Symmetry

A closer look at one of the plants in my front yard. I didn't plant any of them and I don't know what this is, but it sure has gorgeous huge green leaves.

Grow Your Own

I am envious of anyone who has worked out space for a home garden. I have wanted one for years but haven't managed to convince my husband that we have a place for one - and we really don't, aside from building raised beds, which I'd like to do anyway. Maybe we'll build them this year and get our garden going in 2012...? The above photo was taken by a multi-talented family man who lives in College Place. I loved it so much I asked him if I could post it on my blog and he kindly obliged. Brenden Koch took this photo over the weekend and it features a bean vine taking full advantage of the twine placed there for its pleasure in his family garden. The garden is quite lovely, and I've enjoyed watching it grow via photos on Facebook this season. Everyone's gardens here in the valley are finally able to grow now that we're getting real summer weather, though it took a while getting here this year!

Beautiful Mistake

I had intended to focus on the little green weed poking through the crack between the boards, but, this being a camera that isn't mine, and me being very much an amateur photographer, the camera focused on the boards instead. At first I was annoyed that it hadn't turned out, but the more I look at it, the more I like the focus on the weathered boards and rusty nails. This was taken in my front yard.

Tangled

The first thing that catches my eye about this photo is of course the bright red berries in contrast with the dark branches and white snow. But the next thing I noticed was the incredible woven "pattern" of the branches of this beautiful bush. This was taken at Walla Walla U. yesterday morning.

Hay!

Sorry about the title of this post...I couldn't resist. These fields used to be covered with hay. By now all of it has been cut and baled and stacked - just like this. These large bales are, I think, 500 pounds each. They are the medium-sized bales. Other bales are a quarter this size and weigh around 100 pounds; the larger ones aren't bales - they're rolls - and I'm not sure how much they weigh. They are around 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Perhaps they weigh 2000 pounds, I don't know. Can any farmers out there correct me/inform us?

The Wine Valley

The Walla Walla Valley is well-known for its grapes. There are over 200 wineries in this tiny valley alone, with more cropping up every day. Walla Walla Community College has its own viticulture program, with a gorgeous building to go along with it. I've been doing this blog for over a year now, and have yet to post a photo of a winery. So here is the first one. I believe this is a house turned into a winery, with grapes planted all over the several acres surrounding the buildings. This one is located to the east of Milton-Freewater. I didn't catch the name of it, unfortunately.

Snake Grass

Do you have this where you live? I don't know the scientific name for it, but I grew up calling it snake grass, so that's what I know it as. Each of the segments you see comes apart fairly easily, and then goes back together. The joints, loosened by being pulled apart, move more easily, and you can make the grass slither like a snake. It also sounds a little bit like a rattle snake when the breeze blows through a clump of this stuff. Its texture is rough and ridged, not at all smooth. I've often thought it resembles bamboo, just not as smooth, and definitely not as tall! (This grows to only about two feet tall, max.) Here's a picture of a little clump of snake grass:

The Beginning of Fruit Season

I've been seeing these trees along the highway for the last week or so, and finally managed to get up close to one to take a picture. The bright juicy redness of these delicious-looking cherries make me hungry just to look at them. It's fruit season - probably one of the best parts about summer. And here in the Walla Walla Valley, we know a lot about fresh fruit. U-Pick orchards are very popular in this area, and I hope to do some blueberry picking in a few months.

A Purple Beauty

I couldn't resist another spring shot. I'm so excited to see the first bulbs proclaiming life exists beneath the damp and rotting last-year foliage. These are crocus plants - always the first to show their true colour in the spring. Once you see your first crocus of the season, you know it's officially springtime. I love that there are two yellow ones daring to be different on this beautiful purple plant. The colours together are stunning.

Springing to Life

I finally got around to cleaning out my garden and trimming my rose bushes. Yes, I know, I'm rather late, but the weather was finally beautiful enough for long enough to make me long for a bit of fresh air and my hands to smell like gardening gloves. Okay, maybe not the latter, but it was a beautiful day, the temperatures were around 60 degrees Farenheit (15.6 degrees Celsius/Centigrade), and the birds were all excited, too. So I grabbed my rake, the trash can, and my gloves, and went all out. I'm not quite done, but I made a sizable dent in how the yard looks. And...I found THESE! I have no idea what kind of plant they are, but they were hiding under a bunch of dead leaves from last fall. They're about as long as my pinky finger and as big around as my thumb. I was excited to find these little guys...anyone have any guesses as to what they are? If not, we'll find out as they continue to grow...and finally bloom! I'll post more pictures as the season progresses.

A Closer Look

I'm not enough of a horticulturalist to know what this is in its winter brown attire, but it caught my eye as we passed by on our Saturday afternoon walk at Bennington Lake (see Thursday's post). The contrast with the grey-blue sky and its coordination with the field behind it demanded attention...so I snapped a shot! If anyone can identify this plant, kudos to you!

Beauty Before the Beast

Saturday night a fog rolled in. Temperatures dropped to somewhere around 10F, and the moisture in the air froze to anything it touched. This made Sunday morning amazingly beautiful. We woke up to a frosted winter wonderland that made me smile. And I went outside in my pjs to take photos as soon as I got downstairs. Above is a close-up of leaves on one of my rosebushes that I haven't trimmed back yet. (Don't judge me - I'm not a gardener!) I've got a couple more photos from this frosty world that I hope to post over the next couple of days. Enjoy them, because I probably won't be able to take more for a while. A warm wind came in last night and melted everything...making the WWV a giant puddle of slush. And yes, it's gross. So for now...enjoy the photos!

Christmas Morning

Berries on a tree on the campus of Walla Walla U.


MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALL!

GOD BLESS US - EVERY ONE!

Curiosity II

Here's a close-up of the white berry-bearing bush. (Hooray for alliteration!) Anyone know what these are? They're beautiful, and fit the season so well! I would love to have some sprigs of this to liven up an evergreen display this time of year. This bush is growing along the south fork of the Walla Walla River. This week I've been featuring close-up shots taken while on a walk along this trail (commonly known as Southfork) last Sunday. For a more artistic shot of these berries, see yesterday's post.

Curiosity

Another close-up shot from Southfork, especially for Skywatch Friday! The berries pictured here silhouetted against the sky were all along the beginning part of the Southfork trail. They were white, which, if I'm remembering the little survival training I've had, would mean they were probably extremely poisonous. (Can anyone confirm that the lighter the colour, the more poisonous berries are to humans?) I'll post another photo of the bush so you can see the colour exactly. I liked this photo because of the gradient sky and seasonal silhouettes. More Southfork to come...

Nature's Accessories

Another close-up day... I'm not a horticulturist, or a mycologist (a word I used while posting this - it's a scientist who studies fungi), so unfortunately I can't tell you what this is exactly. It was everywhere along the trail at Southfork. It would appear (after consulting Wikipedia) that mosses are not fungi, but I didn't read the entire entry on "moss." So I'm not really sure if this is a moss or a fungi, but whatever it is, it's beautiful. The colour is cool and it looks like this branch is attempting to dress its finest - in spite of having lost all of its summer accessories. More of Southfork to come...

First Frost

Well, last night we got the first real frost of the season. I love this time of year! The air feels clean, the plants and trees are dressed in sparkling white, and my breath fogs the air in front of me as I walk. It certainly feels as though the holidays are upon us, and it makes me smile.

Transformation

This beautiful bush greeted me for several weeks as I pulled into the parking lot at work. It grew more and more vivid every day, and I admired it each morning. Last week I noticed it losing its leaves. The colour was deep and almost bloody, and each morning there were fewer leaves on the branches, and more on the ground below. I was very sad about the loss of this cheeful autumn beauty. But THIS week, I noticed something new: Berries! All of the vivid colouring, the deepening, the loss of leaves - it was all leading up to something else beautiful. Here is a close-up of how that same bush looks now. Amazing, isn't it?!? I love this time of year.