Apropos of Nothing v.17

I just ordered a used copy of Robert Service poems from Amazon for $2.09 + shipping. They remind me of that Beatles' song Rocky Raccoon.

Pix & Laurie you must read The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, by Tim Burton. Outrageous verse with equally fascinating drawings.

What is a kubota? It sounds like an eco-friendly car that runs on saki.

Judi, you're on a roll today!!!

Enjoy the poems. Don't know Rocky Raccoon - will have to look that one up.

Pixy, I wish I could take you up on the succulents, but I have nowhere to put anything tender. My adenium is on my little tiny kitchen windowsill, that's the only window in the house that the cats can't get to. I had three seeds of it, and two rotted. I hear that's not unusual, so I don't feel too bad. Good idea on the work light, but I don't know if I can pull that off where it is. I'll think on it.

My surgery is Tuesday Sept. 14th. I would have preferred not to do this during gardening season, but really the only convenient time would be January, and I don't want to wait that long. I'm sick of this darn thing hurting all the time. This will just mean I need to recover fast so my garden doesn't suffer. ;)

I have been off line for well over a week now, so am not even going to try to catch up.

Important things....

Pony, hope your surgery goes well and accomplishes the desired results.

Holly, If belated thoughts and wishes help you at all, they are definitely coming your way. Hope things are looking brighter for you.

Beautiful travels and beautiful daughters and bedecked pooches and leashed kitties and wonderful poetry.... how fun!

Judy, I think that the "poke of dust" was probably gold dust. I liked the poem, and will be very curious to see how you like the book! I think you are right, it reminded me of Rocky Racoon, or another of my very favorites... Bob Dylan's "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts".

Kathy, how could you have grown up in our era and not know Rocky Racoon? I love poetry, and am a true fan of all of the old ballads like that (do I sound like a fogey when I say "they don't write songs like that any more?). Hoyt Axton's "Della and the Dealer".... Jim Croche's "Bad Bad Leroy Brown"..... all kinda along the same lines.

DH had decided that I had been working too hard both at work and at home, so after we finished Mom's garden on Saturday, he said ENOUGH and spirited Phoenix and I away for an evening around a campfire and a day spent at our favorite secret getaway in the mountains. Too much walking/climbing to be called relaxing, but how can you not be happy in a private waterfall grotto full of maidenhair ferns and sunshine?

It wasn't warm enough to enjoy the natural swimming pool at the bottom of the second fall, but Phoenix thought about it for a minute or two. How beautiful the water is.... The area that she is standing by is about 10 feet deep, and you could see the bottom perfectly.

Ooooh. I covet your secret hideaway- how beautiful!

Pony, That whole area is incredible and stunningly beautiful. There is a small campsite along the creek above, but the trail to the waterfall is more of a climb down a cliff than a trail. It is unmarked, and definitely not for the faint of heart or someone who doesn't like heights, but the pools and the falls below are amazing. If you are brave and it is warm out, you can climb up the little waterfall and there is another rock "beach" at the bottom of the large fall, and another VERY deep swimming hole. We didn't climb up this time as it wasn't hot enough to enjoy the time in the icy spray on the way.

Phoenix and I walked the seven mile round trip up to a higher camp that morning and enjoyed seeing more of the rugged mountains and the wildflowers that were just starting to bloom. Indian Paintbrush was just getting it's color, and there were tons of other beauties as well. My camera battery crapped out after the first mile, so I only got pics of the begining of our hike and none of the flowers. :{ When we got close to the top, there were little patches of a flower I had never seen in bloom before blooming.... linnaea borealis . It is a tiny little groundcover, but the patches of it scented the air magnificently. I want want want some for my shade garden!

This is the uphill side of our morning hike. I wish pictures could really show perspective... this rock wall towered over us and it was amazing to see the old growth trees growing on the face of such a sheer cliff. We were walking in the early morning mist and it was almost like we were walking in a different world....

Wow... looks like a place you'd expect to see in Middle Earth...

That was exactly what I was envisioning when I was walking........

Great minds daydream alike. ;)

Beautiful, Rarejem. It looks like you had a great time.

What a fabulous weekend retreat!

oooh, gorgeous spot. what a fabulous escape!

What a wonderful escape place - very romantic! Looks like Phoenix was enjoying it as well.

Of course it is gold dust - he's a miner. The image it conjures up!

Awesome spot, Julie! Don't think I've ever seen water that clear.

Beautiful photos, and I would keep your secret spot firmly under your hat. I agree that photos often cannot translate the sheer majesty so often found in the outdoors. A few years back we visited Wells Gray Park up in Canada, and our photos only vaguely illustrated how stunning it truly was. I think, in part, because of depth perception, but also because you are only getting the visual rather than the whole sensory experience. Looks lovely.

Lovely lovely place, the photo of the swimming hole is fabulous, but I have to say just looking at it made me run a shiver down my back - I've gone swimming in pools like that up in scotland, and it is bone chilling but exciting. Looks great, and the depth is really apparent. A little bit scarey. Fabulous.

This is the appropos thread, and this is completely appropo of nada - I'm so excited I've just booked on to a drawing course at the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum - it is our big cultural museum, just a fantastic place) - the course is held in one of the private studios in the Museum, and you can either draw from the model, or we get drawing passes to go out into the museum to draw objects. The course is workshop with a tutor, and all the tutors are well known artists. I can't believe I've managed to get a place!!! It has been years since I have done serious drawing, and I am really really looking forward to it. The course is part of the Prince's Drawing School and they have some good tutors and facilities - when I stop working I'm going back to school for some fun. Here's the link in case any of you want a little look around

http://www.princesdrawingschool.org/programmes/public/westlondonday.asp?courseid=327&dweek=1


I know it isn't outdoors, but its a nice walk across Hyde Park for me - swim at 6am, Pilates at 8, and on to the V&A for 10:30. Back home by 2:30 for starting work at 5. Excellent. This is my schedule for working towards finishing - no more patients on Monday mornings, yea team. And a great way to spend the darkening months. AND, possibly most important, I get NEW PENCILS for the Autumn term. Every year I absolutely yearn for new pencils in September, and now......yes, that will be me with a new pencil bag, eraser, and pencils. And bits of charcol so I can get smudgy, and those lovely clay Conte crayons. Ooooo. I can hardly wait. (I'm so grown up).

Laurie, how exciting to be starting that drawing course! And new pencils - what a treat! Although MY favorite drawing implement is a .5 mm mechanical pencil with a 5B lead and an eraser on the top. I tend to like details; as an antidote I sometimes use charcoal, but I'm not that happy with a broader stroke.

Laurie, any pics of your past artwork? The course sounds exciting. I love taking classes. Get yourself a new lunchbox too!

Laurie, that sound absolutely fabulous for you. When the word Victoria came up, I was hoping the course was in BC, and we could maybe get to meet you.

New pencils for you are probably akin to my wanting new crayons-the largest pack possible---into my early adulthood. Crayons are appropriate for my level of artistic skill, I am afraid. I envy those of you who have that talent.

Sounds like you are in for some good times.

Thank you thank you.

Oww, gg, 5B, nice soft lead - but not too soft - good black, have to try .5mm. I'll put it on my list. I have a lovely mechanical pencil from Germany - big chunky thing, big thick 6B lead that sharpens up very nicely, but no eraser. I'll but eraser on the list too.

Gwen, I do have photos - slides, but still not working out the Picasa - also on my list.

And mtngirl - no shame in Crayolas - I too love a good box of 72 colours, with the little built in sharpener in the back and all the shavings went into a special space in the bottom - needless to say my mother was not amused when I would open it up to have a look at the shavings. That being said, she did buy me the collectors box, complete with discontinued and trial colours - but it is so precious I just couldn't bear to unseal it. (I think your Victoria is named after our Victoria? How nice of you to do that.)

Exciting news, Laurie. What a wonderful way to go into the winter. And no Monday patients. Even better.

That's awesome, Laurie. I'm excited for you! :)

Congratulations Laurie. Hope you enjoy yourself greatly.
I took Art in school every year and even snuck a class in one year in college. I'm not very talented but do enjoy charcoal and pencil drawing.

I couldn't draw my way out of a paper bag. LOL

You're better than I, trust me, Pony. I can't even do stick figures.

Before Pony thinks about starting a new thead, I have to answer the rock source question. Several years ago we figured out that we have a very wet area fed by rain and springs and decided to put in a kind of a retaining pond, but decorative. My ddh ordered lots of big (2 man) rocks for the edge and we had plenty for that and also other flower beds. There are still a few hanging around, so these were still just in a pile.

Those of you who came to Roundup last year have seen how many of my beds are bordered by that rock.

Our source is Washington Rock, not too far out of Orting.

This message was edited Aug 11, 2010 2:21 PM

Sharon - what is that rock product called?

It really is exceptionally nice rock!

Here is the link to Washington Rock's website. It appears that the rock is called "Kapowsin blue" but I don't see a picture of the landscaping ones anywhere on the site.

http://www.wa-rock.com/

Edit:
Looking again at the website, I see they have a category of 1to 2 man landscaping rocks. I am pretty sure that is what we got as anything over 2 is HUMUNGUS.

This message was edited Aug 11, 2010 2:58 PM

Okay. Thanks, Sharon. That helps. I'm trying to match some rock that's in my back yard and it may be this color . . .

Laurie, how wonderful! I've been an art supply junkie my whole life. I take some kind of art class every couple of years.(Not that I'm any good, it's just for fun. ) I'm not sure classes aren't just the justification to buy new pencils and such.... You might like the "woodless pencils" or graphite sticks. They come in a range of hardnesses but because the entire thing is the drawing tool the shading you can get is fabulous, but it's not as crumbly and dusty as chalk or charcoal so it can also be a little more precise, and the point can be sharpened or let to be round. They're kind of a splurge but nice.

Check this out - it's a bar that has art classes/sessions. Laurie, your class sounds fantastic! I used to do water colors but have not done any painting for many years.
www.thecanvaspdx.com/

Judi, Oh, now that is really cool.

Oh The Victoria and Albert museum! How wonderful to live so close to something like that. That is a wonderful museum. We visited it when I was but a mere child and I still remember it! The class sounds like great fun.

It is funny about fall and school starting, etc. This is the first time in 20 years I have not had to be concerned with buying school supplies, books, etc. I am finding that I do not miss it at all. Now, a new box of crayons never comes amiss no matter what time of year, or colored pencils, or art supplies of any kind. But I am well pleased to NOT be buying notebooks and pens, calculators, math books, etc. in the month of August when I am trying to enjoy the last few weeks of a summer that has already been too short by half.

Julie, that is a lovely getaway place! keep it to yourself entirely!

Awesome for you, Laurie. I always liked a new crayon box - the bigger the better. I still love to color. Stick figures are about my speed also. My students would always laugh when I tried to draw things on the board. Of course I started the laughing. they always got the idea though.

I quit liking to buy school supplies when my kids went to college - their books were thousands of dollars.

www.premiumplantplugs.com is offering some of the new hybrids from Terra Nova. They are plugs for about 7.49 Heuchera, sedum 5.79, Echinacea 7.99.

I thought that was a good price so orderd some. They have a good rating here on DG.

Isn't it amazing how much affect comes up with drawing materials - I think there is a real wish to be able to capture something, without the technology. I have real sympathy for those of you having to fund school supplies for children - having paid for my own degrees, well, sheesh is the word that comes to mind. But this is going to be fun.

And speaking of fun, want to do some day dream shopping - I've just ordered some extra tiles from a supplier we use in France - thought you might like to see what is available - stone chateau windows anyone? Or perhaps a grape treading pool? I'm afraid we don't quite stretch to those..
http://www.bca-antiquematerials.com/

Enjoy.

Oh hurt. I don't even want to know those beautiful things exist.