating fragrances that waft through the air. Depending upon where I stand on the property today, I might smell orange blossoms, or alyssum, or eucalyptus, or other yet to be identified scents. Each offers aromas I enjoy, and I savor those moments of fragrance.
Regularly, I’m learning something new about the plantings on the property. The former owners enjoyed the diversity found in this locale, so there’s a variety of mature plantings to enjoy. Our styles may be different, but our love of plants and being outdoors to enjoy them is something we share with those owners. We’re grateful they invested in the property. We’ve relocated and moved some things to create different spaces or zones; this visually opened the approach to the house; yet maintained almost all the species we worked with. It’s a process and we’re comfortable knowing that it will all take time. I wake up, look outdoors and say,
“I love living here.”
March Surprises
Surprises abound on this property.
The citrus trees are breaking forth in bloom and their fragrance wafts through the air.
How I would like to share that with you!
Not possible.
So instead I share the beautiful white blossoms.
Spring is in the air…
It’s February
Yet spring abounds
The birds are busy
Calling from one to another
We watch them building nests
Or scavenging in the garden
Buried plants have broken the earth’s crust
Then released their blooms
With these blooms, comes color
Fragrances fill the air
Sweet alyssum flows down the hillside
While the aroma wafts back to the patio
Citrus trees share their harvest
While setting blossoms for next year’s crop
It’s all part of the cycle
The invigorating cycle of life
It feels so good to be in the middle of this
Sneak Peek
Today, a quick trip to the new house
To be surrounded by the plantings,
the colors, the sounds and the fragrances
Soon, this will be home, where I escape from all else
Dressed in Splendor
The mountains and hills are gilded in gold for this special season!
Pandemic Outing…
Yesterday was a beautiful morning, so we drove to town, stopped at our favorite coffee shop for take-n-go drinks and took off.
Took off for a drive up a nearby mountain pass. The spring melt has the rivers flowing at near peak capacity.
The morning air, fresh and cool, offers the fragrance of spring. One could smell the earth, the heat generating from the rocks and the moisture in the shade under the trees. The sound of the water racing downhill, roaring over rock walls, splash landing at the base before flowing into the river filled the air. In one location, the cool spray carried gently by the breeze, brushed against my face.
In another location, we sat nearby and absorbed the sensations of being by water, out in nature.
Honestly, at one site, I got dizzy sitting there. We were in the truck, parked close to the river’s edge. The sights and sounds were relaxing, refreshing yet simultaneously invigorating. As I sat and watched the water, I got the sense the vehicle was moving. It wasn’t. Yet the water was so intense, so fast and so mesmerizing, I lost track of everything else.
Perhaps these photos will take you to these places also…
Spring… is coming to the mountains!
The air is filled with birds singing, happy for the promise of warmer weather.
Yesterday, while on my way to town, I saw my first bluebird of the season.
Yeah!
They are absolutely my favorite.
From now through summer I’ll have the pleasure of seeing the vibrant, electric blue darting in the tree branches, or flying in the air.
It always brings a smile to my face.
Let the warmer weather come.
Majesty
I stand in the wind facing east.
The sea roars as the consistent waves roll in, one after the other.
The sky is huge with layer after layer of clouds cloaking the evening sun.
I feel small against the vastness of these forces of nature.
Yet, I look into the heavens and know that I’m loved beyond comprehension.
The words from Psalm 8 filled my mind this day.
Psalm 8 from the NIV Bible
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
