Busy Days

I've got a lot of pictures, capturing current happenings around here. Last week I might have mentioned that Dawson's girlfriend Splara (Sarah) stayed here a few days while her parents were on their anniversary get-away. They hiked and fished with Monte and friends Monday. I'm glad Dawson took a picture on this hike of a purple cone, cuz I saw some around here - like new buds on a pine tree- and I didn't take a picture.


I thought I'd add another picture Dawson took up on Mt Evens where they hiked, just to show you that as it's hot down here, in the middle of the summer, there's still snow higher in the mountains! We have taken company up there to slide in the snow fields - some people from the south who hardly see snow! So the fish they caught could be packed in snow and kept fresh.

Tuesday Splara helped me weed the vegetable garden while Dawson was starting to build a picnic table. Dawson could have just built a normal style picnic table, but no ... he looked on line and really wanted to do a round one. So we told him to go for it. He downloaded the plans, bought the wood, and had to do hard math - even engineer Monte was struggling with it; sawed all these strange angles, and put it together. Now it sits by the campfire amphitheater. (There used to be another aspen tree there and I always did want a round table around it, but the tree died, but now I've got my round table.)


Wednesday Splara and Dawson worked on gathering rocks into the back of our truck, from our neighbors. She weeded around the amphitheater while Dawson pick-axed the compacted soil in front of my flower bed on the east side of our house. I've always wanted a FLAT path from the front of the house, in front of this bed, to the back deck. Now it's flat and Dawson made a rock wall in front of flower bed. I LOVE IT! (I'll post the 'done' picture tomorrow.)

Another friend of Dawson's, Jeremy, stayed with us a couple days while Dawson finished this wall and Jeremy pick-axed out a large shrub and moved it. Then they removed sod out back and pick-axed a trench for an electrical cord we want to put in. AND Dawson did a new water line in my vegetable garden with a line to an old sink we put down there, while Jeremy finished up the electrical trench.

So with this new path to the back I have a new little bed to build up the soil in and plant. I'm calling it my 'triangle bed' as I make notes. I have pages of notes on a clip board, and drawn pictures of all my plantings from years back. I make notes each year in differing ink, writing notes about what died, or what I like, or what I should move, etc ...

Dawson will be working hard this week too (remember, we hired him for the summer to work around here), with more rock wall work out back opposite my tomato bed (I'm posting a picture of my tomatoes in walls-of-water, which they remain in all summer, with basil and a few cucumber in front, and scarlet runner beans up poles in the back along my greenhouse windows). We're still waiting on our neighbors little bobcat to finish up the rest of the landscaping. But it's worked out great with everything spacing out fine. Cuz I'll have to do a lot more planting and watering with that new area. So considering our juggling of water use, I've already established several new planted areas and will be able to take on a new one soon.

AND still waiting on rain!!! The fire danger is almost extreme! It surprises me how without much moisture the wildflowers will still grow. Maybe they're not as thick this year, but our meadow is FULL of wild Monarda - purple bee balm. I hope they're still as beautiful this next weekend when we've got a lot of company. I'll see if between Dawson's great camera and my pocket Canon Elph, we can capture a picture of the meadow with the wildflowers.