Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Seattle 5 day forecast

Today

Hot
Hot

Hi
101 °F
Tonight

Clear
Clear

Lo
69 °F
Thursday

Hot
Hot

Hi
100 °F
Thursday
Night

Mostly Clear
Mostly
Clear
Lo
66 °F
Friday

Sunny
Sunny

Hi
92 °F
Friday
Night

Clear
Clear

Lo
63 °F
Saturday

Sunny
Sunny

Hi
83 °F
Saturday
Night

Partly Cloudy
Partly
Cloudy
Lo
63 °F
Sunday

Mostly Sunny
Mostly
Sunny
Hi
84 °F

"We live here because of the cool summers."

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Garden in Summer

This spring and the beginning of this summer in Seattle have been ridiculously warm and sunny. Almost too warm and sunny. Average rainfall in June is 1.55". We got .29" Average rainfall for July is .93". We're halfway through the month, with no rain in sight, and we've gotten, to date, .06". It's a good thing most of our plants are drought tolerant!
First up, the most exciting thing! Those tomatoes are turning a color other than green!

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The pink monkeyflower (I believe this is Mimulus lewisii) that we brought from Montana has seeded itself into various other pots around the yard. So cool.

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Two of my favorite things, Daisies and Rhubarb.

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The Agapanthus is just starting to emerge. I don't think it appreciates quite so much dryness, there are fewer flowers than last year.

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The East parking strip. The Agastache doesn't seem to mind the drought. And the bees LOVE it! Walking by, you can hear the buzzing.

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See him there, all happy doing his bee thing?

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Echinacea, Purple coneflower. This has seeded itself around, too. Although somehow we seem to have acquired three different kinds. Not quite sure what's going on there.

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A bee's-eye view.

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What's left of the Allium. They look great, even when they're done for the season. We've been leaving the seedheads out in the garden, and are being rewarded with lots of tiny seedlings. It'll be a few years before the bulbs mature enough to flower, though.

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Evening Primrose - Oenethera 'lemon sunset'. The flowers each only last one night, although we managed to plant them in the right spot, where they are shaded most of the morning, so the flowers last a little longer.

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Our newest addition (because you can't go to the Chris-Craft rendezvous without buying plants at the farmer's market). Coreopsis 'Red Shift'. As the flowers age, they go from pale yellow to burgundy.

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What you've all been waiting for - the giant WALL OF DOOM! Oh wait, it's just sunflowers. Our neighbors love it. Especially the kids. I had a woman yesterday walk past with her daughter who told me, "My friend told us about your sunflowers, so we had to come and see them" We're an official Phinneywood tourist attraction! Plus, it camouflages the sad, unfinished porch quite nicely. You can see that the giant ones in the middle aren't even blooming yet - they're about eight feet tall.

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Just one of about six varieties we planted.

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Ceanothus americanus. It's pretty much done blooming, but there are still a few flowers to be seen. Lovely and delicate, and they smell wonderful.

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Genetics at work - we planted five red sedums. They seeded around, and this year there were several mutants. Albinos?

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Again with the genetics and volunteers. The hollyhock appeared two years ago. It was pale pink. This year we have two different shades of pink as well as a dark burgundy. Go figure. Also - that echinacea is a volunteer that appeared last year. Totally different variety than the two that are on the opposite corner of the yard.

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Asclepias tuberosa. Butterfly weed. Sadly, of the three we planted two years ago, this is the only one left. Happily, it's doing great!

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Verbena rigida. We planted this on a whim in the tiny triangle of dirt left at the very corner between the curb ramps. It's taken over, and it blooms like this for three months.

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Even when it's not in bloom, the Choysia 'aztec pearl' is pretty.

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Just the way we like it - so much vegetation you can hardly see the house!


Sunday, July 12, 2009

Back to Back Boat Shows

Just back from back to back boat show weekends! Sounds relaxing, right? Sort of... There's a lot of prep that happens before the boat motors into the marina all shiny and clean. It's even harder to keep the boat clean when you're living on it. But somehow we were able to pull through and survive it all. Good times!

The first show was the Center for Wooden Boats, Wooden Boat Festival on Lake Union. A short ride from the slip, but when you're on the boat you're miles away.

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All the way west on the I dock, the SWIETENIA. Check the reflection of the line in varnish. However, the line should not be in the water and should be coiled. Tsk tsk. We're slacking.

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The bowsprit of the 130' schooner ZODIAC, shot through our hatch.

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ZODIAC returning to berth.

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30' SWIETENIA from the ZODIAC. Note the market umbrella. It was hot as hell.

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ZODIAC mast & signal flags.

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Feeding before 4th of July fireworks.

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The park completely filled up for fireworks. But put that many people on this floating dock and it'll sink.

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Note the bowsprit is nearly half the length of our little boat!

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A homemade boat, varnished western red cedar.

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Truly.


Four days of working and then back on the water, this time headed for Port Orchard and the 20th Anniversary Chris Craft Rendezvous! Once you're through the locks, it's about a 2 hour ride across the shipping lanes, and watch out for ferries.

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Elliot Bay and Seattle. I love ya.

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Lola gets into the groove instantly.

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Our cruising buddies and great friends' boat, Andy and Genevieve's Cinnamon Girl. Second and third boat on the dock this year, it took us 7 years of attendance to finally get some top billing! Yes.

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Not a Chris Craft, but a Shain. Called a turtleback.

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Had to show you: This is what happens when you stop taking care of the boat and leave it out in the weather. Our boat was approaching this state when we bought it. Sad. This old 50's Chris Craft is probably not coming back. It's a blue tarp special.

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Yikes.

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77 Chris Crafts this year!

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Bear claw vents.

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Even the chain is chromed. It's in the details.

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PEARL, and nice details.

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SEASCAPE, nice details.

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MARANEE. Oh, the details. Jim and Margie actually have the skeleton key that locks this door. Nice.

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The ULTIMATE in details. The corner chock, mooring bit, deck drain, stanchions, mounted in teak on SEASCAPE. Mmm.

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It was hot, but we made it!