The two azalea bushes don't bloom at quite the same time -- about a two
week difference between when they each reach their peak show. Perhaps that's
just as well -- the first to bloom has lost almost half of its blossoms
by the time the second one is reaching its peak.
That first one is just awesome -- the color seems to explode in your eyes
-- it's supersaturated -- I almost want to say somebody must have spray-painted
these flowers with some day-glo paint, it's just that vibrant and overwhelming.
Jill and I went plant shopping yesterday and then came home and played
in the dirt.
I planted the cucumbers and zuchini and oregano that I'd picked up on the
weekend plus the mint and bay plants I'd bought on our plant-shopping expedition.
Jill finished preparing her end of the main garden and planted the four
eggplants she'd bought and some herbs (sage that she had bought plus some
parsley and basil that I had left over from the weekend) and also planted
carrot seeds she bought. So today Nancy came home with some basil plants
a colleague had given her. By mid-summer I should have enough basil to
make an entire salad with basil leaves! (Hmmm, I wonder how that would
taste?)
The Providence Journal is running a series of articles about Block Island
this week. I think Block Island is a fascinating place -- just a few miles
offshore. Despite the name of the island, on the political maps it is
the Town of New Shoreham. The island has a year 'round population of around
eight or nine hundred, but in the summer it is quite a bit higher (and
yet not as high as you might think because there are not that many hotel
and bed & breakfast rooms available). Five years ago (Time Flies!)
I posted an entry with some pictures I had taken on the island -- including a couple of
Southeast Light -- an 1875 vintage lighthouse that was in danger of destruction
as the cliff crumbled more and more each year and the cliff's edge grew
closer and closer to the lighthouse. So about twelve years ago they jacked
it up, attached wheels, and moved it back around 245 feet further inland,
away from the cliff.
Today's story in this series featured the the story of that lighthouse, complete with pictures. I e-mailed Bonnie to suggest checking the newspaper website -- and then I thought maybe some of you might be interested -- http://www.projo.com/ -- That's the "front page" of the website -- If were to go there today (Tuesday) the lighthouse would be the current story -- on Wednesday the next story would be featured but you can still see the lighthouse story -- just click "Special series" above the "Saving Block Island" title and you should get a page listing the parts -- the lighthouse is Part Three. |
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| An azalea in front of our house -- taken May 25th The color is overwhelming. |
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| Another azalea -- located just to the left of the first one -- this one
blossoms later -- taken May 4th. |
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| Along the side of our garage. |
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| Just to show you an example of the blossoms from chives being used in a
salad. (This is not a very good photograph -- took it without using flash
but I think that made the shutterspeed too slow -- but I guess you get
the idea.. |
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