fridays are made better

by way of lap swim at the outdoor pool, an hour and a half of zumba, annies mac and cheese aaaaaand

the slow loris:


annie you're the best!

houseplant farm part I

Okay so I have a load of houseplants... seriously! Not as many as my friends mel & eric, but no one could ever ever top their amazing set. ever. period.

Sometime earlier this year I received a little sunflower starter pot. I think I was only supposed to keep them indoors for 2 weeks and they may have lived in a tiny pot for almost 6 weeks? whew. A few survived to make it to my parents garden. Nonetheless they were quick growing and fun to have around!


I found this echeveria at trader joes for 4 bucks. Although it was really quite the looker it bit the dust soon after blooming.



The hens & chicks in the background were found for 2 dollars at the roseburg farmers market (worth a shot!) then the foreground ones have been around for many many years and are slowly taking over my mother's garden. The big leaves were experimental starts from a large succulent my mom purchased. The starts rooted and things seem to be rolling right along. The coast indoors is perfect for these outdoor thriving plants :)




Then a very excited long anticipated package arrived from Seattle! Thank you! I'm happy to report all are doing well and thriving!


Sooo thrilled to have these new air plant additions!
Tillandsia Aeranthos, Ionantha Rubra, Usneoides large leaf (recurvata?) & Usneoides

Nothing could beat having a plant that you need to soak in water. They had a well deserved bath after travel and now reside in cocktail glasses,

and a small pyrex bowl.


And here we have more succulents before and after reconfiguring where these things would live.



This one has put on new growth too... eeeee!


More room to grow and my Cycad Zamia Furfuracea seed on the right which just sprouted its little bit in the last couple of days (!!!!)


Love love love my little Coleus Amboinicus i.e., cuban oregano. Its fuzzy, lovely smelling and quick growing.


Chirita Flavimaculata which I am entirely too excited about. Its little root growth is expanding quickly and it seems to maybe have new little leaves coming out of the top? Let's hope it grows to be as lovely as mel's.

Hipsalis NOID cerescula. Lovely lovely! I swear my mom had one of these when I was a kid or some cousin of it. It was huge and fun to watch grow with the little roots coming out all over the place.


And finally, the saga continues on my huge split leaf philodendron. I purchased a new pot as it had to be tied to the wall so it wouldn't fall over from roots shooting out the bottom of the pot. It is stable in its new home on the floor and now tall enough to ride the big kid rides at the fair :)

july still...

So I brought my bike home a few times this summer and convinced my mom out on a ride. It turned out to be a hoot! Plus a ride along the umpqua on a warm summer afternoon is the best


The ol' bike back in action!


And yes. there was bodybuilding to be had. You're welcome annie :)

a weekend at the coast

One of the few last weekends curtip got to come out to the coast which also happened to be the US vs. Ghana game (super depressing right??). So after a few beers at the...uh... local "pub" a picnic at the beach was in order as it was a rare 80 degree day. We also partook in hiking along the coast trails, beach beer, a visit to the gardens, an early morning trip to tidepool, french toast, etc. etc. Awesomeness indeed.



Sitka spruce trees are the best


Early morning South Cove

Kelp for me

Limpet for Annie (by the way, we found a number of your friends, certainly not all of them were there though )

Sunflower star because they are pretty neat (and more kelp for me)

Urchins!

Tidepooling in chacos. no big deal.

Self portrait


We found a massive amount of squid eggs washed up on the beach, potentially rumored to be Humboldt squid? but that's debatable.

It was mysterious, but pretty cool

And the perfect opportunity to creep on a certain someone whilst on the phone.

wait... what?

Summer has officially whipped by this year. We had a late start in the garden, little sun and warmth in June along with some insanely rainy days, a whirlwind July with conferences, summer camp i.e., kid herding and attempting to finish stuff for this project/job I've been working on. Now that is is almost September (wait. what??!) I have a non tan, been lap swimming twice (thankfully in the local outdoor pool) and only a smidgen of produce from the garden.

In that time curtip also bought a newer car, packed up and made the big move to the LA area. It has been funny describing where stuff is while he has never been there before, but now lives there and I have been there oodles of times and I'm not there. obviously. I'd have a tan. So be prepared for about 6 posts to cover my absence over the last month or so. Onwards!

om nom nom

I love food! but you knew that...

First up! the discovery of Swiss chard from the peejay town farmers market & the love of eating color for dinner.



Second: the littlest tastiest Oregon strawberry

and how it was converted into awesome-ness.



Third: melon is pretty good. watermelon? even better! But what is it that makes watermelon even more incredible: the melon baller.


And for last, the ˚76 day at sunset bay post US losing in the world cup. The day was met with a bit of sadness, the only time you will see me wearing patriotic colors, and a picnic courtesy of the GO. organic raspberries are always a good thing, especially when you can enjoy them at the beach with swiss cheese, wheat thins, fat tires and your partner in crime.

That day was littered with blackmail photos and even better nano videos.

It is peach/blueberry season so this will also be going down very very very soon.