easter sunday

AJ and I were treated with truly summer-like weather on this Easter Sunday.  The sun was shining, the garden was growing, the deck was finished - all around a lovely day.  Below are a few images from the homestead.  Lots to be grateful for, indeed!

The cat sniffed out this early morning sunshine anomaly and tracked it all day as it moved from east to west

Our favorite rhododendron is about to burst

All the plants in the cold-frames got a jump start on the rest of the garden

Our cherry tree showing the promise of deliciousness ahead

There is already LOTS growing in AJ's urban farm - gets more productive every year

Gratuitous shot of the deck - what can I say, I am proud...

Heaven?

Our succulent wreath that is doing quite well

AJ enjoying the new scene

to build a deck....

...one must have patience and skill.  I have about half-a-dose of each, but I think the new addition turned out pretty good.  I would have liked it to be more rigid - the word 'trampoline' comes to mind when you walk on it - but it serves our purposes and is another nice touch to the backyard.  See below for a time series of before and after.

Nothing wrong with our old deck - but in the summer, our big wooden chairs and the chiminea covered up all the sliding doors to outside.  No good.

Ps. you can see the outline of the planned deck addition in white string

Tools - check. Lumber - check.  Good weather - check.  Someone who knows what they're doing - ummmm....

Framing coming along...

Starting to lay the decking

The nearly finished product, going for a test run

some scenes of spring - pacnorwest style

Spring flowers at Pike Place

We still have a LONG way to go before we see consistent sunshine up here.  But this time of year is pretty great - there's often afternoon sun (albeit still cold outside), the days are getting noticeably longer, and all the trees and plants are emerging from their prolonged slumber.  Its been mighty enjoyable to watch - below are some scenes from around these parts.

Daffodils and cherry trees on lower campus

Seattle is ground zero for rhododendrons - some white ones on campus

Daffodils on upper campus near the cool old buildings

The upper part of campus feels like a real old-fashioned academic 

institution - pink cherry blossoms coming out

I know this isn't spring-related, but I love the Harry Potter style library on campus

Famous cherry trees on upper campus in full bloom - given as gifts from Japan in the 1960s

A blooming salmonberry in our backyard

Our mossy fence

Happy AJ pretending its summertime

a murder of crows

I heard a ruckus out back while reading my new Car and Driver magazine in the living room - so I went to see what all the commotion was about.  Who knows why these crows were all fired up - but it was fun to listen to these guys for a few minutes.  I love how they all squawk, then get dead silent, then start going again...

the first REAL batch

This is the real deal folks - my first batch of real grape wine.  A Washington Merlot...here's hopin'.

our new tenants

I built the tiny town for birds in our backyard simply because it was fun and it looked nice.  To our surprise, this weekend some new tenants actually moved in - looks like apartment C is now taken.  We watched two birds go in and check out the living quarters - one stayed inside while the other would bring sticks and fluff back for nesting arrangement.  Totally cool.

Below are a series of photos - kind of hard to see - of the nuthatch couple that live on the premises.

"Is this twig appropriate for the feng-shui?"

"The view is AWESOME from our roof-top deck!"

"Where is he with my next piece of fluff?"

springtime in the pacnorwest

AJ and I were treated to temperatures approaching 60 this weekend, with sun all day Friday, most of the day Saturday, and even some of it today.  This tricked us into thinking it was summer - I wore shorts, flip flops, t-shirts, and shades all weekend - and it kickstarted our backyard productivity to once again be the garden of eatin.  Above are the salmonberries that grow along our fence - below are some images from the yard this weekend.

Icelandic poppy and a bunch of bulbs blooming in the grass strip out front

AJ checks out all the little radishes coming up in our new greenhouses

Not quite sure what I am watering, but I'm enjoying it

New succulent plantings - can't shake the SoCal outta me

The many many paper pots with seedlings sprouting in our basement - implications of the bounty ahead

The fields lay a-fallow for the time being - but not for long...