Summer into Fall

NOTE: I started this post on July 11th and never got it done! So here it is, with a few more current things added here and there.

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With the humid climate here, overly warm days, and some rain sprinkled in here and there, my vegetable (small) gardens are reaching higher and higher!

My 2 tomato plants are ginormous! They tower over my poor artichokes and onions.

Although my onions seem to love their little shady spot. They are Walla Walla sweets and I'm looking forward to onion rings. NOTE: They actally are quite big now and will be pulling them up soon!

Some baby cukes are almost ready to pick. I've already picked a few.....really early to have them in July. I'm disappointed they aren't the lemon cucumbers they were labeled to be. 

NOTE: I DID end up getting mostly "baby cukes" and now as of Sept. 1st, my vines are overloaded with them! Here is some of my harvest from the other day, plus I've eaten alot and given some away!

I'm still getting strawberries, and my cherry tomatoes are going nuts! My vines have tipped over from thre weight of the stalks.

There's such pleasure to stand and look at my raised beds. These are my strawberries. The nasturtiums from last year have come up again and are trying to take over! I've pulled many up. NOTE: I've since this photo, pulled out almost all of the nasturtiums, so my strawberries have a chance to bear fruit. And they are still bearing nicely.

Such a colorful time of year!

I took a trip to see my sister in Redmond, Oregon, the one whose house burned down a year ago. The new house build is coming along really fast! Their move-in date is set for October 1st! 

We were there the weekend of my birthday (late June) and it was so nice to celebrate it with my sister, son and his fiance. My son and his fiance drove, so I rode with them and didn't have to drive, which was nice, as it's a 5-1/2 hour drive from my place. 

Hi Line Homes has been doing a "bang up" job on building this house in the time frame that they promised.

Side, looking out to their 5 acres.

View looking out their kitchen window, of the Three Sisters Mountains in the Coast Range. There also is her garden (which she tried to keep alive this summer, but too much heat and too many critters ate it!)

So nice to share my birthday with my sister! Delicious gluten free cake.

Sharing a feast with my son!

While in Redmond, we went to the Petersen Rock Gardens, a wonderful place that has been open since the 1950's, but closed for a couple of years when the owner died. It is many acres of all stone and rock structures, houses, castles, bridges, waterways, etc. I'll show pictures from that visit on my next post.

Now that it's September 1st, I'm feeling kind of sad about the less and less amount of summer left. I still haven't gotten my camping trip in this year, and I'm very sad about that. Life just gets in the way! 

I did manage to go western dancing ONE time. Seems like when each Tuesday rolled around (when the class is), I was busy with something else (or it was just TOO hot to go dance)! Will try again for this next 6 week course. Even got me some new cowboy boots! Stay tuned for that saga.....

Be well everyone.............

Marilyn