Aaahh... September! The dog days of August will soon be a memory. Here's to cool nights and Indian Summer days. Bring them on! Labor Day weekend always begins here with a hot air balloon festival and this year (unlike a cold, rainy 2006) was beautiful. Just the kind of weather Colorado is known for. And the balloons were able to ascend for three mornings in a row. The thing that makes this festival fun is that you can walk right among the balloons as they are getting ready for launch and get a close-up view of everything. I used to enjoy walking among them but a bad knee and hips, plus the crowds that get larger every year, keep me away. So, here is the view I had as some of them came over our house.
Next on the agenda for the weekend was a Garden Party. Nothing I like better than appreciating other people's gardens and hard work. This is a new garden that a neighbor (Barbara) just finished. She is a delightfully interesting person, having worked at the Smithsonian, and she has varied interests and activities. So, her garden reflects this. I fixed her a little hostess gift of a cheese dip in a flower pot, securing fresh flowers from my garden in straws. The cheese dip was a recipe from The Golden Bee Pub at the Broadmoor Hotel.
Here's Barb working on her Carol Mackie Daphne (just kidding).
This view looks out over the herb and rose gardens. Oh... to have a nice clean slate to work on, not to mention actually having room to walk among and tend the roses.
Grapes are ready for harvest.
Close up of Carol Mackie Daphne in bloom. This shrub is certainly happy where it is.
I really love the molded concrete paths. They are such a natural color and texture and set off the various garden areas. The walkways were designed for use with a wheel chair, or to accommodate a (handicap) bath chair that she uses to garden... a great idea!.Here is the herb garden. The light-colored plant is curry, something I have never planted. It smelled divine, and she had a curry dip to go with it.
Barb has planted about 20 new roses and I enjoyed seeing the many different selections that she chose. It's so nice to see something so fresh and new. And again, I love those paths.
I've been wanting to put supports like this over my raised beds. They are made of pvc. She has done such a nice job of labeling. I love that and wish I had done more. It makes it so interesting to view plants and be able to identify them. The tender veggies have all been harvested and she has another crop planted for fall. If we have a nice Indian Summer we should be able to get some more lettuce and a little spinach (I hope).
Looking out from the veggie beds to the corner. Barb designed these raised beds herself. It's amazing what she has been able to do with this relatively small yard. HGTV should take this as an example of what a REAL makeover it!
Barb got a few roses from a farmer in the southeast part of the state who specializes in growing roses that do well in Colorado. This was a beautiful example...Morden Sunrise. Great job Barb!
