A new way to post

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2011 Travels--Florida Part I: On the Banks of the Caloosahatchee

Our spring vacation in Southwest Florida began with a flight to Ft. Myers and a drive to the new riverfront home of Doug and Matt in the Riviera tower. They live on the 11th floor and enjoy a view to the Southwest of downtown and the broad estuary of the Caloosahatchee River, which runs from Lake Okeechobee in the Everglades to the Gulf of Mexico.

The first evening the five of us (Doug, Matt, us and the poodle Sam) took a walk along the seawall about sunset, when the air had cooled and the air was fresh. We loved the views at first glimpse.








A significant archit- ectural feature is the arching twin spans of the Business 41 highway bridge from downtown to North Ft. Myers. Every morning and evening we saw a different scene as the light played on the water in various slants and hues.

One evening on our walk we actually spotted some dolphins feeding near the seawall. They were too quick, and the light was too low, to capture the images. But it was the first time either of us had seen a live dolphin outside of a TV show or a movie, and it was a thrill.

Palm trees say "Florida" or "tropics" more clearly than anything. These were part of the landscaping at the Riviera and they framed the sky well. There was more interesting vegetation and lovely flowers that I'll include in a later post.





The building boom that went bust in Florida in 2008 is evident in the many empty apart- ments, houses and condos in this area. One casualty was evident in a development just north of the Riviera, where an array of boat docks were now vacant and unused, and being reclaimed by the elements. They were picturesque, anyway.

The sunset on this particular evening turned the sky and water a color that often shows up in Florida architecture, salmon pink. This particular night, the water was calm. It was the same evening we saw the dolphins.

The view from the lanai at night of the Ft. Myers skyline was always a draw. The row of lights at left line First Street, an extension of Palm Beach Boulevard, and the lights beneath the highway bridge are reflected in the water.

Our one-week visit included an historical museum, a nature center, an art walk downtown, and a memorable trip to the beach on Captiva Island. All of that is to come in the next few days. Norm enjoyed relief from his sinus problems the whole week and he is not entirely joking when he says that would be enough to prompt him to move to Florida! That, and the 80-degree temperatures on a day when it was snowing light flurries as we left St. Louis!

Florida on our minds

Southwest Florida toward the end of "the season" boasts warm sunny days, pleasant evenings, and a very mellow feeling. Unfortunately the iPad will not upload photos to Blogger, so the full report will have to wait until I find an unattended computer. But we are having a good time. Meanwhile, check out posts and pictures on Facebook if you are a friend.

March So Lovely, Part IV

The annual Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden has been running for almost two months, and today was the last day. So after church, we headed for the garden, had lunch in the lovely Sassafras Cafe, and then ventured into the exhibit hall to enjoy this extraordinary collection!


This morning started out snow-covered, but with brilliant sunshine there was little of it left by 2 p.m. when we got to the garden. I was chagrined that I had left my camera at home. Then I remembered that my cell phone has a camera. Duh. I wasn't sure how good the photos would be, but many of them turned out well. A few were out of focus, like this one above.

We made three separate trips through the exhibit. On the first trip I was taking a lot of pictures and even got Norm to hold still for this one. On the second trip we looked up and down to see some plants we had missed the first time through. On the last trip, we took the route backwards to get a different perspective.

The many varieties of orchids are always amazing, and we see something new and different every year. The bright reds, yellows and oranges are always quite eye-catching.








Every variety was my instant favorite, but these beauties, that reminded me of day lilies, simply glowed. I wish my hand had been steadier or that I had a better command of the phone's zoom feature.







These creamy yellow blossoms with touches of orchid were one of Norm's favorites. Maybe my hand didn't shake. Maybe it was the light breeze blowing through the hall that made them wiggle.





Tucked in a corner was this unusual orchid variety. The spiky blooms reminded me of some types of Liatris (also known as Blazing Star or Gayfeather) that I have seen growing in gardens. These were a typical "orchid" color, though.

The plants are arranged in color families, or in contrasting colors. This nook was an oasis of cool and calm colors. The orchids are kept in a greenhouse and rotated in and out of the exhibit over a course of weeks. One year we saw a very rare "blue" orchid, but none was to be seen today.

These orchids are striking because of their upright habit and bicolor appearance. I think I have to take a picture of them every year! We finished our trip to the garden with a visit to the Garden Gate shop where we stocked up on organic plant sprays in anticipation of the coming growing season. We also got a new rain gauge to replace the old one, which was cracked.

Here is the most unusual orchid we saw today. These spiky flowers grow along a horizontal stem. They look like some kind of secret weapon. Perhaps their prickly appearance helps discourage predators. I didn't write down the variety, although the tag is visible...but a little too small print to read. We treasure our St. Louis botanical garden and bless the memory of Henry Shaw, an Englishman who made a fortune in hardware, loved plants, collected them, and willed his "country" home to the city of St. Louis over 150 years ago.

March So Cruel, Part III

Today was long- awaited Scrap Quilt Club Saturday! We gathered from 9 to 3 and worked on various projects. I am off to a slow start on this year's projects, but I was able to bring this finished project to show and tell today. It will need to be quilted, and I am thinking of trying to machine quilt it myself since it is not very big. Now, on to the next challenge!

When I drove to the meeting place this morning, the streets were dry, and all of Friday's snow had melted overnight. Pear trees were in bloom along the roads. But a Winter Storm Watch was upon us. About 1 p.m. the first flake fell. By the time I was in the parking lot clearing off the car about 3:30, nearly 2 inches of very wet, sticky, heavy snow had accumulated and was coating the driveways, walks and streets. Still, I made it home without trouble. Even let Gracie show her stuff by chugging up a fairly steep hill that hadn't been treated...and she didn't slip once! Sadly, at home I discovered this daffodil from yesterday, bearing a 2-inch snow hat.

The row of bushes and daffodils along the driveway looks very different than it did three days ago, or even 24 hours ago! About 2 more inches of snow fell after I took this picture.

In the back yard, birds had started a feeding frenzy. The two feeders on the left have caps almost 4 inches high on them. This was a zoom shot, and the birds were flying about so quickly that they don't show up clearly. Norm was glad he filled the feeders Friday night when it was calm.

Meanwhile, out front, the redbud I photographed yesterday with snow frosting its buds was completely encased in white. Actually, this may not be all bad. A hard freeze is forecast tonight, with the low around 26F. The snow, however, will insulate the buds it is covering so perhaps something will survive. Certainly we have had worse snowfalls in March--I recall some 15 inches that fell in mid March one year in the late 1970s. But this is enough already! Another storm, this one with sleet, is forecast for Tuesday. Finally it will get into the 50s toward the end of the week. It's enough to make a sane person buy a plane ticket for Florida!

March So Fickle, Part II

When I woke up Friday morning and looked out the window, it was raining snowballs! The radio came on and told of traffic tieups everywhere, although it was warm enough most of the streets were merely wet. I hurried downstairs before breakfast to try to get some pictures of this wet snow before it turned to rain and disappeared.
The front yard redbud wore a frosting of snow on the emerging flowers. They should be OK if it doesn't get any colder than 28 tomorrow night.

As for yesterday's daffodils nodding in the sun by the driveway-- here they are, struggling to hold up their heads as the wet stuff fell on them. The bushes wore some frosting too, for a couple of hours.

Zooming all the way to the back of the yard, I could see that the daffodils that came from my parents' house were trying to be small rays of sunshine in the bloom. At left, the yellow rose, which is all leaved out, was decorated as well. At least there are no rosebuds yet. Norm was planning to trim it back, but now he will have to wait for drier weather to tromp around in that bed.

This was the view from the back porch about 10 a.m. The total snowfall was less than an inch. Then it started to rain, which lasted until mid afternoon. After it stopped, Norm went out and broadcast grass seed in all of the thin and shaded areas, something we do several times a year, starting when the days get warm. He figured that the snow cover would provide some moisture for the seed, and also some cover to keep marauding blackbirds from eating it all before it can sprout. Then he went to Branneky Hardware and brought home a bale of straw to spread over the seed, for good measure.

This feeder is supposed to have a weighted perch that discourages larger birds from being able to get anything to eat. The grackles seem to have foiled that, as have a couple of squirrels. But in a rare moment a cardinal was able to get some lunch while the bigger birds were somewhere else.




I could hear a lot of blackbirds squawking in the trees next door so I aimed the camera up and took this picture of Jacinta's elm tree, or what is left of it after several storms. I expected to see grackles but these look more like robins, which have a very distinctive silhouette.

I guess the blackbirds were in Barb's evergreens. I never did get a good look at them but their racket overhead was pretty loud. By this afternoon, all of this finery had melted off the trees in the light rain that followed. We will have a quiet night, but the weather service on Friday afternoon issued a Winter Storm Warning for our area for today. They say we could get 2 -5 inches. I am hoping it won't disrupt our scrap quilt club meeting, or keep us from getting to church on Sunday. The ground is warm enough that the roads should be OK. But some of those delicate flower petals may find it too much to bear. It is still March, after all, and anything goes. Maybe we shouldn't have put away the heated birdbath last weekend when it was 82 degrees. Go figure.

March So Mild, Part I

The month of March has been full of meetings, travels to two weekend conferences in Jefferson City, some major sorting of our library to find books to donate, various church activities, and finally, yesterday, filing the taxes for 2010! For a lot of the time I've been limping along with one sore knee, sometimes two. I think they are getting better; only the orthopedic specialist knows for sure and I'll see him next week. March came in like a lamb, sunny and warm, with the tantalizing promise of spring. On March 1, the First Crocus appeared in the front flower bed. The feeling was, the spell of winter was broken and even if there was more cold weather, we knew it wouldn't stay around for long!

All around the neighbor- hood, birds have been returning. We have had lots of customers at the feeders, including cardinals, juncos, finches, goldfinches, and the less-than-welcome starlings and grackles. Robins have been casually around since sometime in February, but on Wednesday, March 23 I was out in the yard and got these closeups of a robin prospecting for worms in the front yard. This area was undermined by a mole through the fall and winter; it was finally caught in a trap the first week of March. With all the tunnels, we thought there must have been a dozen of them, but since the trapping, no more tunnels have appeared. Nevertheless, the yard is a lumpy mess.

The robin seemed to think as much as he crossed the front walk in search of something better. You'll note that the walk is littered with acorns... the squirrels think that all of our walls and walks are a special banquet table just for them. The robin was just sizing me up when Norm came around the corner of the house and the bird decided to check something out across the street instead.

This photo is from the archive; I took it on February 27 of this year but never got around to posting shots of our surprise snow on that weekend. The euonymous bushes by the driveway looked so lacy. You can just barely see the points of daffodils peeking out of the snow.

And some three weeks or so later, here the daffodils are in bloom... another photo from the 23rd. One thing we have noticed is that the blooms are much sparser this year. I'll put in a link here that goes to the same plot this time in 2010. I don't know if they bloomed themselves out last year, or if the bulbs are too crowded (probably) and starting to decline. They were already well established 10 years ago when we moved here. Nevertheless, it was such a treat to have sunshine, and to enjoy these glowing yellow beauties.

The entire yard is starting to green up, with buds swelling on the redbud trees, the lilac, and the maple. Some blue periwinkle is blooming under the tree, and the rosebushes are leafed out. The azaleas in front are loaded with buds. As I wrote on Facebook: it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood! But cold weather arrived on Thursday and Friday morning we woke up to a very different world. But that is the subject of the next post! Clearly Miss March still has a few tricks up her sleeve!

Quilting Retreat is Relaxing, Productive

My quilting guild held its annual retreat this past weekend. It's about 36 hours of sewing, eating, laughter, and a little sleep. This year we went to Mercy Center in West St. Louis County and about 40 of us had a great time!


This year there were three short projects, called Optional Blocks, in addition to the main retreat project. Each of us also had the option of "doing our own thing" which is the option I chose. The first block above is my contribution to the first optional block contest on Friday night. All of the entered blocks are shown at left. One lucky guild member won them all to take home--and it wasn't me. I really liked these blocks and the technique was easy--no cutting out triangles and wrestling with bias edges. I might try to make a whole quilt this way myself some day...I have lots of scraps!

Saturday was sunny but cool, so most of us spent the day inside the auditorium room at the center. These photos are during the morning as people got ready to start on the main project.

Every one had a table mate which made it fun to get to know someone better. And yet you could see what everyone else was doing as well. Some people brought sewing machines that could do everything except make coffee. I brought my 1970 Singer Featherweight that has two stitches, but makes incredibly accurate 1/4-inch seams.

Some members brought individual projects. I can't show what I worked on yet, because it is going to be a surprise for someone who is expecting her first child soon. So I'll show what others worked on. This butterfly project was one of the most ambitious. Many parts that had to be sewn precisely. I admire someone who has the patience to do this!

The main project, taught by a guest instructor, was a pineapple block. At left is how she charted the various stages of construction for those who were doing the bock to refer to. Some did two or four blocks; one woman was doing 20! After I saw the results, I kind of wished I had made this project, but I also needed to finish some other work that I had started some time ago.



Beautiful batiks were popular, and these made a beautiful wall hanging after they were all assembled. I admire the color sense of my quilting friends, and wish I could do half as well.

A more tradi-tional color scheme was in progress in the photo at left. There is something timeless and perennial about the use of burgundy and green.

We sewed late into the afternoon and night, with a few breaks for stretches and in one case, general hilarity. Sarah, who looks so serious here, later went out and came back wearing a grass skirt and showing off her moves in a hula dance! The theme of the weekend was "Valley Girls Go to Hawaii."

More serious stitching from Lenore at left and Norma below. There was a constant hum of machines, broken by occasional music and laughter. After our last meal together on Sunday, people began to pack up and leave one by one. The weekend goes by so fast! I came home with a set of pinwheel optional blocks that I won in the last of the three drawings. I'll post a picture of them soon, along with my mystery baby quilt.

The Amaryllis Blooms for February

Earlier this week on Facebook I posted a photo of a single amaryllis blossom-- the first to come out on our gloomy, sleety Tuesday. Yesterday there were four blooms, although because of my camera angle, only three can be seen here.

The plant came from Norm's mother, who had one similar to this going all the way back to their days on the farm in Western Kansas. At least 60 years, maybe 70, by my reckoning. In the summer the pot containing it would go outside; I remember seeing it just outside the back door of their house in Colby, in the shade of the climbing rose trellis. The rest of the year it resided indoors and in the winter would send up multiple stalks, sometimes bearing 4 or 5 buds. The salmon color always struck me as unusual, because the potted amarylli you can buy in the winter in garden centers and hardware stores are usually red, rose, or white. Close to 40 years ago Mom gave me my very own bulb and over the years it has multiplied many times and I have shared it with myiad friends. I know that my sisters-in-law all have their own bulbs and we often compare notes to see whose plant is blooming first. Sometimes it has bloomed at Christmas, often in January around my birthday. This year this plant, the first of several I have, waited until Ground Hog Day. Another one is sending up a stalk that will bloom for Valentine's Day. Several others just seem to be waiting. I think they want to be repotted. It's hard for amarylli to be too crowded, but I think a actually have one pot that is. It's tricky because if you give them too much room between themselves and the side of the pot, they won't bloom at all. About an inch between the bulb and wall of the pot is the best.

This amaryllis is atypical in that all the leaves never die off at once, like most varieties do, and it never really goes into hibernation only to send up a flower in advance of new leaves. It sports shiny green leaves all year round, but when the oldest leaf starts to yellow, and then dry up, I start looking for the flower stalk. It is as though the leaf if dying and pouring all its nutrients into the flower. Two or three more leaves may do this as the flower emerges.

I have two other varieties of amaryllis. One is a gorgeous, fragrant rose and white beauty that a friend gave me years ago. It has only bloomed two years out of all the time I have had it. It probably needs something it isn't getting. Another is a creamy white/yellow variety that is very prolific...bulbs multiply like crazy and I have shared those, too. It is the kind that likes to lose all its leaves and sleep for a while in the winter before it blooms. I have some offshoots of it that have been asleep in their pots for over a year, so I'm not sure what will wake them up. Yet the bulbs are still firm so I know they are alive, in there, somewhere. A few years ago I had several of these creamy ones planted together in a plastic pot, and they expanded so much during the summer on the porch that they split it in two. Needless to say, that got my attention and I found two new pots and fresh potting soil to resettle them.

I believe the Latin name for our lovely salmon amaryllis is Hippeastrum striatum. I found a blooming specimen in the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden with this name years ago. I'm not a botanist but the plant had exactly the same size, color and habit as ours. It was in bloom with several leaves on, in late January, in a ground level bed in the Garden's famed geodesic-domed greenhouse. The plant is a native of Brazil. I have no clue as to how a flowering bulb native to Brazil could have wound up on a window sill in Western Kansas sometime in the 1940s or 50s, and if anyone has a theory, please let me know. One of the color slides from the farm days shows it blooming on a kitchen window sill, and Norm remembers it being there in his childhood. Like so many stories, it raises more questions that may never be answered. But this amaryllis is a lovely reminder of my dear mother-in-law, of the ties that bind generation to generation, and the fact that some plants will probably outlive us all.

Winter Wonderland I

On Thursday afternoon, the aftermath of Tuesday's Big Storm was still sparkling in the trees. A half day of sunshine, but the sparkles overhead refused to melt. We could relax inside, enjoy warm ham and bean soup and admire the show.

I love my 10x zoom lens and the additional digital zoom on my little Canon Power Shot. As the sun was getting ready to set, I stood on the front porch in the 18-degree air and took not only the photo above but this one of the neighbor's house across the street, bathed in the glow of sunset. This is the home of the lady who feeds all the stray cats in the neighborhood--and a couple of them were sleeping on our porch chairs until Ava and Norm scared them off.

Since I posted two earlier views of this same scene, I thought I should show what it looked like at 7 a.m. this morning after about 3 or 4 inches of NEW snow fell overnight. We caught the tail end of the storm that buried Dallas and Tulsa yesterday. This snow was light, and as soon as it stopped falling, the wind scattered a lot of it off the trees.

Our backyard is still very popular with the avian community. As I focused for this picture using the zoom out one of the back upstairs windows, there was a lovely bright red cardinal on the top curve of the shepherd's crook. By the time I could trip the shutter, he was on the ground, munching on sunflower seeds!

By 2 p.m. we had clear blue sky and 34 degrees, and with a little more help from Barb, most of the driveway is clear. Norm says it looks like someone took a snow blower to the front sidewalks. That would probably be Buddy, who has been known to go all the way around the two block circle, about 7/8 of a mile, clearing a path for walkers so they won't have to exercise in the street. Barb ran some errands and brought us a dozen eggs--the only food stuff we are running low on. Now we are good until the next arctic blast in the middle of next week. We are so blessed in this village with amazing neighbors!