NEW STONE ON THE STUDIO PATH

A little stone on the path might not seem like a big deal, but here it
is. For some reason the original approach to the door of my studio
was like a trekking to a mountain monastery... a narrow path along a
rocky ledge. It was safe enough in summer, but in the winter it was
treacherous. I cannot count the number of times I slipped into the
hole to the left the doorway in the dark. With fresh crushed rock
delivered for the pond work, I just had to take a load down to the
studio and build up its path. I even chucked the old anvil base into
the hole. Now perhaps I can be spared an "adventure" on a dark and
snowy night.

MEN AT WORK

Here I am working hard; that's not me with the shovel, but rather the
brains behind the wheel of the tractor. Cedar and Jeremiah handle the
shovels moving stone for the pond lining. I just move the stone to
the site and direct its placement. If I do my job well, their job is
kept to a minimum... and we get more done. As I always tell them,
"better brains than brawn".

A GUY THRILL... A NEW TOOL

We must have 4 or 5 dead gas trimmers about the place. Each one with
their short history... but all essentially the same story.... can't
start; then I stumbled across another option... a NEW ELECTRIC TOOL.
This one caught my eye at Home Depot when I had the $80 cash in my
pocket. It was an impulse buy... hand into the pocket for the cash
and out the door with the box. For the next week I carved away at the
land scape, swirling it on my fingers in 3 dimensions, transforming
wilderness into tamed though temporary obedience. It is light,
variable speed, strong, almost silent, and best of all.... an
outrageously stylish color! It made what otherwise would have been a
nasty, smelly and noisy job into a creative gardening task of artistic pleasure
and businesslike effectiveness. There is nothing like a new tool that works to
brighten the day and produce beauty.

WILL HE TAKE THE PLUNGE?

Steve was helping with the dock when the large socket driver broke
free from his grip and dove straight to the bottom. There it lay; so
close in the clear water. It would be just a short dive to the
bottom. He says, "But I will need a mask!" I say, "No problem...
that we have!" Geared up and ready for the dive, Steve thinks it
over. So Close. So cold. Can he do it?

Nope.... he waited for a real low tide and picked it up without
getting wet... 2 weeks later.

FINALLY A FRONT YARD

After years of trying to figure out how to do it... I finally hit
upon a solution to give me a front yard: a low railway tie retaining
wall, built on the natural grade and back filled, did the trick. We
can now stand and look out over the gardens and harbor without falling
through the bushes.

TASHA WAITING TO BE TAKEN

Every evening about 7PM there is a little ritual. Tasha, the old
Russian poodle, senses the time coming for Kriss's arrival. She
leaves the house and sits on the kitchen porch and waits. This
evening, the sun was setting on a clear day with light streaming
through the trees from the direction of her expected arrival. Tasha was
entranced... hoping to be soon "taken".

MY OWN FIREWORKS ON THE 4TH

I arrived home after a long trip from the other side of the world on
the 4th of July. I may have missed the official fireworks downtown,
but this little saxifrage made up for it! It was just a spray of
little pink blooms drifting into the yellow explosions of the nearby
sedum. It was a full celebration unto itself.