Gathering Around The Table

7/12/10

Off the Beaten Path: A Gorgeous Garden on the Riverside Tour

It was a joy to tour the exquisite gardens of my cousin Lura during our cousin reunion. Here are some images for you to enjoy!

Despite the sign, my tour was free!

I also got to learn plant identification from the test area.

She even has a gardener that helps out when he isn't snoozing against the tree!

7/9/10

Gathering Around the Table in Orofino

This week-end my whole family will be heading to a family reunion in Orofino, Idaho. When I think of Orofino I remember hot nights, the Clearwater River, Swiss Steak, flowers from Auntie Lila's , gladiolus, bumble bees, sand, a green bathroom, ice cream from the creamery, cousin John in his logging truck, the Glenwood IGA, the pool, Ouds, Barneys, Riverside, Greer, and Beaver Dam. By Sunday I may have a whole new view of Orofino, Idaho that I can share through words and images.

7/5/10

All Summer Lily Mix

I love lilies because different types bloom at different times. Tulips look gorgeous when they bloom en mass, but then a rain or wind storm comes and they are gone. Lilacs are the same way. Beautiful blooms open, then the rain comes. Wouldn't it be wonderful if different lilacs bloomed at different times so we could enjoy them longer? I had a friend remind me that maybe we wouldn't enjoy lilacs as much if we had them all summer. I think I would love lilacs if they bloomed year 'round.

I discovered a " All Summer Lily Mix" a few years ago in a bulb catalog. I love this mix because different lilies are blooming throughout the summer in the garden. I can enjoy their aroma and beauty longer than that short window of time between rain, wind, and hot summer days.

JEJ plants them in the fall so I get little surprises as spring rolls into summer and the lily stocks begin to emerge from the ground. He has done a good job of tucking them here and there and everywhere. The photos throughout the post are ones I found on my garden walk Saturday.

You can find the "All Summer Lily Mix" in the van Bourgondien catalog here.

Lilies are also perfect subjects for photos. All I have to do is point and shoot. Their beauty does the rest.

7/4/10

I Always Love the Red, White, and Blue

Happy Fourth of July!

7/3/10

The Nose Knows: The Smells of Summer

" Some suggest that our sense of smell evokes the most powerful memories. And when we close our eyes and summon the perfume of fruit pies baking, fresh-mown grass, line-dried laundry, and herb beds at midday, we're convinced: the nose knows."- Anonymous

I believe the sense of smell does evoke the most powerful memories. I can walk through the garden in the morning taking in the scent of syringa and be back climbing a hill just to breathe in those blossoms when I was ten. It is hard to find a rose anymore with a true scent, but my Honey Perfume rose transports me to either grandmother's house in the summer as I pulled on petals and tried to catch bees. The spicy smell of petunias puts me on my mom's backyard deck. Lilies evoke Eugene and my brother's aromatic flowers he used to grow.

Smelling the strong odor of campfire smoke takes me back to Camp Neewahlu,high school gatherings up the river, camping at Lolo, Canyon Creek, Steamboat Rock, Lake Chelan, Heyburn State Park, a writing retreat at Payette Lake, and our own gazebo. Campfire smoke lingers on clothes after a wet,cold camping trip. Campfire smoke hangs in the tent, on the dogs, and even the cats.

What else does summer smell like? The other day I covered myself with sunscreen before I went out to work in the yard. It was Coppertone. The smell took me back to the swimming pool, Rose Lake, and the Coeur d'Alene River more than thirty years aga. Summer smells like chlorine, dry pine needles, barbecued steak, and toasted marshmellows. It smells like honeysuckle, fresh lavender, boat oil, and lake water. Dill is the smell of all the women in my family that have hung the plants up to dry. Bacon is the smell of the best addition to green beans fresh from the garden.