Whew, What a Weekend

Where do I begin?

Due to the holiday falling on Saturday, we both got Friday off of work. We used the time to get all of our yard work and chores done so we could enjoy some of the long weekend.

Saturday morning we were up bright and ealry to meet Barb & Joe & Kailynn for an early breakfast before our trail ride in Mountain. Barb is who we sold Copper to about a month ago. He's fallen head over hoof for her. I'm so glad they've fit well together. Anyway, the ride could not have been better. Very few bugs, not too hot, and we did not meet one single other horse on the trails.




Then Joe took us up to the top of Lookout Rock. There were some steep trails on the way up.

And we all enjoyed a nice view and some good laughs when we made it to the top.

After the ride we found a local Fireman's picnic, stopped for a burger and enjoyed a nice blues band. It was a long day, but one of the more memorable 4th's I've had.


Sunday was more yardwork and chores, then we took a break in the afternoon to take a ride out to the bayshore. We're only ten miles from Green Bay - not the city, but the water. It's fun to drive out to the end of the breakwater and watch the boats go by.

This, of course, is done after stopping at the Dockside for one of their famous Bloody Mary's. Mmm-Mmmm.


Unfortunately, I could only enjoy one.


Out on the breakwater Sara felt the urge to strike a pose.

From there we headed north up the bayshore to Menominee, Michigan. They have a beautiful old downtown and a really nice marina.

Sara couldn't resist the urge to go in the water, but it was just too cold.

After our stroll around the marina, we stopped at a neat place across the street and had a bite to eat.

It was a great way to end a wonderful weekend.

Who's Cuter?

Austin? (aka: Little A)

Or Luci? (aka: the cutest lil dog in the whole wide world!)

I may be a little biased, but I love them both.

Spiderwort

Tradescantia ohiensis

This little gem is in the front garden. I don't know what I like better, the flower or the name.

Spiderwort. Spiderwort. Sure is fun to say.

This Year's Garden

Well, like I said in an earlier post, I caught the gardening bug again. I wanted to transform a dead corner of the yard into a nice veggie garden. Nothing too big, nothing too out of hand, just enough space to grow enough to stash some veggies in the freezer for the winter.

First I must say that I like the raised beds for their neatness and for their ability to let you pack tons of veggies into a small space. I had luck with them at the old house. Also, the area that I planned out is directly above our plumbing that leads to our septic system. The soil that the plumbers and excavators deposited there was a hard clay mix, not condusive to a healthy garden.


Well, this is what I threw together our first year here:
Can you even see those two tiny coffin-like raised beds against the chain link fence? Yes, pathetic, but they gave us some nice tomatoes and peppers and green beans. That vertical eyesore is the pole that the previous owners had their satellite tv dish on. I tossed together a trellis out of some scrap cedar and put it over that pole.

Here's my idea starting to come together:

Then after some measuring and cutting and hammering and hauling dirt and woodchips and planting, here we are:
I built me a little potting bench/tool bench/coffee cup holder bench:And a little compost bin between the two old raised beds:

And hopefully this is a sign of a good harvest to come:

Rye