valentine's day San Diego: Dancing and Dining

Dancing Topiaries at the San Diego Botanical Gardens

Get your dancing shoes on!

We visited the San Diego Botanical Gardens (located North of San Diego in Encinitas) while on vacation last month, and were quite taken with the topiary flamenco dancers. It didn't take much to get into the act. In fact, a subtle invitation, and I was dancing....

Dancing at the San Diego Botanical Gardens

The gardens were a wonderful surprise. I had not realized that San Diego had such a developed public botanical garden. A friend of mine told me about it before we left for our trip, and I am so happy I got a chance to see it.

Lady in Green

There are sculptures throughout the park which make for a experience of delightful discovery. In the Bamboo forest, it was almost fairy tale like. Giant seed pods looked almost ready to flower.

valentine's day Each piece told a bit of the story. Lanterns to light the way.


Giant hat pins holding wisps of grassy locks in place.


And then there were those moments when a glance just made me hold my breath....water falling into lily ponds.

valentine's day
Layer upon layer of color and texture.

valentine's day
Spots for quiet contemplation filled with the scent of herbs and roses.


And then there were the plants that tall tales are made of, like the Giant Dutchman's Pipe which has fashioned itself to look and smell like raw meat to attract flies for pollination....curiouser and curiouser...




There were places for secret dalliances....




And trees that have stood the test of time....




And as we were leaving that day, a gift just for me.....



valentine's day Katydid

Another chance discovery on our adventures was a place that made us feel right at home. We returned more than once to The Mission in Mission Beach. The best breakfast to be had for miles around.

I had the corn meal blueberry pancakes and a Chai Latte. Apparently word is out....get there a bit on the early side and the wait is only a couple of minutes. Even if you are late....the wait is worth it. Hop onto the website HERE for menus telling about the goodness.

valentine's day Chai Latte complete with spoon to scoop up the foam. Best.

valentine's day Best Blueberry Corn Meal Pancakes with Blueberry Pure, Eggs and Bacon. Mmmmmm.

Next time you are in the San Diego area, try a little Dining and Dancing!

valentine's day Progress: Backyard Fountain

The construction of our patio fountain has been the biggest project going on at our house lately....at least as far as home improvement is concerned. (Perhaps the bigger project has been shopping for my oldest daughter's foray into the world of higher learning....i.e. dorm room decor....but that is a story for another time.)

Back to the fountain.....the brown coat is on the wall! It looks so much better already with the concrete block covered up. Even the grey color looks better than the blinding white paint that was on the block wall. The guys are coming back this week to put on the final coat of stucco and then it is up to me to pick a paint color.....which leads me to another question....

The paint color will also be going on the house. I am thinking a sage green. The trim on the house is white, and the doors will be a glossy dark gun metal grey....almost black. I am also toying with the idea of black and white striped awnings.

But I am now torn. I was talking to a friend and she said she likes the house the color it is now (a kind of light beige, almost an off-white). I thought I was pretty well decided, but her comment got me thinking. Perhaps I should look revisit the paint color. Here is the house today:


Thoughts???

valentine's day Girls' Weekend, Lake Tahoe

I have been away a bit.....perhaps you have noticed? It has been a busy summer working with wonderful clients, weekend getaways and a vacation thrown in for good measure

A couple of weeks ago, I made a yearly jaunt with my friend Lori to spend the weekend with our long time friend, Diane at her Lake Tahoe home. On Saturday, we headed over to the Thunderbird Lodge, where Diane is the Master Gardener, for a picnic on the beach. Old Omar Khayyam had it right:

"A book of verses underneath the Bough

A jug of wine, a Loaf of Bread - and Thou

Beside me singing in the wilderness-

O Wilderness were Paradise enow!"

Lake Tahoe is known for is crystal clear waters, and Lori and I took full advantage jumping right in for a swim. Meanwhile, Diane uncorked the wine and got the party started.

After a couple of glasses of wine, it was obvious to us that the clouds had formed into a giant Thunderbird in honor of our visit. Can you see the full wingspread? And then there is the head at center.

Here's a little help...this is the Thunderbird plaque above the door at the lodge....can you see it now?

Not more than a few minutes later, we saw original lodge owner's, George Whittell Jr.'s, yacht, also named the "Thunderbird" motor up to the boathouse. It had been out ferrying people back from the Oscar de la Renta fashion show that had been taking place on the North shore of the Lake. If you want to see more about that fabulous show, check out Tartanscot's blog HERE for another Lake Tahoe chic affair! (Although our little tete a tete was pretty chic, if I do say so!)

When we finished lunch we sauntered on over to check out the gardens and just happened to pass by the boathouse. Luckily, the captain and his mates were still there and let us in to have a closer look at this gem of a yacht. Truly a beauty to behold....all varnished wood and chrome buffed to a brilliant shine. Sigh.....it conjures visions of movie stars making their way across the lake to the infamous poker parties thrown by George in the 30's and 40's.


It is only fitting that this stunning bird should have just come from Oscar's party! (Although I did hear that Oscar did not make an appearance! Ah..C'est la vie! There were still gift bags with sunny yellow umbrella's and stationary!)


After our well deserved "Oh"ing and "Aw"ing, we said goodbye and headed up the hill for a garden tour and a visit to the Lodge.


There is always another thing of beauty to see on the grounds, some occur all by themselves:
And others are the result of Diane and her volunteers' talented efforts.

There were also a couple rooms inside the lodge that had been re-decorated to better reflect the life and times of George Whittell Jr. and his wife Elia.

Front Door at Thunderbird Lodge

Great Room at Thunderbird Lodge

George's Bedroom

A brass bed was added in George's Room, along with a photo of George with one of his many pets. ( Some of which included lions and other wild animals.)

Elia's Room

Elia is pictured in her more feminine room with her pet cheetah.

A brilliant day to be sure.

On Sunday, Diane gave us a tour of her own beautiful Sierra Mountain garden. Diane carried every granite paving stone herself, creating a courtyard which overlooks the Lake.

This sprightly sculpture appears to emerge straight from the earth to breath in deeply the fragrant flowers in Diane's garden.

One of our traditions every year is to exchange gifts since we all have summer birthdays. It is always a fun challenge because we set a price limit on the gifts. This year I found these cute straw bags and paired them with pretty scarves from Cost Plus World Market. (I have to say....LOVE that store!) I will show you what I received in my next post! Stay tuned.

After our gift exchange, we headed out for lunch on the Lake...it was another beautiful day, and we gorged on Hamburgers, Cobb Salad and Rum Runners at the Beacon Bar and Grill in historic Camp Richardson.

Fat and happy, we were all ready to head over to our favorite Plant Nursery, Aspen Hollow, to buy a few things before heading back home. The sky started to get a bit dark for a summer afternoon....and it started to sprinkle a little. As we got a little closer to the Nursery, we heard thunder. As we pulled into the parking lot.....it hit! A HUGE hail storm with hail the size of moth balls and golf balls. We were stuck in the car hoping that the windows would not crack. This was our afternoon of winter in the middle of summer.

The hail eventually died down and we ventured into the Nursery. Sadly, they had a bit of damage and decided to close for the day. We will have to wait for next year.

valentine's day Diane and I seeking shelter in the Nursery Hut at Aspen Hollow.

Another beautiful and adventurous trip to the Lake. Thank you to Diane, Phil and Lori for such a wonderful weekend!

valentine's day I'll Have Water Please

Courtyard Fountain in our Backyard

We have progress! Tim has been working hard to get our courtyard fountain up and running with cool clear water so we can enjoy our backyard this summer. The concrete cap we ordered finally came in and Tim has set it. Prior to this, we had a trench dug from the garage... through the garden beds... to the fountain for the electrical wiring so we can have up-lights in the water trough.

See that red squiggle painted on the concrete wall? This is "water" courtesy of Tim...in case anyone wondered.

Next up....the Corten steel plates go up on the wall above the trough, along with the water piping for the fountain. After that, the wall will be stuccoed and painted. Then the fun begins! Water and plants!!!!

valentine's day Waiting patiently for our new water bowl!

valentine's day Thank you Tim....you are so good to us!

valentine's day Making Lemonade.....

Back Yard Concrete Block Wall, Fountain Under Construction!

When we moved in to our 1911 house, we were thrilled to have an old house with all of it's charm and quirks. But things happen over the years. Things get built that make you wonder what the owners were thinking. We inherited a decrepit carport that was attached to a massive concrete block wall (9-10 feet high?). We took down the lean to, but the wall remains. An eyesore with rebar sticking up from the top. I guess it was never finished?

We left it alone while we busily attacked the house remodel. But now we are tackling the yard. So....what to do about this wall? Should it come down? Or should we try to work with it? Our neighbor has one of the most beautiful rose gardens I have ever seen, and many of his climbers are on the other side of this wall. We hate to disturb the plants....or our very patient neighbor ( he has kindly put up with two dogs that love to bark at the squirrels that run across the top of the wall).

We decided to leave it where it is. I had designed a large wall fountain for a restaurant a few years ago, and Tim loved it. So...we are creating a smaller version to break up the expanse of wall that blinds us with glare almost all day. I sketched up our vision of what the "After" will look like ......soon I hope!

After!

We plan to use corten metal plates for the back of the wall of water, and stucco the rest of the wall to match the house. A concrete finish cap will go along the top. Tim is building the trough for the water with a seat topped with the same concrete cap. Trellised vines will cover the wall on either side of the fountain, and I am hoping Tim will agree to potted citrus tress on either side. This wall gets sun almost all day....so Mediterranean plants will do well here. We will be trying out water plants for the first time in the fountain!

I am looking forward to the sound of falling water and the thermal cooling when the temps get up to 100 around here!

Another project on the books.....(Tim doesn't know about this one yet!)....our front door! It is a massive four feet wide, and to replace it would cost a small fortune. Plus, most door companies do not warranty a door this wide. 42 inches, yes....48 inches, no. I would have thought that the front door to a house that is otherwise very charming would have had some character. But sadly, it is a plain slab door with wood veneer that has seen better days. It is heavily scratched and peeling away. Plus, the dark stain stops the eye dead in it's tracks in our white living room. And why someone would feel it necessary to add a peephole to a door with windows, I will never understand! Here she is....

Front Door..."Before"

So this is my plan....... I want to add battens to the door to add some architectural interest. The pattern will echo some of the other patterns throughout the house. like the wainscoting in the dining room and the beamed ceilings. The battens will also hide the flaws in the veneer. Then a fresh coat of paint, new hardware, and voila! I hope to have a much prettier door that will not break the bank!

valentine's day After!

I will keep you posted on the progress......soon I hope! it is dependent on my "contractor" (ahem....Tim!)