tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87656128559928846332012-01-28T09:11:44.099-05:00Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.comBlogger3471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-60121246436575868142012-01-26T21:29:00.000-05:002012-01-26T21:29:24.921-05:00

Several years ago I made a conscious effort to add more perennials that would bloom at times of the year when few other plants were blooming. I added gallardia, cestrum and cuphea to cover the hot gap from late June until fall. For winter I already had color from camellias, hellebores and my edgeworthia, but I wanted more, especially since winter is my least favorite season. Anything I can get to

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-43817445492182804842012-01-21T17:09:00.000-05:002012-01-21T17:09:08.387-05:00

Typical of Tidewater winter weather, a chill clammy rain is falling today making it a good day for indoor activities. A trip to the museum might be a good choice, so I thought I would post some pictures from this summer when we visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This venerable institution has something for everyone, including many well-known masterpieces. Our friend David who knows a thing

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-70216009129144836392012-01-15T01:15:00.062-05:002012-01-15T07:18:39.629-05:00

Like much of the country, winter has been reluctant here in Tidewater. It has made several quick appearances, but has yet to unleash its full potential, keeping a few plants in a state of confusion and causing others to swell up a little early. I never thought I would say anything like this, but I do wish winter would get here for real and stick around a while, not because I like winter, I don't,

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-687212562147935032012-01-08T06:52:00.000-05:002012-01-08T06:52:07.959-05:00

A few years ago a friend of mine asked if I wanted a small piece of Tetrapanax papyrifera dug from her garden. I was familiar with the plant from the display gardens at work, and I was also familiar with how much real estate it demanded and how weedy it could become. Just as I was about to say "no thank you", she mentioned that this one was one called 'Steroidal Giant'.  Intrigued I asked what

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-23309787487488489932011-12-31T23:59:00.011-05:002011-12-31T23:59:01.811-05:00

This time last year my head was full of worries and trepidation. I was glad to see 2010 in the rear view mirror, but was not exactly looking forward to 2011.  Tonight you won't find me so anxious, I am not feeling philosophical and not full of introspection, because 2011 has worn down the sharp edges and left me numb.  Numb and apathetic, but not so much that I can't see some hint of brighter

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-27692410506035714812011-12-30T23:19:00.000-05:002011-12-30T23:19:28.138-05:00

I love reading end of the year wrap-ups, especially to look for books I should read, music I need to hear or movies I should see. So I thought I would add my on contribution to the genre and pick out my favorite photographs from 2011. The first photo was taken at the Eastern Shore National Wildlife Refuge in February.  I was on the way home from a day trip visiting my parents, and I took the

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-43754232287245207702011-12-28T23:02:00.000-05:002011-12-28T23:02:16.022-05:00

One of my Christmas gifts this year was the book Lost Communities of Virginia by By Terri Fisher and Elizabeth Gilboy.  You might think from the title that the places mentioned in this book are ghost towns, but that term implies places empty of people. Rather, these are communities that have lost most of what they once were, and are just a few moving vans or obituaries away from really becoming

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-46551785367611090332011-12-23T17:21:00.000-05:002011-12-23T17:21:39.216-05:00

Today was a gorgeous day here in Tidewater, and it was the first one where I felt somewhat normal after catching some sort of crud last week.  I took the opportunity ride my bike downtown and enjoy the sparkling sunshine and warm temperatures. While I was there I rode by Waterside, which is one of those Rouse Company "Festival Marketplaces" that were built back in the 70's and 80's in downtrodden

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-56766385615450916292011-12-20T18:48:00.000-05:002011-12-20T18:48:20.201-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkahfrom Loretta, and everyone else,at A Tidewater Gardener!

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-15293521532631735652011-12-15T06:27:00.000-05:002011-12-15T07:54:40.741-05:00

This December's weather has been much more conducive to blooms than what we had this time last year.  We have only had a couple of light frosts, and our first killing freeze is a little overdue.  However, not being a cold weather lover you won't hear me complain. One result of the extended fall has been a few summer bloomers getting a second wind. I have Echinaceas budded, but don't think the

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-9258544250202935522011-12-10T17:23:00.001-05:002011-12-11T06:48:31.160-05:00

Today was the annual Smithfield Christmas parade. My son, his friend, one of our dogs and I marched, or rather loosely sauntered, with the Isle of Wight County Humane Society. Our youngest dog Penny came from the Society and both of our cats did as well, though the cats stayed home with phonophobic Loretta. We participated last year as well, but today my mood was better and the parade was more

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-78536970872949079922011-12-01T23:06:00.000-05:002011-12-01T23:06:48.004-05:00

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was able to take a much deserved, and needed, break from what is a very busy time of the year for me. As is usual for us, we went to my parents house on Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore.  Each morning I was able to take advantage of my inability to sleep-in, my dog's need to relieve themselves and decent weather. Thanksgiving morning found me channeling Maxfield

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-32006508479711292242011-11-19T17:29:00.000-05:002011-11-19T17:29:06.757-05:00

Though it only got down to 33 here last night, we did have our first frost.  It wasn't the killing frost I need for motivation to get in the garden and yank dead summer annuals and to cut down brown perennials or mushy bananas.  A couple of weeks ago we had nighttime lows into the upper thirties with strong winds, and that was enough to knock back the foliage on my Heavenly Blue morning glory (

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-3223253818055321032011-11-15T06:01:00.002-05:002011-11-15T06:01:36.758-05:00

We are living on the edge here in this corner of Tidewater.  There have been a couple of dips into the thirties, though no frosts or freezes yet.  Slightly west and north it's a different story, but the Chesapeake and the Atlantic are still warm enough to lend us a few degrees. So what does waiting for winter to arrive mean to the garden?  Some of the plants I have been enjoying this summer are

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-53282570969310273982011-11-10T07:56:00.001-05:002011-11-10T11:34:32.527-05:00

This past Saturday the three of us, plus canines, made our fall pilgrimage to Colonial Williamsburg.  The weather was chilly, but not cold, appropriate for the season.  Our timing was good as this was likely the peak weekend for fall color in Williamsburg, and the trees did not disappoint.  For this post we will skip the history lessons and just enjoy the photos, but if you want to learn more

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-35821146103812269172011-11-08T21:06:00.001-05:002011-11-08T21:09:18.629-05:00

I was driving through Smithfield today and had to turn the car around when I saw these urns planted with dog fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium).  Normally you don't see this planted on purpose, never-the-less it has a firm foothold in local landscapes and is most often seen along roadsides, abandoned fields and in other and various no-man's lands.  Apparently Frances  and Janet have company in

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-8579032435686384712011-10-31T00:01:00.034-04:002011-10-31T06:54:40.083-04:00

The wind often kept her awake at night, words from the past echoing through the vacant rooms and through her head.  A branch from the black walnut tree scraping against the bedroom window like her dead mother's screeching voice.  Her mother's voice saying she was too fat, too slow.  That seam was crooked, the cake dry, the floor not clean enough.  Her mother's voice in praise of one sister's

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-14627123320059836872011-10-29T19:03:00.000-04:002011-10-29T19:03:25.455-04:00

Last Saturday I took what will likely be one of my last kayak trips of the season.  My destination was the Nottoway River in Southampton Co., Virginia, close to the North Carolina line.  The Nottoway is a slow moving blackwater river that drains a good part of Southside Virginia.  Blackwater refers to the distinctive dark, tea color of the water which is due to all of the leached tannins from

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-19632587616584150262011-10-24T05:55:00.001-04:002011-10-24T07:08:45.541-04:00

This month's Picture This Photo Contest from Gardening Gone Wild is about filling the frame.  I didn't take any new pictures for the contest, but found three candidates from last year, all of them taken in the fall. The first one was taken at a friend's garden, and I have been wanting to show it since I took it, but never got around to it.  My original purpose was to get a shot of a plant I

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-35157891458579819782011-10-22T08:10:00.000-04:002011-10-22T08:10:23.082-04:00

Yesterday I attended an informal meeting at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens here in Norfolk.  It was a beautiful day and at the last minute I opted to bike there instead of driving.  I was meeting with a group of people from the Elizabeth River Project/River Star Homes, and we are trying to come up with ways to encourage people in the local watershed to maintain their lawns in a more

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-87924717376761411072011-10-15T06:34:00.002-04:002011-10-22T06:35:41.545-04:00

This month's Bloom Day finds me in grateful appreciation of one of the most entertaining falls I have enjoyed in a long time, but I am not talking about changing leaves, that has only been hinted at here.  For one thing, I am talking about all the blooms in my garden right now.  Normally by this point things look ragged and exhausted after fighting one of our summers. However, we had more than

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-37890717392148173362011-10-14T08:20:00.000-04:002011-10-14T08:20:32.005-04:00

One of the newest parks in this area is Windsor Castle Park in the town of Smithfield.  It takes its name from the plantation house which anchors the park.  The first European to own the property was Arthur Smith who patented the land in 1637, and it was his grandson, Arthur Smith III, who donated a few acres to establish the town of Smithfield.  Sometime in the mid 1700's the current house was

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-42982527485046976382011-10-10T09:21:00.000-04:002011-10-10T09:21:00.775-04:00

Since today is Columbus Day, I wanted to recommend two books by Charles Mann, 1491 and 1493.  In the first book Mann gives us a more up-to-date view of what the Americas looked like prior to Columbus and dispels some commonly held misconceptions about Native American origins, societies, history, and especially of interest to me, how they managed the environment.  The history I was taught in

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-76618612638393872892011-09-30T22:26:00.000-04:002011-09-30T22:26:48.791-04:00

Lately, Mother Nature has not cooperated with my plan to enjoy as much kayaking as I can before the weather and water turn cold.   Today, however, I was able to scratch an itch weeks in the making and was able to spend nearly three hours on the water.  I brought along my point and shoot camera, not willing to risk my good camera around the water.  The little camera has served me well, but can be

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-14145444085293173812011-09-28T23:28:00.000-04:002011-09-28T23:28:56.683-04:00

This morning the sun shone and summer made a brief return visit.  The temperature rapidly reached the mid 80's and turned to steam all the moisture in the sodden ground.  It was July humid.  In the early afternoon a black wall of clouds rose up out of the south.  The temperatures fell, and heavy, fat-drop rain began with hail following soon.  Tornado and flash flood warnings were issued.  It

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-4321210250790619052011-09-24T22:03:00.000-04:002011-09-24T22:03:26.243-04:00

As I write this it is again raining, ruining a second weekend in a row for most outdoor activities.  This is not a complaint, but is more an observation.  We were blessed this summer with fairly regular rains, at least in the second half, and that fact combined with our normal heat has caused many of my plants to put on some rank growth.  Space is always an issue in my small garden, but

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-26360707112814367492011-09-21T22:02:00.000-04:002011-09-21T22:02:15.357-04:00

Last week on the way to and from Atlantic City we took the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.  Travelling this way is not so much a short cut, but it does avoid having to fight Wilmington and Philly traffic, and if your timing's right and depending on your destination, it takes no longer.  On top of that it is a very genteel way to travel. The day we headed up was the tenth anniversary of  9/11 and security

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-2433322723028681502011-09-15T20:40:00.001-04:002011-09-15T21:12:27.285-04:00

My adventure in Atlantic City has me all discombobulated, and I thought today was the 14th.  I was nearly late for Bloom Day and probably will be late to pay the mortgage.  So for the sake of verbal brevity let's get straight to the plants to avoid any late fee. I will start with a couple of things things we saw last month.  Have I mentioned how much I like Miss Huff Lantana (Lantana camara '

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-37161772724921170632011-09-14T23:34:00.000-04:002011-09-14T23:34:43.110-04:00

This past Sunday two of us from work headed up to Atlantic City for a large trade show, primarily aimed at garden center buyers.  I usually go to nursery trade shows where plants are the main attraction, but this was not a plant show; it was everything but.  Tools, pottery, soils, fountains, chemicals, furniture, birding supplies and just about any other imagined garden accessory could be bought

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-10504544491908823602011-09-10T08:37:00.000-04:002011-09-10T08:37:44.098-04:00

Before the nightmare of 9/11, I remember thinking what a spectacularly beautiful day it was going to be.  Gone was the muggy heat, humidity and our normal white summer haze.  In its place the sky was clear and impossibly blue; it seemed it was going to be the first day of more fall-like weather and a day that reconfirmed my love of working outside.  After I got my people started on the day's

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-81625193826484195122011-09-04T21:14:00.002-04:002011-09-04T21:55:24.385-04:00

(This post is a bit wordier than I usually like to be, but bear with me, it is an interesting series of events, at least I think so.) For Christmas last year, my parents gave my son and me a pair of kayaks. This summer I have been going out several times a week, mostly on the Lafayette River which is just a couple of blocks from the house.  The Layfayette is a slow moving tidal river with

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-36524721612527617722011-08-29T22:53:00.000-04:002011-08-29T22:53:25.731-04:00

Just as we were getting used to our daily inundation of smoke from the Dismal Swamp fire, we go and have an earthquake, in Virginia of all places.  Minor by Left Coast standards, but shocking to us nonetheless.  But we had no time to dwell on fractures in the earth's crust, for we had an impending hurricane to deal with.  As my friend Amy suggested, August was our month for Earth, Wind and Fire.

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-16121361323686760402011-08-21T22:09:00.000-04:002011-08-21T22:09:04.816-04:00

On my birthday in late July I got a really great present - a chance to revisit the gardens of Chanticleer.  Though I had been there before, this is where I wanted to spend the day.  Besides strolling through the garden, I was hoping to get some great photos, but the day was brilliantly sunny, hot and clear, not the best day for a photo shoot, though we had a good time just the same. Chanticleer

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-62888912200981545232011-08-18T21:56:00.000-04:002011-08-18T21:56:03.273-04:00

A new element has been added to our local weather forecasts, color coded air quality alerts.  Today was a code purple kind of day, the worst.  The problem is a fire in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge that was started by lightening on August 4th.  It has continued to burn almost out of control to the point that over 6000 acres are now affected, mostly in Virginia, but also in North

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-10848338805244655172011-08-15T05:19:00.002-04:002011-08-15T06:20:20.669-04:00

This Bloom Day finds me pulling weeds and counting blessings. I am doing one because we have had semi-regular rains, and I am doing the other because we have had semi-regular rains.  Though we have had our share of hot weather which is normal, we have lately been plagued by smoke from the fire in the Dismal Swamp.  Lightening struck last week and set the peat on fire, and now the area burning (or

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-45957217335827059352011-08-12T11:39:00.000-04:002011-08-12T11:39:43.449-04:00

And now for something completely different... Though I was not sure how much I would like it, we went on the factory tour of the Martin Guitar Co. in Nazareth, Pennsylvania while we were on vacation.  Tours are free and you are right there with all the skilled workers on the floor as they make some of the finest guitars in the world.  Each guitar is assembled by hand

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-44173790590703834982011-08-07T23:32:00.000-04:002011-08-07T23:32:43.954-04:00

After our father/son camping trip, we headed back to Norfolk, got ourselves scrubbed up a bit, did a little laundry, picked up the female members of the family and headed north to Pennsylvania to spend the week at my brother's.  While we were there, I had the chance to visit Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve just south of New Hope, Pa., where the mission is to celebrate native plants of the

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-49186681500965813802011-08-05T18:31:00.000-04:002011-08-05T18:31:53.294-04:00

During our camping trip last month to Lake Sherando we had time to explore the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway.  Today the area is heavily forested, but at the turn of the last century most of the mountains were denuded of trees and being used for pastureland and apple orchards.  There are still a few remnants maintained as meadows, and one of those is the Big Spy Mountain Overlook.  It's a place I

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-32552448022608411122011-07-30T09:00:00.000-04:002011-07-30T09:00:23.981-04:00

During the heat wave last week, my son and I escaped to the relative coolness of the Blue Ridge Mountains for a long weekend of camping. I say relative because even though it was hot by mountain standards, in the low to mid 90’s, over the ridges in the Piedmont and down in Tidewater thermometers were cracking the 100 degree mark. The fact we were camping by the cool waters of Lake Sherando and

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-70364036690702346262011-07-20T07:28:00.000-04:002011-07-20T07:28:36.391-04:00

I work just about every Sunday and miss out on my favorite day of the week.  Even today in the age of 24 hour everything, it still feels like the least stressful day of the week.  Growing up, my family usually slept in later on Sundays, without a list of chores awaiting us like Saturday.  My father would take us to church around 10 for Sunday school, and mom would follow later, as she was always

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-33659178496503231892011-07-15T05:55:00.001-04:002011-07-15T06:00:26.824-04:00

It is a July tradition here at A Tidewater Gardener to showcase the city's glorious Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia) trees.  It's not that we are the only place that can grow them, it's just that they grow so damn well here and are Norfolk's dominant street tree.  That being said, this month I have bent even more, some already bent Bloom Day rules. We will travel a little further up the Chesapeake

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-34640224558990814972011-07-12T22:18:00.000-04:002011-07-12T22:18:38.275-04:00

Like rubber necking past a multiple car pile-up, it is not out of character for me to be occasionally distracted by trashy television. One of the more remarkable accidents of recent programming is MTV's The Jersey Shore.  Watching all the drinking, stretched garments, bad grammar and bed hopping gives me a sense of complete despair for the future of the nation, but it does make for compelling TV

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-88540402780898202562011-07-08T11:39:00.000-04:002011-07-08T11:39:27.913-04:00

This past January my dear friend and co-worker, JoEllen died from pancreatic cancer, and this is the second version of this post I have written.  The first one went into detail about her diagnosis, her eventual death and how she fought as best she could, without delusion, until she decided not to fight anymore.  Then I thought that this is not likely how she or anyone would want to be remembered,

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-84676160672782512312011-06-30T22:53:00.000-04:002011-06-30T22:53:41.676-04:00

I do not normally plant mixed containers for my garden and have only had a few since I started gardening.  I really prefer to plant one thing in a pot (tree, shrub perennial, annual, whatever), but have lots of different pots.  That way I can mix everything together simply by moving the pots around creating a living collage.  At work we sell a lot of mixed containers, some we make on the spot,

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-21895377433868729912011-06-24T23:40:00.000-04:002011-06-24T23:40:15.162-04:00

Given the tone of my previous post, I think it would be good to maybe show something more life affirming, with perhaps a few colorful flowers.  After all, this is supposed to be a garden blog, even though I do stray from time to time.  This past Wednesday I was able to tag along with some co-workers and visit two of my favorite local gardeners.  This couple has spent most of their adult life

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-59614652958718441622011-06-21T06:50:00.000-04:002011-06-21T06:50:21.761-04:00

This past May marked a minor anniversary for me, one I did not at first remember.  It was 30 years ago that two of my friends and I signed our first lease.  I was 20 years old and no longer relying on my parents (at least not entirely) or the university's housing system for a place to live, it was one of those steps taken to reach adulthood.  The house we found was within a few minutes walk to

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-83906385345511863512011-06-15T06:15:00.001-04:002011-06-15T07:00:08.596-04:00

Here in southeastern Virginia, we have until just recently been suffering through a sustained heat wave and a conspicuous absence of rain, and things were getting desperate.  Mind you I am not complaining, just stating, besides this is the year I have resolved not to complain about the weather.  It is not right to worry about wilted annuals when so many people across the country are trying to

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-30224672713474491422011-06-13T21:47:00.000-04:002011-06-13T21:47:55.444-04:00

In need of a ride, I headed downtown early Saturday morning on my bike.  It was Harborfest weekend, which over the years has more or less been a big deal.  The festival originally was designed to pull people back downtown to the waterfront, which at the time had fallen on sad times.  These days the area is a thriving, happening kind of place, but the annual party goes on just the same.  Though I

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-38352848148667308232011-06-06T22:51:00.000-04:002011-06-06T22:51:32.520-04:00

This past Saturday I attended The Secret Garden Tour in Old Towne Portsmouth.  Most of the houses in Old Towne are flush to the front sidewalk and are separated from their neighbors by narrow passageways that lead to small intimate back gardens.  The gardens on the tour had several things in common besides their size.  They were all attached to houses that were over 100 years old, there were many

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-81992281482278839412011-06-02T21:16:00.000-04:002011-06-02T21:16:55.871-04:00

Today was my Memorial Day.  I know it is several days after the fact, but I had to work Monday, so I took today off instead, and do not have to go back until Sunday.  Working retail means you have to be there when the customers are, and just when I am ready to bitch about the hours, I think back to my last career in hotel/resort management and its 24/7/365 schedule.  I also need to remind myself

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-67561546047928035782011-05-27T08:07:00.002-04:002011-05-27T16:07:00.506-04:00

(photo irrelevant of post, but irrelevance is the theme today) Since I have been blogging I have gotten my fair share of spam comments.  Many of them are links to discount Viagra sources, Chinese investment offers or Nigerian people in desperate need to give me money.  My favorite's are those from people who pretend to be interested in what I have written, but manage to work in a totally

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-33519093016500448792011-05-23T23:05:00.000-04:002011-05-23T23:05:28.049-04:00

Saturday evening my wife and I attended a dinner held for the people of the Virginia Horticultural Foundation at the Weblin House in Virginia Beach (I play a small role in helping the foundation put on the Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course).  The Weblin house was built in the late 1600's and was a working farm until late in the 20th century when it was swallowed by suburbia.  Its current

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-70611690934764234272011-05-15T06:13:00.002-04:002011-05-15T06:57:13.293-04:00

This past week I had an unexpected and overdue opportunity to get some work done in the garden.  I weeded, pruned, pulled yellowing Narcissus foliage and tired Pansies, but left the Violas which seem unaffected by our warming weather, so far.  I also pulled up all my Brassicas including Red Bor Kale and Giant Red Mustard.  When I began gardening I was told to cut off the flowers on these plants,

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-30072054603559182302011-05-10T23:26:00.000-04:002011-05-10T23:26:22.780-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, this past Friday was National Public Garden Day, and you could download a voucher that would grant free entry to hundreds of gardens nationwide.  Since my membership has lapsed, I used my voucher to get into the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.  I was not alone - there were many nursing home activity buses, legions of home schoolers, plus regular garden visitors and

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-66716709397787977972011-05-08T05:11:00.001-04:002011-05-08T05:11:00.165-04:00

I want to wish all the mother's out there a happy Mother's Day, and I would like to send each of you an electronic bouquet of roses.  All of these photos were taken on Friday at the Nofolk Botanical Gardens, which I visited on National Public Garden Day (and because of the free admission).  Though there were lots of roses to look at and to photograph, I focused in on the David Austin roses (with

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-46133576071082094682011-05-03T22:49:00.001-04:002011-05-04T07:15:28.207-04:00

After my early morning Earth Day ride to the Pagoda, I came home to find my son and his buddy awake from a late night sleepover (wife still soundly snoozing her spring break away).  Surprise, surprise, the boys were busy playing video games.  In an effort to peel their eyes away from electronic screens, I suggested a trip to Chippokes Plantation State Park for a hike.  I am not sure why, but they

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-69761930034486211412011-04-28T21:24:00.001-04:002011-04-29T21:30:03.607-04:00

Last Friday (Earth Day), waking up to a house full of sleeping people who wanted to remain so, I took an early morning bike ride, ending up downtown at The Pagoda.  A previous visit was made here early in the life of this blog, but the blogger goes there fairly frequently.  The Pagoda was a gift from Evergreen Shipping Lines to the city of Norfolk (thanks Chris for the correction), and an "

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-28770742806889307382011-04-22T18:37:00.000-04:002011-04-22T18:37:29.016-04:00

I have always been a morning person.  My parents tell a story from my childhood of the two of them being woken up not so bright, yet very early to the sounds of me on my rocking horse (one of those with the loud creaky metal springs).  Even now I usually stir before first light, but I like getting up to have the house to myself, enjoy a cup of coffee or take the dogs for a walk.  During the

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-42334133791042120022011-04-15T08:44:00.000-04:002011-04-15T08:44:05.998-04:00

Recently I have only been able to catch brief glimpses of my garden, usually as I get in the car to head to work in the morning, or by the glow of porch light when I return home. This past Tuesday I had to cede defeat to the spring cold I fought all weekend and call in sick - too sick to garden, but not too sick to photograph the garden.  It was good to see my garden in more than a passing glance

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-79814001854882529072011-04-10T07:54:00.000-04:002011-04-10T07:54:02.893-04:00

I am only in the second week of my annual spring work schedule with another six weeks to go, but it is already wearisome.  With only one day off, I have not had much time for my own garden or for keeping up with the blogging world.  It's a common complaint of mine this time of year, but at least I am fortunate that my vocation and my avocation are the same. So in that spirit, here are a few

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-46582262719561007092011-04-01T08:56:00.000-04:002011-04-01T08:56:10.151-04:00

In the blur of color that is spring, it is easy to be blinded by pink, yellow and white.  If a gardener can see beyond these distractions, then spring's other charms become more apparent.  Stauntonia hexaphylla has interesting evergreen foliage no matter what time of year and reminds me of tropical Schefflera, or of something else that will not grow here.  However, when the new growth emerges in

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-4063566574928719922011-03-26T09:48:00.000-04:002011-03-26T09:48:17.599-04:00

I have made several trips to Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore this spring, where the new season comes slowly, particularly adjacent to the water.  At my home in Norfolk we are probably 2 weeks ahead of the Shore, even though we are just an hour south.  My theory is that the slow to warm waters of the Atlantic and Chesapeake on either side of the Eastern Shore keep the air temperatures more

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-69542455621924593542011-03-25T22:37:00.000-04:002011-06-09T23:52:54.049-04:00

This past week was a very busy and exhausting one for me and is likely the last one to include two days off for a couple of months. I got to experience 2 hours of brutalization in the dentist's chair where not one, not two, but three applications of Novocaine were required. I also filmed a spot for the city of Suffolk's cable TV channel loosely about Historic Garden Week. On Thursday I got my

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-77684062306040609952011-03-19T21:37:00.003-04:002011-03-19T22:34:49.786-04:00

Last month I invited fellow bloggers to participate in my Winter Walk Off.  The rules were fairly simple (at least I thought so).  I asked participants to go out the front door and away from their own home and garden, taking their camera along to see what could be seen.  I was glad to see such a diversity of entries, and was especially pleased with the geographic reach of the project.  I was

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-83121501920585408222011-03-15T06:10:00.006-04:002011-03-15T06:46:51.405-04:00

This month's Bloom Day finds me distracted.  Changes at work are well on the way to putting more demands on me than I am accustomed to, but fortunately, early signs indicate the store will have a good spring season.  The other thing on my mind is more recent, that being the unfolding horror in Japan.  But what can we do besides donating what we can, keeping strangers a world away in our thoughts

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-41656883653961845032011-03-11T19:50:00.000-05:002011-03-11T19:50:44.837-05:00

A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: "What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-55650478394361564572011-03-06T08:08:00.000-05:002011-03-06T08:08:52.463-05:00

In the past few weeks, I have been noticing some spectacular local fields covered in Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule).  The color is what makes these acres so noteworthy - a ground level haze of purple pink,  fuchsia or even mauve depending on the light and at what stage the flowers are blooming.  I wanted to stop and take a few pictures of places on the way to work, but usually I am already running

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-17874684162132673772011-02-27T09:44:00.001-05:002011-03-14T21:45:37.434-04:00

We seem to be thankfully turning some sort of sort of weather corner here in Tidewater.  Winter's steady cold appears to be waning, and we are being treated to warmer, though more unsettled weather.  It has made some great opportunities for me to get out of the house and walk off the winter (and perhaps a few pounds as well).  Yesterday the dogs and I took a nice long stroll around the

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-45812018507775338592011-02-21T06:31:00.001-05:002011-07-20T05:38:09.319-04:00

Though I was born on Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore, and visit frequently, I had never heard of Savage Neck Dunes until I read an article about it in the local paper this past fall.  I filed the information in the back of my brain under the heading "must try to check this place out".  So last Saturday when the opportunity presented, I payed a visit.  Savage Neck Dunes in a preserved natural

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-38353112282411412762011-02-18T19:41:00.000-05:002011-02-18T19:41:41.813-05:00

Yesterday on the way home from work, I passed by Waterside in downtown Norfolk.  In front of the parking garage is a huge swath of Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) doing its best to make an ugly building less so.  This time of year I look for its flowers as my signal that the end of winter is near.  Though late in blooming, they are a welcome sight nonetheless. The city of Norfolk uses this

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-30629419570288286572011-02-15T06:15:00.001-05:002011-02-15T06:48:48.594-05:00

If you enjoyed last month's Bloom Day at A Tidewater Gardener, you will not be disappointed with this post, because with only one exception, the same things are still blooming.  There have been changes to the garden in 30 day's time, but they are just not that colorful.  My Narcissus are pushing up, and the Hellebores, Edgeworthia and Camellia japonicas are budded, though none is showing color. 

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-48165253634348416432011-02-03T22:24:00.001-05:002011-02-16T19:11:34.863-05:00

On Tuesday of this week I headed over to Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore for the day.  Often I vary the trip a bit getting off the main road, Route 13, primarily because it shows the ugliest sides of a lovely place. However, it's also usually thick with tractor trailers, towed boats, farm vehicles and drivers of questionable ability or sobriety.  In the summer it gets worse as people from 

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-30402986530042786132011-01-28T08:36:00.007-05:002011-01-28T13:34:46.902-05:00

As is traditional for me at this time of year, I spent the past week at the Mid Atlantic Horticulture Short Course, in Virginia Beach. Regular readers and local green people may know this is where arborists, designers, retailers, wholesale growers, turf people, landscapers, grounds people and others go to hone existing skills, learn new ones, hear about new plants and in general learn the things

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-23505021134531623402011-01-20T19:57:00.005-05:002011-07-20T05:39:38.272-04:00

Let's leave this interminable cold we have been suffering, for the warm late summer air of Assateague Island. This has always been a special place for me and my family, and we would venture there often. In the summer the beach and swimming are the big draw, even with its chilly waters. We would also go in the winter to marvel at masses of snow geese, swans, brants and other waterfowl. Other than

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-69264925587964358552011-01-15T06:11:00.000-05:002011-01-15T06:27:24.899-05:00

No matter where you garden, I guess the big topic for this month's Bloom Day will be the weather. Despite our prolonged (much too prolonged) cold, I guess we are lucky in that we somehow dodged the snowball that came out of the South earlier this week and blanketed everybody else on the East Coast. We were not so lucky earlier, and several of the white projectiles have hit the mark. Since early

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-45216873608934154732011-01-09T08:37:00.006-05:002011-01-09T19:19:01.104-05:00

Last week was a rough one here at A Tidewater Gardener, so distractions as well as a bit of normalcy were called for. So I and two fellow retailers headed to MANTS (Mid Atlantic Nursery Trade Show) in Baltimore. On the floor of the vast convention center were close to 1000 exhibitors proffering their wares to garden centers and landscapers for the upcoming gardening season. Like I mentioned in

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-23269783836915179762010-12-31T18:40:00.007-05:002010-12-31T21:58:46.993-05:00

Well here we are once again upon another New Year's Eve. If you know me, or remember my post from the first day of this year, then you may recall how I feel about tonight. Normally I do not get all excited just because one year is over and another begins, it's usually just another day to me. However, tonight finds me glad to be saying goodbye to 2010, though I know it has left unfinished business

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-79025703959193729952010-12-29T07:18:00.009-05:002010-12-29T08:37:18.669-05:00

Like much of the East Coast, we had a white Christmas. Fortunately, we had already arrived where we wanted to be at my parents house on Virginia's Eastern Shore (beautiful in any season). What started out as a gentle snowfall providing nice backdrop to the day's festivities, gradually morphed into blizzard conditions by Sunday, keeping everyone housebound (except for the camera-clad foolhardy).

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-51647272325091199502010-12-15T06:04:00.001-05:002010-12-15T06:35:37.303-05:00

In an area known for relatively mild winters and only occasional snowfall, we have already had temperatures in the low 20's, and we have had two snows, with more forecasted for Thursday and the weekend. While this weather is not uncommon in January or February, it's a bit extreme for us in December. I certainly hope it is no indication of what the next few months will be like.However, I am

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-78605855749372695402010-12-12T19:27:00.007-05:002010-12-12T22:41:41.813-05:00

Over the years the holiday season has lost much of the luster it once had for me. Perhaps a career in retail where Christmas begins in October and the emphasis on acquisition over all else, can be blamed. This year there are also other events keeping the holiday lights a little less bright for me. Several people I care about are going through life changing events with uncertain outcomes.

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-83219417077070280672010-12-05T20:15:00.003-05:002010-12-05T21:02:37.515-05:00

Here in Tidewater we got our first taste of winter weather this weekend. Until last week I hadn't even had a killing frost, but this weekend it got below freezing cold at night with highs in the 40's during the day, and this pattern is expected to remain through the early week. Last night we even got snow, albeit a very light dusting. This type of weather is not uncommon here, but it did arrive

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-51163600480741735282010-11-30T18:47:00.005-05:002010-11-30T19:43:58.479-05:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend we headed to my parents house on Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore. In the mornings I was able to get up early enough to see the sun rise. I would have liked to have slept longer, but the dogs have not gotten adjusted to the time change yet, and once I am up, I'm up, so a walk to the edge of Metompkin Bay seemed like a good way to start the day.Thursday:The skies on

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-47711211898216418232010-11-24T11:27:00.005-05:002010-11-24T12:17:37.877-05:00

The past week has been an especially busy and long one for me with work. On Thursday we got in our Christmas trees and spent the next four days getting them cut, put in stands, sprayed with Wilt Pruf, graded, priced and tagged. Our trees come from the mountains of North Carolina where the grower told me they had an ideal summer for Fraser Firs (it was good to here that at least someplace in this

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-76433450425414968382010-11-20T17:31:00.004-05:002010-11-20T18:19:43.509-05:00

Last Saturday I returned to the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail with my son and our bikes. As I have mentioned in other posts, the fall colors here have been unusually spectacular so I was hoping we would see some on our ride. We did, but I had forgotten that the predominant tree species on this trail was Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) whose fall color is strikingly similar to its spring, summer and winter

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-75722561732703234552010-11-15T06:21:00.000-05:002010-11-15T06:44:14.788-05:00

It has been a delightful fall here, which is especially appreciated after this summer's horrid weather and after what we went through last fall at this time. I have given up on trying to determine what factors influence good fall foliage, because just when you hear some plausible explanation along comes a fall show that defies prediction. Yesterday on the way to work I marveled at the colors that

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-26952489729886938582010-11-07T06:54:00.008-05:002010-11-07T21:54:40.229-05:00

Yesterday the three of us, plus the two dogs headed to Colonial Williamsburg for our semi-annual (we missed last year) fall foliage pilgrimage. Most of the trees were still very colorful and as no frost has yet occurred, there were a few flowers blooming as well. We never buy a ticket, but just wander the streets, shop a little and have lunch. It is a great place to people-watch, but we were able

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-84954004492540648072010-11-04T22:35:00.002-04:002010-11-04T23:20:01.316-04:00

Last week I visited the garden of some friends and was mildly surprised to see their Ramona Clematis in full bloom and being very photogenic. As I neared to take a picture I noticed what I first thought was some sort of bizarre looking honeybee with fuzzy black legs. Closer inspection showed it was a bee being carried by a Daring Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax). This is a fairly common spider

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-5039252073738053252010-10-31T00:01:00.002-04:002010-10-31T06:46:34.716-04:00

Aaron and Elizabeth Deale were married shortly after his return from the war. Though the rest of the state lay largely in ruin, the people on this side of the bay remained mostly unscathed with an optimistic eye on the future. As a wedding gift to his son and new daughter-in-law, Moses Deale built a house on a bit of high ground overlooking Indiantown Creek. The elder Deale was famous on both

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-60903341591437626302010-10-28T20:38:00.005-04:002010-10-28T22:25:12.267-04:00

I will end my Shenandoah National Park posts where it officially began when dedicated by FDR in 1935 at Big Meadows. I had hoped our stay would begin here as well. We left Norfolk fairly early so that we could get to the first-come-first-serve campsites before the bulk of the expected Columbus Day weekend crowd. I really wanted to camp at Big Meadows, but when we got to the park the admitting

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-91679723949962138042010-10-25T20:05:00.004-04:002010-10-25T20:36:19.367-04:00

It was fairly cloudy most of the day here, and rain began falling late in the afternoon. On the way home from work I made a stop to pick up some flowers (tomorrow is our anniversary), and as I was leaving the store the sun broke through the last few minutes of the day. The sky began to glow, and I dashed behind the shopping center to get a picture. In an instant it was over.

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-76622580328763790712010-10-23T20:43:00.004-04:002010-10-23T22:58:55.959-04:00

During our stay in Shenandoah we went hiking several times. I asked one of the rangers if she could recommend some trails near our campsite. On her endorsement we hiked the Jones Run Trail with the promise of 43' falls. As we entered the trial it was obvious to me it had been a while since rain had fallen. We descended fairly steeply the dry mountain until we came to Jones Run itself, which was a

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-7868938554371676992010-10-18T20:05:00.005-04:002010-10-18T21:58:04.344-04:00

The place where I live is flat - flat like the kitchen floor. There are very few elevation changes and these are often imperceptible, except during storm tides when mere inches make a great difference. Though I do love living on the coast and am willing to endure the occasional nor'easter or hurricane, I try to get to the mountains whenever I have the opportunity. I remember a post that Joycelyn

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-5557150373134014142010-10-14T22:17:00.006-04:002010-10-15T08:26:01.678-04:00

Though I do have blooms in the garden, there is little to show for October that hasn't already been shown in September or August. The temperatures and humidity may have moderated, and some of the trees are just now starting to bronze, but it is basically still summer here. So I am stretching the rules for this month's Bloom Day and will show some of what I saw last weekend in Shenandoah National

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-36641758790504511032010-10-11T17:22:00.006-04:002010-10-12T22:10:40.045-04:00

This past Friday my son and I headed west for a weekend of camping. Along the way we travelled through one of my favorite parts of the state, the western Piedmont where it nears the Blue Ridge, and stopped at the Barboursville Ruins. The house was one of only a few that Thomas Jefferson designed for a friend, in this case James Barbour, who was a U.S. Senator, Secretary of War and a Governor of

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-81210183744955334012010-10-05T22:30:00.005-04:002010-10-06T19:56:41.094-04:00

Recently fellow blogger James at View From Federal Twist wrote a post where he relayed an overheard comment about his garden. Seems a house guest did not think his garden was a real one, perhaps preferring something with more formality or tradition. Regardless, this created an excellent opportunity to discuss just what qualifies as a garden. Do a few plants in pots on a balcony constitute a

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-70351544098030673362010-09-30T18:09:00.004-04:002010-09-30T19:18:11.006-04:00

Since Sunday we have gotten about 10" of rain, 6 of those inches have fallen today and more is predicted for tonight. All day long we have been laying on the tracks of a Caribbean rain freight train. Getting to work this morning was a real adventure with so many flooded intersections and underpasses, even without mentioning the overturned vegetable oil truck blocking I-64. The whole region is a

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-86482713532060864362010-09-26T22:52:00.004-04:002010-09-27T21:23:56.183-04:00

These photos were taken at the 2010 North American Sandsculpting Championship, part of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival which celebrates the return of the beach to the locals, while also trying to wring out a few more dollars from the season. I must say it was nice to have the beach less crowded and being after Labor Day to legally take dogs there as well. Anyway, the sandsculpting was amazing

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-87132683543712084992010-09-24T19:16:00.005-04:002010-09-24T20:40:21.988-04:00

Today I headed to an estate sale at Talbot Hall, which is one of Norfolk's more historic homes and one of only a few antebellum plantation homes to survive time and tide. We need more stuff for our own house like a hole in the head, but I was lured by the kayaks mentioned in the classifieds, plus I wanted to see the inside of this home. The original house was completed in 1803 and was added onto

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-42210051884198415582010-09-20T22:42:00.004-04:002010-09-20T23:31:52.131-04:00

Saturday we headed west to enjoy a day of stellar weather at the Isle of Wight County Fair. We were able to see prized produce and poultry, watch tractor pulls and lawn mower races, get in a lot of people watching, consider questionable rides, eat some really good BBQ, study a vast array of tattoos and have others worry about our salvation. I also got take a few photos.Some might think that

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8765612855992884633.post-71057656118333534552010-09-17T19:22:00.004-04:002010-09-18T07:14:08.469-04:00

No, I did not go to Washington D.C. today, but rather to The Great Dismal Swamp, where I explored, by bike, The Dismal Swamp Canal Trail. This relatively new trail is actually the old Rte. 17 that runs through here into North Carolina and other points south. When a new, safer 17 was built, people with vision decided to turn the old tree-lined road into a recreational trail, straight and flat for

Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.com22