Lindsay in the Garden

This Is Why I Never Get Anything Done

2011-03-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines!

2011-02-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

Our New Garden

2011-02-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Here's our new plot in the Palo Alto Community Garden. When we got it, the plot was overgrown with blackberry bramble, roses and grapes.

We cleared out all the berry, dug up the roots and leveled the soil. Now it's ready for spring planting.

The Inside.

2011-01-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

The house is ready, you can come visit now.

Palo Alto House

2011-01-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

Pictures of the outside of our new house in Palo Alto, CA.

Butterfly

2010-10-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

At Natural Bridge Caverns in San Antonio, TX.

Beans

2010-10-25T00:14:00.000-07:00

Thomas holding a bean pod. This is the sort of thing Native Americans used to eat before White People came along, if Park Rangers are to be believed. Mission San Jose, San Antonio, TX.

Facade

2010-10-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

The church at Mission San Jose in San Antonio, TX.

Mission Concepcion

2010-10-06T01:34:00.000-07:00

The well-maintained interior of Mission Conception, second on the Mission Trail, San Antonio, TX.

Pom Pom Dahlia

2010-10-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

Taken last year at Volunteer Park in Seattle, WA.

Goodbye Summer

2010-09-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Corn and Sunflowers growing in my backyard in Richardson, TX.

Cats In The Window

2010-09-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is how my cats have a meeting of the minds.

Clean Hands

2010-09-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

A little girl rinsing off on the River Walk in San Antonio, TX.

Heron

2010-09-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

This little guy, as far as I can tell, is a Green Heron. He threw me of his heron-trail by not having a long neck, but then I realized his neck was just scrunched down like some of these guys here: http://www.google.com/images?q=green+heron&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=leGeTJzFBoGBlAf62KnwAg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQsAQwAA&biw=1920&bih=1016. The internets win again! I photographed him at the Sunken Gardens in San Antnio, TX.

Seafood

2010-09-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

The fish market at Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA. This is my first effort at shooting RAW and editing a series in Photoshop.

Toy Joy

2010-09-21T10:05:00.002-07:00

The happy happy Toy Joy building on Guadalupe in Austin, TX.

Mission San Jose

2010-09-21T10:05:00.001-07:00

On the Mission Trail in San Antonio, TX.

Quackenbush

2010-09-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

Quackenbush Bakery in Hyde Park at night, Austin, TX.

VW

2010-09-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

In honor of our trip to Seattle, here's a VW van in Seattle, Wa. Holla.

Stairs

2010-09-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

Staircase on the River Walk, San Antonio, TX.

Fountain

2010-09-07T06:15:00.002-07:00

Fountain on the River Walk, San Antonio, TX.

Alamo

2010-09-07T06:15:00.001-07:00

The Alamo on a very hot day, San Antonio, TX.

Primrose

2010-09-07T06:14:00.004-07:00

Primrose growing on the River Walk Extension, San Antonio, TX.

One

2010-09-07T06:14:00.003-07:00

At roundabout in Volunteer Park, Seattle, WA.

Downstairs

2010-09-07T06:14:00.001-07:00

The banister at Hyde Park Inn, Austin, TX.

Keith Haring

2010-09-06T05:19:00.001-07:00

Found in the window of a Capitol Hill residence, Seattle, WA.

Sticker Sign

2010-09-06T05:18:00.002-07:00

A sign covered with stickers outside the entrance to the San Antonio Museum of Art in San Antonio, TX.

Schilo's

2010-09-06T05:18:00.001-07:00

Looking out the window at Schilo's old-fashioned deli in San Antonio, TX.

Harp

2010-09-06T05:17:00.002-07:00

Harp on stage before a concert of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra in San Antonio, TX.

Art

2010-09-06T05:17:00.001-07:00

On the side of a building in the parking lot of the San Antonio Art Museum, San Antonio, TX.

Straw Flower

2010-09-05T07:18:00.001-07:00

Straw flower that I grew from seed in out garden, Richardson, TX.

Sandwiches

2010-09-05T07:17:00.002-07:00

Sandwich shop tucked in between houses in the Hyde Park neighborhood, Austin, TX.

Window Seat

2010-09-05T07:17:00.001-07:00

Bianca looking out the window on a hot day at our house in Richardson, TX.

Aiden and Harley

2010-09-05T07:14:00.002-07:00

My nephew Aiden and his dog Harley in their home in San Antonio, TX.

Trumpets

2010-09-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Lone Star Wind Orchestra trumpets (including Thomas') on stage before a concert at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention in San Antonio, TX.

Rain

2010-09-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

Rain drops on the windows of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, TX.

Fresco

2010-09-02T07:10:00.001-07:00

Ceiling fresco in a small room at Mission Concepcion in San Antonio, TX.

Fountains

2010-09-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Children playing in the Hemisphere Park fountains on a hot day in San Antonio, TX

Hemisphere Park Garden

2010-09-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

Angel Trumpet, Oregano, and some kind of purple flower growing in San Antonio, TX.

Liberty Bar

2010-09-01T02:12:00.000-07:00

Liberty Bar leans to the left in San Antonio, TX. It is now closed (hopefully just for brief renovations?).

Pearl Brewery

2010-09-01T02:11:00.000-07:00

The old Pearl Brewery in San Antonio, TX, no doubt once the crown jewel in a brewing empire, now converted to apartments, a great place for frat parties, and possibly still a brewery as well.

Purple Building

2010-09-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

A building I like near the art museum in San Antonio, TX.

Hamilton Pool

2010-09-01T02:08:00.000-07:00

Trees at Hamilton Pool Preserve near Austin, TX.

Omni

2010-08-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

Caitlin in our giant suite at the Omni Hotel in Austin, TX

Austin Farmer's Market

2010-08-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

It's apparent to any one who looks at my blog that I love taking photos at farmers markets. This one in downtown Austin, TX has gotten so big since I have lived there. The city is growing so much!
All this despite the 100 degree heat.

Happy Dogs

2010-08-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of really cute, happy dogs trying not to get too hot at the Austin Farmers Market in Austin, TX.

Balcony

2010-08-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

Emily on our balcony on the 17th floor of the Omni Hotel in Austin, TX. We had our own special elevator.
Reflection of the cars below.

Looking south towards 6th street.
East towards I-35.

Bright Jewels

2010-08-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

Cactus Bright Jewels Zinnia that I grew in my garden myself.

Details

2010-08-30T00:40:00.000-07:00

Some pretty touches in our room at the Hyde Park Inn in Austin, TX.

Signage

2010-08-30T00:39:00.000-07:00

Street sign, burlap coffee sack, and construction in Austin, TX.

Sapling

2010-08-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

A little tree growing in Barton Creek in Austin, TX.

Dragonfly

2010-08-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

Our sunflower forest attracted quite a menagerie this year, this little dude among them.

Mockingbird

2010-08-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this little guy when I went on a walk with my camera (can't remember why).

Greenbelt

2010-08-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Pics of Thomas hiking on the Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin, TX. We parked at the 360 trail head and tried (unsuccessfully) to find Sculpture Falls.
But we found a nice overlook and some pretty wading spots anyways.

Trellis

2010-08-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

Plant growing up a trellis at Hyde Park Inn in Austin, TX.

Party Aftermath

2010-08-17T00:35:00.000-07:00

This is how girls trash a hotel room.
Here it is, unmitigated proof that I have not lost my ability to party like a rock star in a hotel room with no less than three balconies.
And yes, I remain adept at putting my hands up in the air, and waving them like I just don't care.
In other, sadder news, this was the weekend I was forced to admit that I can no longer party as hard as my little sister.
Room courtesy of the Omni Austin. How we pulled off this upgrade I still have no idea.
Fun courtesy of Caitlin, Katelyn, Emily, and I.

Hyde Park Inn

2010-08-09T16:47:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago, Thomas and I check ourselves in to the beautiful Hyde Park Inn Bed and Breakfast. I used to live in Hyde Park and love the neighborhood, but have never stayed here on vacation. The house was just gorgeous and the price was right too! Our room was small, wood-paneled and balconied, and very, very comfortable.
It overlooked the pool. Thomas was still nursing his ankle sprain, a nice cool soak helped a lot at the end of the day.
That's our balcony.
Breakfast was served daily in the elegant dining room underneath us.
Fancy!
Breakfast was granola with berries and angel-food cake and some sort of egg-cheese-tortilla bake. There are so many places I love eating in Austin I expect yumminess and our kind hostess did not disappoint. She was very careful to have vegetarian options for us as well.
The formal sitting room contained many elegant, breakable things. They let us stay there anyways, which I though was sweet. In addition to all of the pretty things this room also contained a bowl of Hershey's Kisses, so it was pretty much my favorite place.
What great old home would be complete with out a great old porch? That's a very comfy swing, by the way.
Too hot right now to make much use of the outdoor dining table but I bet some great meals have been had here. I love old houses and this one is just stunning. The proprietors should really be commended on how much love they've given this place. We'd definitely go again.

Summer Nights

2010-08-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

This is what my girls like to do in the evenings when it's not so hot outside.

Knot In The Sand

2010-08-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

For anchoring boats on the black sand of Anse Chastenet, St Lucia.

Basil.

2010-08-02T18:13:00.001-07:00

I plant basil for the same reason I run: to make the world a better place.
Here's some Dark Purple Opal Variety for ya. Give it another month or so and homemade tomato basil soup will be had.

My Flowers

2010-08-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a compendium of flowers that are/have been recently growing in in my garden. They are all so dear to me, I grew each one from an itty seed. Sunflowers, above.
Pink Sea Shell Cosmos.
Mas sunflowers. You can see how vast my sunflower jungle is!
Bunny Tails. Actually a grass but still super cute.
Cactus Bright Flowers Zinnia (love it!).
Catnip and Bells of Ireland.
Marigold.
The perennial Black-eyed Susan, hiding out under the sunflowers with the basil.
Chamomile, which has not yet been made into tea but smelled wonderful when it was around.

Iron

2010-07-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

A curl in a fence on a balcony overlooking the ocean at Anse Chastenet, St Lucia.

Corn

2010-07-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some close-up pictures of the corn I grew in the back yard this year. Corn is hard to grow because the bugs like it. It was going strong at the start of July but is really pooped out now that the rain's died down.

A Pink One

2010-07-31T22:59:00.001-07:00

It might be obvious that zinnias are my favorite flower; they are easy to grow, old-fashioned, colorful, detailed and delicate, wild and tough. This frilly giant was one of the first to rear it's head out back this year. It's so soft and pink I wanted to rub my face on it! But I didn't. That would be itchy.

Aria In The Garden

2010-07-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here is my lovely cat, enjoying a lovely summer evening in the garden.

Donkey

2010-07-20T15:44:00.002-07:00

Chillin' on the hillside north of Soufriere, St Lucia.

Bougainvillea

2010-07-20T15:44:00.001-07:00

In a wall at Anse Chastenet, St Lucia.

The Grass

2010-07-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

This is why we love Bianca.
Because she does cute stuff like this. Nawngh.

The Heat

2010-07-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

So much hot hot heat this summer, thank goodness for little bits of rain! The garden still swelters and is mostly neglected because of it. It's gotten tall though! Here are some pictures of it's progress.I have ears of corn this year! I planted "Sweet Gentleman" last year with no luck--the stalks were stumpy and dry and the little ears puffed up with fungus. I planted leftover seed this year and the stalk are green and tall, even though the seedlings got very pot-bound and I had to untangle all of their little roots from one another. I think the couple of weeks of rain hit at just the right time for these guys to thrive. The ears aren't as robust as you'd see at the store or anything, but still it's a pretty cool start.
We've gotten a number of really tasty Roma tomatoes this year. All of our tomato bushes are huge right now, but they aren't producing much fruit since it's gotten really hot. Tomatoes, zinnias, and sunflowers.
Here's the side yard. Still waiting for some Moonflower blooms on that huge trellis. That's a thick clump of Lemongrass growing out of the zinnias in on the right. Lots of tall Tarahumara White-Seeded sunflowers this year with many blooms. They attracted a fleet of bees, butterflys, and other bugs. Bianca lurking through the cosmos.
I have a garden clean-up planned for this week. Stay tuned!

Street

2010-07-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

At long exposure of a garage party and a passing car after the Fourth of July fireworks.

Black Sand

2010-07-18T09:01:00.001-07:00

Peppery sand in the late afternoon at Anse Chastenet Beach on St Lucia.

At Night

2010-07-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I took this photo in the grass after the fireworks on the Fourth of July. The figures in the background are other watchers gathering their blankets and chairs to walk back home.

Ginger Flower

2010-07-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Seen somewhere in our travels on St Lucia. The root is used to make the spice, and smells wonderful.

A Hermit Crab

2010-07-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

A little hermit crab puttering around Anse Cochon beach on St Lucia.

Anse Cochon

2010-07-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

To got to one of our favorite places on St Lucia, you have to turn off the main road, and travel a few miles down a very steep, poorly paved side road, until you come to a more-lowly-still unpaved road through the trees. Here you either hold your breath and hope you don't meet any one coming the other way, or park your 4WD in the shrubs and walking a quarter mile to Anse Cochon.
And this is what you will see: a calm, tawny little beach anchored by a little resort and a gathering of fishermen at the ends.
Catamaran tours stop by for a few hours, but the beach is so hard to get to, it doesn't feel crowded.
Sea birds watch fisherman bringing in the catch for the Friday night fish-fry at Anse La Raye.
It was fun to sit an watch them work.
We wanted to have a relaxing vacation, but avoid the usual tourist-trap, sequestered feel of so many resorts catering to foreigners. At times, being in an outsider in poor a foreign country outside of the cocoon of an expensive resort was, I'll admit, intimidating and at times a little scary. Maybe a little too much adventure! It didn't feel that way here. This was a beautiful place to be able to just be, and swim. I watched a scared little hermit crab scuttle into the shade. I felt a school of tiny silver flying fish go skipping past me through the bay.

Ladera

2010-07-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here is an excellent place to have a drink.
Perched between the Pitons, the bar at Ladera Resort overlooks Jalousie Bay and provides a, may I repeat, excellent place to order a drink and watch the sunset from up high.
A view of Petit Piton to the south.
Ladera is gourgeous, with beautiful grounds, open-air rooms and private pools. We wanted to stay here but it is mucho, mucho dinero. So we visited once for sunset, and once for dinner instead.

La Haut Plantation

2010-07-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

We walked up to this little hotel up the hill from Villa Des Pitons for lunch one day. You can see the surrounding jungle and rich green interior mountains very well in these photos!

A Guest

2010-07-16T08:08:00.001-07:00

I'm sure this little friend at Anse Chastenet wanted to share our lunch, but he didn't get to. Watched us the whole meal though.

Caterpillar

2010-07-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

This colorful caterpillar I'm sure ate, enjoyed and destroyed many things in my garden this spring. But live and let live.

Larkspur

2010-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some pretty purple Larkspur, growing next to my mailbox since this May.
Not sure How it got there; I haven't planted any Larkspur this year.

Cosmos

2010-07-14T13:45:00.001-07:00

Here's a half-eaten purple Sea Shell Cosmos with a yellow Lady-Beetle friend. It was growing in my garden just a few weeks ago.

Bird Flying Over The Water

2010-07-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

We saw this bird, which I believe is a type of frigate, at Anse Cochon beach in St. Lucia. He was watching the fishermen in the bay very closely.

Visitors

2010-07-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

I had some little visitors pop up in my garden overnight.
They came in twos and threes after many days of unusual July rain.
And made their home in the low grass in the back of the garden behind the house. And stayed for only a few days.
And then went away.

Island Cat

2010-07-12T15:35:00.001-07:00

Check out the little buddy we made at Villas Des Pitons in Soufriere. He begged outside our door every night.

Anse la Raye Falls

2010-07-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

By this point we had been in St Lucia long enough to not believe the locals camped out at the trail head trying to convince us we needed to pay them to visit Anse la Raye Falls, or at least give them $5 EC to borrow a walking stick. After a short shady hike we reached the falls, populated by a couple of mid-sized tours and their enthusiastic guides.
We didn't chance diving in though--the water in the pools below was green!

La Sikwi Sugar Mill

2010-07-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

La Sikwi is a restored 19th century sugar mill in Anse la Raye, St Lucia.
Once abandoned on an old estate in the fertile inland hills for many decades, today the mill holds a museum. The grounds surrounding the mill are now a tropical garden. It's a familiar story on St Lucia: remnants of the days when agriculture was king revamped to harvest what it can money from the island's new cash crop, tourists.
Inside the mill, an impressive water wheel once leased by the government to provide hydroelectric energy for the town.
Fruit harvested from trees in the gardens: bananas, citrus, cocoa.
This aqueduct carried water to power the wheel inside.
The gardens are colorful, functional, and varied.
In a room below the mill, holes in the wall for stoking fires used in the sugar-refining process. A bar was added, now large tours take lunch in this room.

Anse la Raye

2010-07-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

These little buildings on a hill make up the little fishing town of Anse la Raye, St Lucia.
Being foreign and trying to navigate the narrow roads here in a rented 4WD is an excellent way to get everyone in town to come out and try to talk to you while you're driving, which in a way is charming but for shy people like us was a bit overwhelming. I suppose that's a small town for you. I would have liked to have gotten more photographs but walking around town with a camera would have made us even more conspicuous, if such a thing were possible.
From the highway, the town and bay of Anse la Raye.
Anse la Raye beach littered with fishing vessels and construction equipment. The two residents here in the water are bathing their dogs. I saw many dogs on St Lucia, but these were the only ones I saw who appeared to have owners.
Church and cemetery on the waterfront.

Spark

2010-07-11T04:11:00.000-07:00

Close-up, 4-second exposure of fireworks on the Fourth.

The Fourth

2010-07-11T04:01:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to work on the Fourth, but due to low census in the ICU I was put on-call instead, which meant I got to hobble down to Breckenridge Park with Thomas (he's still recovering from his rock-climbing injury) and watch the big fireworks show. I brought along my Joby-pod and had some long exposure fun.
(I didn't use my flash, the light is from a passing car)

Vieux Fort

2010-07-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

At the southern tip of St Lucia lies the city of Vieux Fort. We drove through town to find The Old Plantation Yard restaurant for some lunch.
It was tasty!
Horses graze along the road out of town. That's the airport in the background.

Anse de Sables

2010-07-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

The rocky beach below Moule a Chique is Anse de Sables. It's too rough for swimming but the views are quite nice.
Popular with wind- and kite-surfers.
The Mariana Islands and Moule a Chique in the distance.

Moule a Chique

2010-07-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is the view from Cape Moule a Chique, the southern tip of St Lucia outside of the city of Vieux Fort. You can see the strip of the airport in the distance.
You can see an impressive aerial view of Moule a Chique here to give you some perspective on our location.
The lighthouse closed at 5. We chose to walk up and got there at 4:50, giving me enough time for just a few shots.
The Mariana Islands nature preserve. Alas, our attempt to book a tour were fruitless.
The lighthouse complex from the adjacent peak where we parked.
Anse de Sables beach on the Atlantic side, a popular spot for windsurfing.

The Line

2010-07-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Clothes hanging on a house-front line in the village of Anse la Raye, St Lucia.

Black Bird

2010-07-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Villa des Pitons Hotel in St Lucia.

Pink Flowers

2010-07-06T00:18:00.000-07:00

Three flowers that bloomed in my garden this spring. Cosmos.Digitalis.
And Hollyhock.

Summer Garden

2010-07-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

The heat is on, and the garden is getting tall! These photos are a few weeks old, I'm posting them so you all can see how it grows. I have a set of more recent photos to post soon. The Sweet Gentleman Corn, above, is twice as tall now. This may be our first successful year for corn.
Heat loving Black-eyed Pea.
Cosmos, sunflowers, and tomato growing on the patio.
Chamomile.
Aria lounging in the side yard. Buffalo grass is starting to sprout.
Bianca holding vigil next to the compost; cosmos in the foreground.
Bells of Ireland growing in the front.
A better view of the side yard. Lemongrass, zinnia, and sunflower on the right, carrot, four o'clocks, and mint on the left.
The patio.
Perennial Shasta Daisy has finally bloomed!
California Giants Zinnia.
A bunch of very tasty yellow tomatoes.
A thicket of Seashell Cosmos.
Four O'clock Marvel of Peru thriving in the side yard.
The bees love Borage.
Zinnia and Lemongrass.
Biennial Indian Spring Hollyhocks. This is the first that has survived long enough to bloom for me; I'm very pleased!

By the time I got the front cleaned up it was too late to plant a whole lot, however, some nice larkspurs came up by the mailbox.

The Music Room

2010-07-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

My pretty kitties hanging out in Thomas' study.

Cuddled

2010-07-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is Aria cuddled in my bed. She likes to wrap her little tail around her face and sleep like this for hours on the oh-so-comfy memory foam topper.

Catnip

2010-07-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

Bianca destroys a little catnip that was growing in the lawn. She really went to town on that sucker!

Balenbouche Estate

2010-07-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Half way between Soufriere and the southern city of Vieux Fort is Balenbouche Estate. This collection of very old plantation and farm land owned and run by Uta Laweatz and her family. When we arrived Uta and her daughters were gardening around the estate house and a band of St Lucian school children were picnicking with their teachers on the grounds.
Uta maintains the estate grounds, manages the guesthouses, gives tours, and prepares meals for visitors. You can read more about the estate and the Lawaetzs here; their devotion to the property and the island is really quite remarkable. The house is like a museum and the lawns are beautiful. I am sure these ladies are always working.
Front siting room of the estate house.
The house has a wraparound porch; meals are served on the side porch.
The old barn behind the house.
St Lucian kids mugging for the camera. Long ago, their ancestors were brought to this island to work these plantations. Now they play in the ruins.
Hammock hanging from a Banyan tree.
Strangler vine crawling up the tree.
We took a path through the jungle to get to the beach.
Which was quite exciting. The path lead past the ruins of a sugar mill.
It was lined with bamboo and sprouted coconuts.
They told us that under the right conditions, you can see the remains of a shipwreck out at sea from here. We couldn't see it but still enjoyed the ocean.
Then we came back to explore the mill.
Which was amazing. No handrails, no guardrails, no hurried guides or people selling trinkets. No keep off signs. Not even any other people.
Just us and some history, and lots and lots of growing things.
It was pretty special.