tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46279986027002869062024-03-13T21:11:20.243-05:00A Garden JournalA Garden Journal features pictures of plants and tells stories of gardens in my hometown of Kansas City and places where I visit.Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-10049143830453034762012-02-13T18:30:00.003-06:002012-02-14T07:00:00.779-06:00She said yes and now it's time for a map<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8S9nPZSTbMNE7fuUsKFr8OLugwSKI6lLHNB_MzTPa9wC2kZTCWvIQmwF1XPJzWS6Szex_Pc76pmc23zi_OCtgzodAH_WAMUupy8hImX0O1jJ8QWsvz30mWs4lkW-BW0OSA1fSsIROb36/s1600/editedmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8S9nPZSTbMNE7fuUsKFr8OLugwSKI6lLHNB_MzTPa9wC2kZTCWvIQmwF1XPJzWS6Szex_Pc76pmc23zi_OCtgzodAH_WAMUupy8hImX0O1jJ8QWsvz30mWs4lkW-BW0OSA1fSsIROb36/s320/editedmap.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Moving along in my garden book journey, the owner of the private garden that I contacted in hopes of getting her permission to take photographs said YES! <br />
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With the journey now underway, a map is a necessity. I thought about buying a real map, sticking it to the wall and using thumb tacks for the proposed garden locations. Red thumb tacks could be replaced with a yellow one for a maybe, a green one for a yes. However, I usually work at my laptop in the dining room and didn't want a map as my decor. Not that my dining room has much of decor. Fortunately, Google Maps has an electronic answer. Here's a sample of what it looks like. My garden story map is actually much more cluttered than the one above. The real map has over 20 gardens. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> With Google Maps, each pinpoint includes a link to the garden's website. This works well for the public gardens that have a site. The next step of creating my map was using the notes section for brainstorming. I categorized the garden spots by type of garden, focus, location, and photography schedule. I quickly found this works only for brainstorming since notes can't be edited. The brainstorming part will all end up on a spreadsheet. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Google Maps includes the ability to share a map. Links to the map were emailed to my husband and a friend, who both helped with prodding me along, for their input. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The next couple of steps of this project are just as scary as the first step. Contacting the owners or directors of the gardens to get permission to take photographs and include them in a book, is on the list. And, calling my writer friend to see if she's interested in being the author. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now, I'm back to thinking "please say yes, please say yes." And, thinking what on earth am I doing? Why can't I just leave it at as a dream?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://botanicalshots.blogspot.com/2012/02/perhaps-ive-lost-my-mind.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Perhaps I've lost my mind</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://botanicalshots.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-door-opened.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One door opened</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-55769764347275425242012-02-10T18:37:00.002-06:002012-02-11T08:23:30.645-06:00One door opened<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCSwzq6FaRukQKjJwqtXY_lCcUFXgsIFG93daASKeYORjmHKM2b1x_dMfddggt-eJJG4umkrJVvzXLv-XnUs7P8TtFtky8Dk7c6zK75RgujSzpAaMcn64zGsHIcKT3NFEpHvcHXQHMDCl/s1600/stained+glass+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCSwzq6FaRukQKjJwqtXY_lCcUFXgsIFG93daASKeYORjmHKM2b1x_dMfddggt-eJJG4umkrJVvzXLv-XnUs7P8TtFtky8Dk7c6zK75RgujSzpAaMcn64zGsHIcKT3NFEpHvcHXQHMDCl/s320/stained+glass+door.jpg" width="240" /></a> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Well, lo and behold. While hoping and waiting for the door to open for the garden book project, another one opened instead.<br />
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I spent the morning running around town and met with the owner of Thistle<a href="http://www.kcthistle.com/" target="_blank">Thistle</a>. Thistle is a wonderful vintage shop in the Crossroads area of Kansas City. There is a section set aside in the store for featured artists. At the end of February, in time for March <a href="http://www.kccrossroads.org/">First Fridays</a>, I'll have a couple of walls in the store featuring my garden photographs!<br />
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Of course, being downtown meant a stop at the <a href="http://www.powellgardens.org/default.asp?page=KauffmanMap" target="_blank">Kauffman Memorial Gardens</a> to take more pictures. The orangery at the gardens is a great place to visit on a cold day. The air is filled with the perfume of citrus trees. The garden displays are full of color. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4Jc43CrCHLa35IPji4KoiAtr3GNgByIgfETZeR9nbZjRM9Q08GTMARJNlQgCu-vpYuaMynWRCe8jaXX_gB78SGni31oF7UngFdq3M2K15TDI5OkMnTSkYxzw9C2jgNmFJI5veVpkMppL/s1600/Pink+flowers+cropped+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4Jc43CrCHLa35IPji4KoiAtr3GNgByIgfETZeR9nbZjRM9Q08GTMARJNlQgCu-vpYuaMynWRCe8jaXX_gB78SGni31oF7UngFdq3M2K15TDI5OkMnTSkYxzw9C2jgNmFJI5veVpkMppL/s320/Pink+flowers+cropped+resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfB8oAwp9Ubz8uz5wKzlTHLRoNj8FmVbSqADUIPwQY9UJnHZgSQQF01eQonLbwrv8VE_bsM2G4SEmIqFZ7GUkJtH42fctwErL2aCC30h6bXnkPVj_yHpbqD4akGrp2uEE1FSoQgCZd-d15/s1600/flower+garden+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfB8oAwp9Ubz8uz5wKzlTHLRoNj8FmVbSqADUIPwQY9UJnHZgSQQF01eQonLbwrv8VE_bsM2G4SEmIqFZ7GUkJtH42fctwErL2aCC30h6bXnkPVj_yHpbqD4akGrp2uEE1FSoQgCZd-d15/s320/flower+garden+resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8nf1_iu0yiE-4P8IszmQ1xsmsQcrQ7LI4YcAM4aOzpCs6vMA96ULg4HBgiMuZS9ZX9FWupxt9BpiXMGIRRC04r6l8LDGV9hzzuDsa81DFauQlaxADMP6lrAelIJA7NBFYE-uZcS_GPMu/s1600/Edibles+lettuce+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8nf1_iu0yiE-4P8IszmQ1xsmsQcrQ7LI4YcAM4aOzpCs6vMA96ULg4HBgiMuZS9ZX9FWupxt9BpiXMGIRRC04r6l8LDGV9hzzuDsa81DFauQlaxADMP6lrAelIJA7NBFYE-uZcS_GPMu/s320/Edibles+lettuce+resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XTMDSc0M68UySLLbB1JNvITc3wDgCRuojCcvq3nTJ1jCFz7EbhfjRkUvgoyokjMn22UP5rhHKhwqwNtN3egO0mLii2icNlTb3GSlitpjdErpg9EL-5O0pHOVLjmL-pMsx9cSyWjA08AI/s1600/orchid2resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XTMDSc0M68UySLLbB1JNvITc3wDgCRuojCcvq3nTJ1jCFz7EbhfjRkUvgoyokjMn22UP5rhHKhwqwNtN3egO0mLii2icNlTb3GSlitpjdErpg9EL-5O0pHOVLjmL-pMsx9cSyWjA08AI/s320/orchid2resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now, I'm back to wondering how the garden book will turn out and have something else to add to my worry list - getting the photos ready for Thistle. Some are ready to go, others will come from my shop inventory at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Satchs-Jewel/143047752470838">Satch's Jewel</a> and I'll get to print, mat and frame some more. Less than 20 days 'til set up for my very first First Fridays! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To read more about my dream to create a book of garden stories, click on <a href="http://botanicalshots.blogspot.com/2012/02/perhaps-ive-lost-my-mind.html">Perhaps I've lost my mind</a>. </span></div>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-41151703773624165832012-02-07T18:05:00.002-06:002012-02-11T11:22:22.369-06:00Perhaps I've lost my mind"<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Perhaps I have lost my mind" is how I started an email to the owner of private botanical garden in Kansas. It seems that a potential project that has haunted me for a year or so is not going to go away. I've tried to ignore it by opening a little shop and busying myself with it in my spare time. However, the idea popped up again when a friend mentioned that she would like a book of my photographs. Thanks Laura! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5uIDCF5xhKHiyCX5SAM905BMw-bTIPQTGCxPWgyJ-u0sEr-tCw163vvV8URTcCCC_zaNg6efYTUeMSRZ11DKLAGwfQhJVsRdnyPsoq5yGaV0u5-nQLLqSN5o4Fv1m5hltSKF75rsnJIV/s1600/7+gables+lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5uIDCF5xhKHiyCX5SAM905BMw-bTIPQTGCxPWgyJ-u0sEr-tCw163vvV8URTcCCC_zaNg6efYTUeMSRZ11DKLAGwfQhJVsRdnyPsoq5yGaV0u5-nQLLqSN5o4Fv1m5hltSKF75rsnJIV/s320/7+gables+lion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This afternoon I emailed the owner of private garden that is only open for weddings, concerts and special events for permission to take photographs this spring and summer. It's a garden with a wonderful past, fascinating owner, and great plans for the future. If you like gardening, you'll love the story. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_HC7EgoyXmUmc1iWvfdqsKSZN24_sOMngCnirP5qmUeHw6c83AR6AM2WA9tyowbVFQ8oX1_c4i1IdgMAeTLUkFX0-szLveLWuvfCIcNF3CEcNQrFL120JCaMV0kZJjWbRND3WcFWFns99/s1600/100_7003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_HC7EgoyXmUmc1iWvfdqsKSZN24_sOMngCnirP5qmUeHw6c83AR6AM2WA9tyowbVFQ8oX1_c4i1IdgMAeTLUkFX0-szLveLWuvfCIcNF3CEcNQrFL120JCaMV0kZJjWbRND3WcFWFns99/s320/100_7003.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">That is the way it is with many gardens. There are stories behind the gardens that few know about. I have a friend who was a POW in WWII that has created a lovely garden of conifers and traveled about the US finding these plants. There is a woman in town who had a garden built to be handicapped accessible so she could continue gardening. In addition to the private gardens, we have wonderful public gardens and those stories should be told too. A bride to be that plans her wedding in the rose garden at Loose Park. And, the community gardens just south of Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Who gardens there? What are they growing? Who are they feeding? Who created the garden? The story of the team of gardeners who designed and care for the Monet Garden at the Arboretum. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnSDIxjLeBqB-vGBbbezfX5VTrMNTQmxV8fB5tJDl4tD0JyFdXMuHUaY_m5OZlonPU8OxftgOCPQkqeJIpX_KuW50K4hlhd_ksAA6VmFMzoIWAncxdd29wNakGAJScxcxkP5EACUbC9Ym/s1600/Oakleaf+Hydrangea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnSDIxjLeBqB-vGBbbezfX5VTrMNTQmxV8fB5tJDl4tD0JyFdXMuHUaY_m5OZlonPU8OxftgOCPQkqeJIpX_KuW50K4hlhd_ksAA6VmFMzoIWAncxdd29wNakGAJScxcxkP5EACUbC9Ym/s320/Oakleaf+Hydrangea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Whenever I visit a public garden, I always go to the gift shop looking for a book that tells about the garden. Usually, I come up empty handed. So, here I am. Sitting at a computer in winter when my full time job is slow and I have time to think and dream. My dream is a book of gardens, our gardens, public and private, and the stories behind them. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUcnZTZCeP4GADDaZG6YMprq_fdC-eBiZNegzG47rh39ioMCvkriNNS4NCZp1U7t4VxxCEKiyIDIQ6CjNnHLfxezfMi4qvCZURrTaPkuXlwkWIbP_kXZlfT6TqSXHBFjwvhWkuvhT0Lul/s1600/Basket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUcnZTZCeP4GADDaZG6YMprq_fdC-eBiZNegzG47rh39ioMCvkriNNS4NCZp1U7t4VxxCEKiyIDIQ6CjNnHLfxezfMi4qvCZURrTaPkuXlwkWIbP_kXZlfT6TqSXHBFjwvhWkuvhT0Lul/s320/Basket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Will the owner of the garden I emailed this afternoon say yes and send me off on a journey of contacting and photographing the close to 25 gardens on the list I made today at lunch? And, lead me to contact a friend that is a writer with a national magazine to see if she wants to be the author? Or, will the owner of the garden say no and, with that, I'll think it wasn't meant to be and move on? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://botanicalshots.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-door-opened.html" target="_blank">One door opened</a> - what happens next in my journey of writing a book of garden stories. </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-27693814964213242292011-09-05T10:33:00.002-05:002011-09-05T10:33:36.077-05:00IOU/USA<a href="http://500px.com/photo/1872996"><img alt="IOU/USA by Susan Mertz (BotanicalShots)) on 500px.com" border="0" src="http://djlhggipcyllo.cloudfront.net/1872996/67f8d72616a06515405b22c8ba9636c5057b17a5/4.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 5px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><a href="http://500px.com/photo/1872996">IOU/USA</a> by <a href="http://500px.com/BotanicalShots">Susan Mertz</a></span><br />
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Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-27744307959565853172011-07-17T08:24:00.002-05:002011-07-17T08:24:54.340-05:00Found in a garden<a href="http://500px.com/photo/1162546"><img src="http://photos.500px.com/1162546/4" alt="Untitled by Susan Mertz (BotanicalShots) on 500px.com" border="0" style="margin: 0 0 5px 0;"></a><br/><font style="font-size: 120%;"><a href="http://500px.com/photo/1162546">Untitled</a> by <a href="http://500px.com/BotanicalShots">Susan Mertz</a></font>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-53558824377320369062011-07-04T08:28:00.008-05:002011-07-04T13:53:24.689-05:00Watching the Missouri River Rise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j5juesxT0phyIT4Ldb2Av8j4zPjGfWFmj6OC-3qW3bqHMqt_Tpk7Wt5YEFVy8Hs8w1dSzb4Qi2QNEYcA53mHTTcbvzPM6h9U69V3vDlvDO1aHoP17n24jmS3nB9hMBtMuSO_fguOjpwd/s1600/locals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j5juesxT0phyIT4Ldb2Av8j4zPjGfWFmj6OC-3qW3bqHMqt_Tpk7Wt5YEFVy8Hs8w1dSzb4Qi2QNEYcA53mHTTcbvzPM6h9U69V3vDlvDO1aHoP17n24jmS3nB9hMBtMuSO_fguOjpwd/s400/locals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pop open a cold one and watch the river rise. In small towns across Missouri, people are gathering by the edge of the river expressing concerns about levies holding, wondering how high the water will rise and sharing stories of the '93 flood. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My husband and I kept getting off the beaten path of I70 on our weekend trip across Missouri to see what the Missouri River was doing. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XAe5p5BJjua68I8iAXabS6ZBBwBLvDcGUR6cFSSDtmwJj1qDOf8alObD_BR4Ahy5nPOMLldG6Yh0VWo3ysBGbhP2lyKmck-GKn0pkpch0CJJdiSomPIL3QxcAofxjnUtxT1Qp0Z5uxBt/s1600/barricades+at+Katy+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XAe5p5BJjua68I8iAXabS6ZBBwBLvDcGUR6cFSSDtmwJj1qDOf8alObD_BR4Ahy5nPOMLldG6Yh0VWo3ysBGbhP2lyKmck-GKn0pkpch0CJJdiSomPIL3QxcAofxjnUtxT1Qp0Z5uxBt/s320/barricades+at+Katy+trail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Along the <a href="http://www.bikekatytrail.com/" style="color: #cccccc;">Katy Trail</a> in Rocheport, preparations are underway to help protect this section of the trail and houses on the other side.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeVFKVYq339Wbuy6vts5Vv-MGvwjxPRcGK9SaKj7ERX_yySITCRFLuBjfehB-gfRceFBM4bx_Drro-Y4-48Vg6V2szBnQBjSoYBL6yrxB2M16INgqF8wvw9ywyETpxbo3kIEmt71yelt7/s1600/Playground+at+Katy+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeVFKVYq339Wbuy6vts5Vv-MGvwjxPRcGK9SaKj7ERX_yySITCRFLuBjfehB-gfRceFBM4bx_Drro-Y4-48Vg6V2szBnQBjSoYBL6yrxB2M16INgqF8wvw9ywyETpxbo3kIEmt71yelt7/s320/Playground+at+Katy+trail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rising water is already encroaching on a playground along the trail.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GZR27ZD8704VUT1qpVMUqRmPlAMmD5uekth2vGlq94iJZT7THHWSh7t55DgaarRATKceE2xd4DULW_p-ticTGQTCViTDFH0y-ZBpgisSDTg1m0Yra9lgL0rr9ifZz-H2nF1Lhn98_17M/s1600/stream+by+the+Katy+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GZR27ZD8704VUT1qpVMUqRmPlAMmD5uekth2vGlq94iJZT7THHWSh7t55DgaarRATKceE2xd4DULW_p-ticTGQTCViTDFH0y-ZBpgisSDTg1m0Yra9lgL0rr9ifZz-H2nF1Lhn98_17M/s320/stream+by+the+Katy+trail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A stream used to take water away from the town of <a href="http://www.rocheport.com/" style="color: #cccccc;">Rocheport</a> to the Missouri River. Now, it is flowing backwards and bringing the river to the town.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpe6qrNkf-nTZvxDRFaIfau3I-4VFN5DvqnTVf3tiPnJf4k-RGYkUVUoeVuZPnss2P9oMz3g6fjbsFKFh6DC_UfszKff7Cbq2YfanFlBUs4qpNjNLSL82lgbij0YqYIw7KUTZhYQNERNju/s1600/bridge+by+the+Katy+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpe6qrNkf-nTZvxDRFaIfau3I-4VFN5DvqnTVf3tiPnJf4k-RGYkUVUoeVuZPnss2P9oMz3g6fjbsFKFh6DC_UfszKff7Cbq2YfanFlBUs4qpNjNLSL82lgbij0YqYIw7KUTZhYQNERNju/s320/bridge+by+the+Katy+trail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Prior to being flooded, a bridge led hikers to a trail with marshlands. Once the water recedes, will the marshlands be closer to the trail? </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55PmPnAq1pOgdmUiZyuTGy0XysKd2vjl_Nrr3zPMlRLd-IfX0vmKJg-jvZi3ylf_YTjtHr5iv_NJ40KsZo5hct10W-kiAQr6oGFrjl1I7IFnTh34PErZxWjVZLPVeHlomzs_WPwxoKaRf/s1600/Katy+trail+tunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55PmPnAq1pOgdmUiZyuTGy0XysKd2vjl_Nrr3zPMlRLd-IfX0vmKJg-jvZi3ylf_YTjtHr5iv_NJ40KsZo5hct10W-kiAQr6oGFrjl1I7IFnTh34PErZxWjVZLPVeHlomzs_WPwxoKaRf/s320/Katy+trail+tunnel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just beyond this tunnel, the Katy Trail is closed for a stretch. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lvIFfQI7GrXqT6-f-eNNY1ZEGc5rLMwzAgBISK8_TM_XVMmunZlukILwYIjycUdO5i7D-lf7bZ5dxjBUJA7VcpddJEjUEp_H8aLslUYCGp7ubab3ohMJugjsiZgAuj269azJ-QRPhX5D/s1600/wedding-in-Rocheport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lvIFfQI7GrXqT6-f-eNNY1ZEGc5rLMwzAgBISK8_TM_XVMmunZlukILwYIjycUdO5i7D-lf7bZ5dxjBUJA7VcpddJEjUEp_H8aLslUYCGp7ubab3ohMJugjsiZgAuj269azJ-QRPhX5D/s320/wedding-in-Rocheport.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On higher ground in Rocheport, a wedding party overlooks the full river. Atop a bluff at the <a href="http://missouriwine.com/" style="color: #cccccc;">Les Bourgeois Vinyards</a>, the only risk to the couple and guests was the sweltering heat from the temperatures rising close to 100 degrees at the Saturday afternoon wedding.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMuwaWPPQmlGar7pUJwF353H7dJWeyGMCXQjojkSRVind-KGhJ65a5QPQvJTs_2wJtFcsF5_LoUBx2bYWZ1ymypbUI9C0V1U9fFZuF3EdgJjLLE5k0huZ6bH9lM-lZp9ei_hN28U038m9/s1600/flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMuwaWPPQmlGar7pUJwF353H7dJWeyGMCXQjojkSRVind-KGhJ65a5QPQvJTs_2wJtFcsF5_LoUBx2bYWZ1ymypbUI9C0V1U9fFZuF3EdgJjLLE5k0huZ6bH9lM-lZp9ei_hN28U038m9/s320/flag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It may be a long time until the flag is lowered at the flooded park in Waverly, Missouri. The waters from the 1993 flood came and went quickly. This time the water is expected to stick around for many weeks.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTonz9K1cNO0NDJceTbtTbQaoDJq_zZCuXd9xDX2OM2N12akdUZOdjAhyphenhyphendMENO9gOhyh82j4Hv5duv7yOGLodp7gaMrVvj4G-F0DbYDX2scBMcoiLcRx7UCZ3iTidrKB-tQxMy9x-jqfMi/s1600/old+hwy+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTonz9K1cNO0NDJceTbtTbQaoDJq_zZCuXd9xDX2OM2N12akdUZOdjAhyphenhyphendMENO9gOhyh82j4Hv5duv7yOGLodp7gaMrVvj4G-F0DbYDX2scBMcoiLcRx7UCZ3iTidrKB-tQxMy9x-jqfMi/s400/old+hwy+13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Where Highway 13 years ago crossed the Missouri River in Lexington, the valley is now flooded including the train tracks. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-3A0z1EeGiT4m-fPBRBqOqzUD2exjhQCTCu1rbkmTsqtqVBoh9GL9vuA86iHe_6jhKvvzt0B-OFlHw13P71n9g-K-y-xO4-YcGxpXlAU4sv96G1uTI7g0CHCGaNbjShEdQwJyrxVk6-f/s1600/railroad+crossing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-3A0z1EeGiT4m-fPBRBqOqzUD2exjhQCTCu1rbkmTsqtqVBoh9GL9vuA86iHe_6jhKvvzt0B-OFlHw13P71n9g-K-y-xO4-YcGxpXlAU4sv96G1uTI7g0CHCGaNbjShEdQwJyrxVk6-f/s320/railroad+crossing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It was in Lexington, Missouri where we met a young woman from Kansas City. On the other side of the river is her brother's house. While he is in Norway jumping from a mountain in a wingsuit, water is threatening his house. With his belongings safely moved to higher ground, he's focused on flying along the side of the mountain (<a href="http://video.ak.fbcdn.net/cfs-ak-snc6/232139/108/2044872053699_50022.mp4?oh=e8fc93c03a7bbdf22543eb009a933293&oe=4E14A600&__gda__=1309976064_97435568044adb8411358e8ef6811829" style="color: #cccccc;">video of his jump</a>). </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuKihnN3TS2yFSrHcofypl2tiFUZY1Uqx1LtaPx1YNXvMs2zx7CDajYtzmHB175yDgFBFDa7ZLUmS5DBgwf1wffWJKjWleNV8rCenrqmf8LfJOPpGgIW0tRImt7EC5lYINs7Fz80cNq0n/s1600/end+of+the+road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuKihnN3TS2yFSrHcofypl2tiFUZY1Uqx1LtaPx1YNXvMs2zx7CDajYtzmHB175yDgFBFDa7ZLUmS5DBgwf1wffWJKjWleNV8rCenrqmf8LfJOPpGgIW0tRImt7EC5lYINs7Fz80cNq0n/s320/end+of+the+road.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our journey came to an end in Lexington, Missouri on Sunday at the place where the river covered Highway 224 as the sun was s</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">etting. </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-67567260647301620812011-02-21T17:36:00.000-06:002011-02-21T17:36:05.271-06:00How many days until spring?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqldUy_4HkHR1-aSVhOkJWw_xYX4swh1lRLvCFwnA0ZLSTlTWvoQxRW9pZY5hfZACkYOmYVCQF15TNlZMuzi-PqgAKTmwjj8zuIMijAAU-HclSKB78-2riW3eIRxJZ9FFkPg8oVrw_bt-/s1600/spring+bulbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqldUy_4HkHR1-aSVhOkJWw_xYX4swh1lRLvCFwnA0ZLSTlTWvoQxRW9pZY5hfZACkYOmYVCQF15TNlZMuzi-PqgAKTmwjj8zuIMijAAU-HclSKB78-2riW3eIRxJZ9FFkPg8oVrw_bt-/s320/spring+bulbs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Friday was a beautiful day in Kansas City. I spent the day seeing customers, handing out price books and talking about new plants at the nursery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the end of the day I was in the Crossroads District, just minutes away from the <a href="http://www.powellgardens.org/default.asp?page=KauffmanMap">Kauffman Memorial Gardens</a>, and realized it was time to stop talking about plants and time to go see some. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF_aKyRh-9sY1qfSpYn5srShe9NmHs5vCCl0PgwOdlQiU13IOA98wk-Ct2H7bgFtA5GSuRFKrjljvR2kCRKQUHMojMQx8wWOl5VQjivsvA77l2zqxJuAn0R8aiz1QW5ZAWomX5HOFPcmK/s1600/gardenia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF_aKyRh-9sY1qfSpYn5srShe9NmHs5vCCl0PgwOdlQiU13IOA98wk-Ct2H7bgFtA5GSuRFKrjljvR2kCRKQUHMojMQx8wWOl5VQjivsvA77l2zqxJuAn0R8aiz1QW5ZAWomX5HOFPcmK/s320/gardenia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Tpizeohw51I2NRzHp9AoZq8TiKJkD7N-Mowym0Q9O8WFFg_bPP0nYL4D74TdcySc8otfV4plPD72sWwEbsMJEI0eeeNPe3IYuSDMx22DTHnOvZvckJrkUahQchQaH19MhybpaxZ1BeHP/s1600/Mr+Mac+Mandarin+Orange+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Tpizeohw51I2NRzHp9AoZq8TiKJkD7N-Mowym0Q9O8WFFg_bPP0nYL4D74TdcySc8otfV4plPD72sWwEbsMJEI0eeeNPe3IYuSDMx22DTHnOvZvckJrkUahQchQaH19MhybpaxZ1BeHP/s320/Mr+Mac+Mandarin+Orange+tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The doors were wide open at the garden's conservatory and the sweet scent of gardenias and orange blossoms filled the air.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7WZMRnMI0HcZm07rX-3q_Cq1PoqDZzcuLLyKqSvxfQYZURRCWobUdl0jyMesz2OSxFyFVsVFfLC-ke6N_tVkKQFSj6lbasaAdgKXRcyRr4Y1sP-G31VK1xQVJN2-SdObp9N5P1xlOgh5/s1600/gazing+ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7WZMRnMI0HcZm07rX-3q_Cq1PoqDZzcuLLyKqSvxfQYZURRCWobUdl0jyMesz2OSxFyFVsVFfLC-ke6N_tVkKQFSj6lbasaAdgKXRcyRr4Y1sP-G31VK1xQVJN2-SdObp9N5P1xlOgh5/s320/gazing+ball.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Gazing balls reflect the view of the sky from the windows above. Light streaming in from the windows at the front of the conservatory shines through the petals of the flowers of the Euryops. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64GDaCnH4wkWNQTeJWzFK5Z2GH-tatVN_V1bAbzhc-HYbaCJj0jgkKIfCLkkH3YcXcaahe4KCd5K9A8yruZ9NXwvYzOZtaqU03qjSGW1SXt-RA9cWbsBhzTYixC9lj5NzNE0PNoIUGxjR/s1600/DSC06894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64GDaCnH4wkWNQTeJWzFK5Z2GH-tatVN_V1bAbzhc-HYbaCJj0jgkKIfCLkkH3YcXcaahe4KCd5K9A8yruZ9NXwvYzOZtaqU03qjSGW1SXt-RA9cWbsBhzTYixC9lj5NzNE0PNoIUGxjR/s320/DSC06894.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you too are wondering how many days there are until spring and need a plant fix, a visit to the Kauffman Memorial Gardens will probably help.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-9nzUp4u73pkrvRqfRucVzxQZ-zd7hyAgi2G6LD92tN_QejL_0gEteggieUWgnlnxcJo6_F6nkLrTf5A16ADnzj_3hAjyRIiHJk4ch7_iRan0BXeqIDnO0CoyrgFI2U2urLysy1_2Dh4/s1600/DSC06913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-9nzUp4u73pkrvRqfRucVzxQZ-zd7hyAgi2G6LD92tN_QejL_0gEteggieUWgnlnxcJo6_F6nkLrTf5A16ADnzj_3hAjyRIiHJk4ch7_iRan0BXeqIDnO0CoyrgFI2U2urLysy1_2Dh4/s320/DSC06913.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZNGDIIsgu-1JJJv5OPxF1L701R_JdlSxZ2WBPRpwZ4IcjEZGFh5GO5k-NHFRz6UIrP0MjovVvm4yKliUiwjPg0jf-ZjVnsB-a9_KS6v9KwMLpjgCF-dtlLDkvMjBRI5yGIJlGXhm2o9-/s1600/lights+and+ceiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZNGDIIsgu-1JJJv5OPxF1L701R_JdlSxZ2WBPRpwZ4IcjEZGFh5GO5k-NHFRz6UIrP0MjovVvm4yKliUiwjPg0jf-ZjVnsB-a9_KS6v9KwMLpjgCF-dtlLDkvMjBRI5yGIJlGXhm2o9-/s320/lights+and+ceiling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZukWf24u9WSDJfhjAEm63VdhZi3p7EVWodyPgDxumbGR_PwmL87GddEXoWGj8skuUtBzqvphr7-rBSeX6RLwvHBzoX32CIyMAM5ZtdH57VldLMEuKPfdgkBjVOzc-CJtynxajf1KGZEz_/s1600/DSC06920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZukWf24u9WSDJfhjAEm63VdhZi3p7EVWodyPgDxumbGR_PwmL87GddEXoWGj8skuUtBzqvphr7-rBSeX6RLwvHBzoX32CIyMAM5ZtdH57VldLMEuKPfdgkBjVOzc-CJtynxajf1KGZEz_/s320/DSC06920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2U6rLra92EOxdQEcdh5bP8BVAF9lzru6bhnFAuHuuUp8mUQbQErv5Nfj-nVeLRO2QQghfS3fGwQ4KSk5hYezy91QfL7-7gZS7DGje3kq9FmaS3j9XIt2gvmaAfWvNc086z8QDyWVOtBp/s1600/roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2U6rLra92EOxdQEcdh5bP8BVAF9lzru6bhnFAuHuuUp8mUQbQErv5Nfj-nVeLRO2QQghfS3fGwQ4KSk5hYezy91QfL7-7gZS7DGje3kq9FmaS3j9XIt2gvmaAfWvNc086z8QDyWVOtBp/s320/roses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20rK3-xm6eZ6Qc4DZGyK5MoVZIL-XfPYy8BXccjluMjmncADH6ADa5plvfdXlXkpWaAhqwsPiRCpCun4YEfkjg3t4xWe8zC3UxRNIUaJ30GfVnvJBLb2NX-wiagFH-7lXJUDqvielbP2W/s1600/window+and+palms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20rK3-xm6eZ6Qc4DZGyK5MoVZIL-XfPYy8BXccjluMjmncADH6ADa5plvfdXlXkpWaAhqwsPiRCpCun4YEfkjg3t4xWe8zC3UxRNIUaJ30GfVnvJBLb2NX-wiagFH-7lXJUDqvielbP2W/s320/window+and+palms.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On the way to the conservatory, don't rush too quickly past the plants in the gardens outside. Even in the winter, there is plenty to see. The copper colored exfoliating bark of the China Snow Lilac glows. I love the lines of the twisted trunk in the middle photograph. Deciduous female holly plants have bright red fruit all winter long. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsgYO2paQfxROAPdA1Ookvye0dSyIP7Y1ntc-jE4oXkZGr81DXSoq6mZuHwsZ5tGIxZdDpdMrKOVEUEmCuTY3Bs31fToSxAG52cSIEj3oyOxkMCT1_q5Mf9PFQrioPAm_fW6XtLoFhrkZ/s1600/China+Snow+Lilac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsgYO2paQfxROAPdA1Ookvye0dSyIP7Y1ntc-jE4oXkZGr81DXSoq6mZuHwsZ5tGIxZdDpdMrKOVEUEmCuTY3Bs31fToSxAG52cSIEj3oyOxkMCT1_q5Mf9PFQrioPAm_fW6XtLoFhrkZ/s320/China+Snow+Lilac.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsloJcCYfyVSHp7AqUY8x4kL9RANOq2oyrZbmKqK52PQUgJIlielcK2VTH9TanVDrHVS-jVJsMobZD-Rua_kbUk8loChsRDi-vtH5hg-3p43Du3lAi-W2X0R3_nyOC5QxcZffKvvy87iDE/s1600/twisted+trunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsloJcCYfyVSHp7AqUY8x4kL9RANOq2oyrZbmKqK52PQUgJIlielcK2VTH9TanVDrHVS-jVJsMobZD-Rua_kbUk8loChsRDi-vtH5hg-3p43Du3lAi-W2X0R3_nyOC5QxcZffKvvy87iDE/s320/twisted+trunk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwrsd039_J2qNJTAs7PN5GBgdNsbCL1H0dponZRAsiqbDhxtmqrb2RUkw4X4hAbeDSZE_GTlDalD5Xgy_nTEdaPrNDpwmb8fIhSVU12M-MwWKmeayIGWb-C_nbfP0HU8j3J7wHlOoHcPI/s1600/holly+fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwrsd039_J2qNJTAs7PN5GBgdNsbCL1H0dponZRAsiqbDhxtmqrb2RUkw4X4hAbeDSZE_GTlDalD5Xgy_nTEdaPrNDpwmb8fIhSVU12M-MwWKmeayIGWb-C_nbfP0HU8j3J7wHlOoHcPI/s320/holly+fruit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-5666748726507066902011-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:002011-02-01T18:00:57.008-06:00Thinking of Hawaii while there's a blizzard outside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Vbtjxr2RPqdUe_gfxak2VWXgg9Tmtx_8c7drpP-Z8MjHR-8funOtiSFPtpajx5xBlvOs5GXBeyPnaVvJF42p1asY1qw0GpyHi8oMK_e0vEoA-3C6ruPHNxWcSWIGg98n08J9xUD88Elm/s1600/blizzard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Vbtjxr2RPqdUe_gfxak2VWXgg9Tmtx_8c7drpP-Z8MjHR-8funOtiSFPtpajx5xBlvOs5GXBeyPnaVvJF42p1asY1qw0GpyHi8oMK_e0vEoA-3C6ruPHNxWcSWIGg98n08J9xUD88Elm/s320/blizzard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The schools and airport are closed and a blizzard warning continues through noon tomorrow. With a foot of snow on the ground, more snow coming down, and the wind chill at one below, it seems like a good time to think about a much warmer place. Such as Hawaii! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbdezEo4EjPzIk-pIfAO1zIX-Q847PYvmoocJs2ZGfNyqmFG1Ji6W0kT9eIZ8UWTwflRhPpPFQ4MkycLcmg1OMRIZzck03d2jROeZ62RlkvPRu8SQxDhZkKnICE_ly8CvLUQQCGmz0GSA/s1600/church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbdezEo4EjPzIk-pIfAO1zIX-Q847PYvmoocJs2ZGfNyqmFG1Ji6W0kT9eIZ8UWTwflRhPpPFQ4MkycLcmg1OMRIZzck03d2jROeZ62RlkvPRu8SQxDhZkKnICE_ly8CvLUQQCGmz0GSA/s320/church.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">While in Kauai, we drove past the <a href="http://www.icc-church-kauai96766.com/">Immaculate Conception Catholic Church</a> many times before taking the time to stop. Though it's never in the plans, my husband and I always seem to find a church or two to visit while on vacation. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZbQWvQcfdujh_2cuef4wxQyH6lUdxAjs7n93-OIrAqPKcvrn2jiJHRoTula2wkn5uL2ZvylHTcCBm7PS8_hJMbPezytGl7t4RyyLofzrdt8xPwJ0Wt7a0Y7S_jaHqQUwA7roryc_HiK-/s1600/inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZbQWvQcfdujh_2cuef4wxQyH6lUdxAjs7n93-OIrAqPKcvrn2jiJHRoTula2wkn5uL2ZvylHTcCBm7PS8_hJMbPezytGl7t4RyyLofzrdt8xPwJ0Wt7a0Y7S_jaHqQUwA7roryc_HiK-/s320/inside.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The inside is as beautiful as the outside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When we first walked in the church an elderly woman walked up to the statue of Mary. She knocked on the base of it with her fist several times before praying. I could just imagine her saying "Mary, are listening to me, can you hear me, are you paying attention, I've gotten something to tell you..." </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDNuAF8O791mTweb7Se9QLWwvFgeB_tHlICBAm0kVjWKkELI_n5YUN4VqzLxnPgFJkscKO9d9D2RLcDVpNXOhe_dzb9GHNFvg2pFd4KP5JgyR6HMF1tJxepmbYKS-ORyiRjGqnmx8Z9MX/s1600/orchids+and+stained+glass+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDNuAF8O791mTweb7Se9QLWwvFgeB_tHlICBAm0kVjWKkELI_n5YUN4VqzLxnPgFJkscKO9d9D2RLcDVpNXOhe_dzb9GHNFvg2pFd4KP5JgyR6HMF1tJxepmbYKS-ORyiRjGqnmx8Z9MX/s320/orchids+and+stained+glass+window.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJL1n9YEwgihk0IK-2YSoxqDOpyEYwNFiZN0yhgitTe7mhWTqpehpzpDxh5WFlCIWRcbOf4kOqHA2B4ARhmVgdDYnf7xR6pqGIF6RhDHrlRj-WIrE6cdjI16-1-ldqNsPY1aOTyECV1SSD/s1600/Mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJL1n9YEwgihk0IK-2YSoxqDOpyEYwNFiZN0yhgitTe7mhWTqpehpzpDxh5WFlCIWRcbOf4kOqHA2B4ARhmVgdDYnf7xR6pqGIF6RhDHrlRj-WIrE6cdjI16-1-ldqNsPY1aOTyECV1SSD/s320/Mary.jpg" width="214" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRRlzz-6bbXQSxdn2Q6blvPg7WYds5roYxMMEIhfBlbLoBRqMfPvFoTftwAXsZrbbTJxQLiydJ0SuJqwATQALse6QlhWajWmlsepbqwlYCmAVTR1quEhSjEx_bVj-ogCrV8VkSkoXQ2yS/s1600/garden+side+of+the+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRRlzz-6bbXQSxdn2Q6blvPg7WYds5roYxMMEIhfBlbLoBRqMfPvFoTftwAXsZrbbTJxQLiydJ0SuJqwATQALse6QlhWajWmlsepbqwlYCmAVTR1quEhSjEx_bVj-ogCrV8VkSkoXQ2yS/s320/garden+side+of+the+church.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The grounds of the church are also lovely. Though probably wrong of me, I kept thinking they must have a really good priest and choir to get people to pay attention while inside. I would be tempted to stay outside and pull weeds, smell the flowers and listen to the service through an open window. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The plants are as colorful as the stained glass windows. Visiting this church and saying a prayer was a wonderful stop on a busy day of sight seeing. Maybe that's why we end up visiting churches while on vacation. No doubt, God knows we aren't good at slowing down, even while on vacation. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILmA25ZJt5AfyelDBW3h5paw9FHDgPpEKtb4H92DH7WKtUO8nsLvx6BH-TBapEVD8g-v_LXkYbib4Abks019wfjZLaTrPRwLYvXOdUdfsJyWNHHbqFcu0w7Kndb2KXQK6yG06Ieqyo6D_/s1600/stained+glass+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILmA25ZJt5AfyelDBW3h5paw9FHDgPpEKtb4H92DH7WKtUO8nsLvx6BH-TBapEVD8g-v_LXkYbib4Abks019wfjZLaTrPRwLYvXOdUdfsJyWNHHbqFcu0w7Kndb2KXQK6yG06Ieqyo6D_/s320/stained+glass+window.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlRtgpaiTVGLd0ZJHsotIC9MkDTmCzAIyBesgAk3QmWTFkbA0AiwQVtMYNgauWGK7mqvIbadNkOgtWUzN0hUEd7WcjPEts59z9B8hc3_pSvslSQJV9DuEKajiSTKM7G9IgbRoX1eyAbV5/s1600/top+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlRtgpaiTVGLd0ZJHsotIC9MkDTmCzAIyBesgAk3QmWTFkbA0AiwQVtMYNgauWGK7mqvIbadNkOgtWUzN0hUEd7WcjPEts59z9B8hc3_pSvslSQJV9DuEKajiSTKM7G9IgbRoX1eyAbV5/s320/top+window.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-13686816748763553642011-01-03T15:41:00.017-06:002011-01-03T19:23:17.361-06:00Button, button<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzwZZr11sbHYW1ndDbubJrZ3G8KjNV5JVrzyVpmgrNTKZX-3qr0aNYFAe0gT5cpwYYuhZOWWoD_puVNHfwUkpPp0OI2TfqXLEbiKroSADR-I8kzbHikrFd5DS5yNBo0CSQoeWBwaO6RsQ/s1600/DSC06738+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzwZZr11sbHYW1ndDbubJrZ3G8KjNV5JVrzyVpmgrNTKZX-3qr0aNYFAe0gT5cpwYYuhZOWWoD_puVNHfwUkpPp0OI2TfqXLEbiKroSADR-I8kzbHikrFd5DS5yNBo0CSQoeWBwaO6RsQ/s400/DSC06738+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Button, button, who's got the button?</span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Inspired by a display of button bracelets at <a href="http://www.broadwayandpenn.com/" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Broadway & Penn</a>, </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">it was finally time to do something with my grandma's buttons. They have been stored for years in old jelly jars. First in her attic and more recently in my basement. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I love the colorful buttons. They remind me of the happy faces of pansies and Grandma's garden. There were always volunteer pansies and violas popping up somewhere in her yard.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We walked into a Christmas display with both deciduous and evergreen trees decorated with beautiful ornaments. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMz3eiXUQqnF9nt4LSTp4bR4lhEeK-PYD25RK_6SfpK6nzPAkF6OFGTijqM4_-PCUPIdzCdc221jf5_12gxJT8SwJzSzrad2QZIGPxikCvGvdi8XcBxVBmFMl6TT5iTJ7GB9h0UX09jQG/s1600/red+ornaments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMz3eiXUQqnF9nt4LSTp4bR4lhEeK-PYD25RK_6SfpK6nzPAkF6OFGTijqM4_-PCUPIdzCdc221jf5_12gxJT8SwJzSzrad2QZIGPxikCvGvdi8XcBxVBmFMl6TT5iTJ7GB9h0UX09jQG/s320/red+ornaments.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm always in awe at how the conservatory at the Kauffman Gardens is transformed for the different seasons and filled with color and fragrance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's a great place to sit for a while, soak up the sun, enjoy the great variety of plants, and recharge the soul on a wintery day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As it was the last day of the year when we visited, I suppose I should make a resolution about my next visit to the Kauffman Gardens. I resolve to plan ahead so my son has his Kindle for reading while sitting on the bench next to the resident cat. And, I resolve to bring my good camera rather than my cell phone camera. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For this visit, I'm glad we got there in time to enjoy the bit of Christmas that was left in this season. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-44425585565684729342010-12-26T20:15:00.005-06:002010-12-26T20:42:43.195-06:00Red dirt canyon waterfall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The day started with a sail and snorkel trip out of Port Allen in Kauai. We saw humpback whales, sea turtles and spinner dolphins. It was a laid back way of seeing the Napali coast. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Later in the day, we got a bit more adventuresome and visited the <a href="http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/kauai/index.cfm?park_id=4">Waimea Canyon</a> on the west side of the island. </span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stretching over 10 miles long and a mile wide, the Waimea Canyon has many opportunities for taking pictures, hiking and mountain biking. The conditions for taking photographs in the afternoon weren't the best, there was quite a bit of haze. I met a man with incredible camera gear and asked him for some tips. He said to come back another day, the conditions are best at 8am. That time didn't work well for this vacation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Waimea means red water and this is the home of the <a href="http://www.dirtshirt.com/">Dirt Shirt Company</a> where the shirts are dyed with "100% red dirt." <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the Red Dirt outlet, the episode of <a href="http://www.dirtshirt.com/category.aspx?categoryID=23">Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs</a> plays telling the story of his experience in Kauai learning about the process. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of our favorite stops at the canyon was this red dirt waterfall across the street from the 1500 foot elevation sign on Highway 550.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We stopped at a turnout for a view of the canyon and saw a couple across the street looking intently at something. Afraid we might be missing something, we wandered their way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm glad we did. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Over the years, I have met many landscapers who designed streams and waterfalls with pockets of plantings along the banks of the streams. Sometimes with success, sometimes a bit forced. Here nature created a beautiful design. The pockets of plants have grasses, ferns and bamboo orchids. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwmoShaQDBweTuWC4h9qDsSICwwfdgw9-BnALinGmfTEw-vUB2NyBFdAYqfo6KwbCSvBps0EBsV7_9eb7VjpAvcy8K2qGEG0r-OY5W-fZVtet3jD3FtzRqrzNtQa3KodjJv7ftGEg_n71/s1600/flower+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwmoShaQDBweTuWC4h9qDsSICwwfdgw9-BnALinGmfTEw-vUB2NyBFdAYqfo6KwbCSvBps0EBsV7_9eb7VjpAvcy8K2qGEG0r-OY5W-fZVtet3jD3FtzRqrzNtQa3KodjJv7ftGEg_n71/s320/flower+close+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The mountain bikers have a route through this area and even built bridges including this one. I just stood back and watched in awe as they traveled across ridges along the edge of the canyon. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPth8QMXGJdiDVQty1PVvo6DPO9dZ4oEuvbBqfARltxH7pu8Thy2UqcNrjkySZEU9YOoxKpwe_8WXo4mp1W3i02wI669VCKOhxUKibWCvKevvPI4uXYhTnTA5k2O4h3gvAs_BmRZCiwsx/s1600/bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPth8QMXGJdiDVQty1PVvo6DPO9dZ4oEuvbBqfARltxH7pu8Thy2UqcNrjkySZEU9YOoxKpwe_8WXo4mp1W3i02wI669VCKOhxUKibWCvKevvPI4uXYhTnTA5k2O4h3gvAs_BmRZCiwsx/s320/bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This adventure ended with meeting an older woman standing by the bridge alongside the canyon. I was concerned maybe something was wrong. It turned out she was the lookout person for her son, a professional photographer. She was to alert them when anyone came close to their location down the slope of the canyon along the exposed roots of trees. The subject of the photograph was nude. That was one place I didn't go exploring! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Other waterfalls in Kauai we visited:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyphLA_EgdxHBRxJGix2-dm_yRNz3vbMczf7dfj3SiZg3NBPvEnIEEe-djiNeN6BP3V_HZmay2AGRCoazozUHfnU2nc_T0QaD4ZF1_tKt3e1N_gjGsrn7aqg2QAzZLsRL_-CeCdT0SJz3/s1600/Opaekaa+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyphLA_EgdxHBRxJGix2-dm_yRNz3vbMczf7dfj3SiZg3NBPvEnIEEe-djiNeN6BP3V_HZmay2AGRCoazozUHfnU2nc_T0QaD4ZF1_tKt3e1N_gjGsrn7aqg2QAzZLsRL_-CeCdT0SJz3/s320/Opaekaa+Falls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Opaekaa Falls</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wailua Falls</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-21765671997705963702010-12-18T13:24:00.016-06:002010-12-18T13:36:08.910-06:00Where the lava meets the road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSI4ZzXhDGvEBzk4kh9ew6V8YPMddNjlfFeCVIW3AbFxgEXbReE49_UItORvFPD6CA7iZ__soou4Ef3uVfsq4WTDzNpI1zXxkrpQqxiQCQEjyW6a5IDBX1ZMaEp9AuO5oeNbBQgSU-ZuVK/s1600/contest-lava-road-ferns1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSI4ZzXhDGvEBzk4kh9ew6V8YPMddNjlfFeCVIW3AbFxgEXbReE49_UItORvFPD6CA7iZ__soou4Ef3uVfsq4WTDzNpI1zXxkrpQqxiQCQEjyW6a5IDBX1ZMaEp9AuO5oeNbBQgSU-ZuVK/s400/contest-lava-road-ferns1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm">Hawaii Volcanoes National Park</a>, we learned in volcano class that the first plants to emerge after a lava flow are ferns. Where the lava meets the road ferns now grow.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cHp100GRxa8p6G8owZI_Sj01ZEZjPw332pia2jI57LqJdhwypebkLpQ9oY7Rnk9ijdp_y10CtU4TAq1sI4ONulKfYinYSoWXwQ1NA9krYz1Sk4CwsDiIu3jQbMWoHCzA05sz-DRhmwMp/s1600/ferns+in+a+lava+crack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cHp100GRxa8p6G8owZI_Sj01ZEZjPw332pia2jI57LqJdhwypebkLpQ9oY7Rnk9ijdp_y10CtU4TAq1sI4ONulKfYinYSoWXwQ1NA9krYz1Sk4CwsDiIu3jQbMWoHCzA05sz-DRhmwMp/s320/ferns+in+a+lava+crack.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My husband and I followed the Chain of Craters Road and were amazed that land as far as the eye could see had been covered by lava at one time. And, at each stop, we saw ferns growing. I don't understand how ferns can grow in cracks of lava rock but not in my suburban garden in the Kansas City area. Maybe it has to do with the amount of rainfall in Hawaii. The day we visited the volcano it rained the whole time. But, since it was volcano day on our schedule, we made the most of it as did the other visitors. And, we didn't let a road closed sign stop us from exploring. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPR1BckQk6HCaTeaW6SsZfao-eRv7TrtAwdns7oqki-AV-sJ2O317_dfbSi6R9foppljP78Tpr1RlalaHpAY4dAaEKqMsTM6kc1MydB8jU9FE7BBM-7XebM0nvF_Qa0OyMis1iQf4VX5r/s1600/Road+Closed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPR1BckQk6HCaTeaW6SsZfao-eRv7TrtAwdns7oqki-AV-sJ2O317_dfbSi6R9foppljP78Tpr1RlalaHpAY4dAaEKqMsTM6kc1MydB8jU9FE7BBM-7XebM0nvF_Qa0OyMis1iQf4VX5r/s320/Road+Closed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJ4EjKAtnVJ2eiuETj2JDp3Lja6bp7vCLGzOrY29qe5PmfeNu9EJi77ghzobWvm5pyz_W3enjJHUqippTMh_bWDAhcxq6tAWQnHELYxpaLU_nUn1yseskkfCTtXH2K8tLlcXK-YXdXvSJ/s1600/road+and+lava.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJ4EjKAtnVJ2eiuETj2JDp3Lja6bp7vCLGzOrY29qe5PmfeNu9EJi77ghzobWvm5pyz_W3enjJHUqippTMh_bWDAhcxq6tAWQnHELYxpaLU_nUn1yseskkfCTtXH2K8tLlcXK-YXdXvSJ/s200/road+and+lava.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though I was prepared for the weather, I wasn't prepared for the plants we saw on this journey. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It was fascinating to see palm trees growing where lava once flowed into the ocean. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAgG-GV7azxjlY4VGFvBV31VMNKq7Ha-7ns3Ti50jfv0SxevoC32nssqyIe_WS5IlgE0x-TZCwd-nJdcVDr_hXHWEaDcZVpe6nRskG6c6bgGWXyIKBS5wAmtPeZIybCtVdm8JgP_gEo-X/s1600/palm-trees-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAgG-GV7azxjlY4VGFvBV31VMNKq7Ha-7ns3Ti50jfv0SxevoC32nssqyIe_WS5IlgE0x-TZCwd-nJdcVDr_hXHWEaDcZVpe6nRskG6c6bgGWXyIKBS5wAmtPeZIybCtVdm8JgP_gEo-X/s320/palm-trees-cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In this same area of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park along the sea cliff is the Holei Sea Arch. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneXtYSlAjyexN-13TeB0XjMdbU0F_IWc-fpnJkIc9fx6IlfVour-javXH3XmQ4jgEYwLUVaY8MyI2hhyphenhyphenDS8Ft9WPKt3zkO-fOXRl2K2Ra1_9mjab6ondlKuy1ic5Zxx0nUPe21AaaB2jn/s1600/arch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneXtYSlAjyexN-13TeB0XjMdbU0F_IWc-fpnJkIc9fx6IlfVour-javXH3XmQ4jgEYwLUVaY8MyI2hhyphenhyphenDS8Ft9WPKt3zkO-fOXRl2K2Ra1_9mjab6ondlKuy1ic5Zxx0nUPe21AaaB2jn/s320/arch.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Back to the plants in the area; here's a few of the ones we saw at the park and some photographs of the Kilauea Caldera:</span><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46lCb6gLMXqMeADAvsLIPGv7LrTRViOp2SIPsfp4NSr_3tvNvPBfrquVy8z_WYBQllXfMwTIHsAuwUwdgZ4NmSyA-FVIQZ7WjVsmJ55MUq-33JQxSnpj1AgO5QgDlDAqnksTpz53e465C/s1600/arch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKrClmCbPIt22DqFJK4JK-0e6WJ7_aG_mYeOnwdBMP2x1nvd5kKlBKpFhmxDqeUTovCvH_4bvJ7n7M5D-EU2aK1gOSIvarDnUhLkdsLLPA1coKiG-bPXoosmZPgxmmw7DJbZi7KqAWwxj/s1600/bamboo+orchid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKrClmCbPIt22DqFJK4JK-0e6WJ7_aG_mYeOnwdBMP2x1nvd5kKlBKpFhmxDqeUTovCvH_4bvJ7n7M5D-EU2aK1gOSIvarDnUhLkdsLLPA1coKiG-bPXoosmZPgxmmw7DJbZi7KqAWwxj/s320/bamboo+orchid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bamboo Orchid</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicx5MHNJHeYGqBxe5Q4BxTetZRBDzTNHS_gvTy-4JA4ODFEqfdu6x2Qx8voAkaH38y5lQC67X1SsZZKCbWGtMaKSjyDZSfr605a1N6VldEDvitzVFVGKcoab9HjBnLkL7wAfI_FJBh1oO/s1600/beach+naupaka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicx5MHNJHeYGqBxe5Q4BxTetZRBDzTNHS_gvTy-4JA4ODFEqfdu6x2Qx8voAkaH38y5lQC67X1SsZZKCbWGtMaKSjyDZSfr605a1N6VldEDvitzVFVGKcoab9HjBnLkL7wAfI_FJBh1oO/s320/beach+naupaka.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beach Naupaka</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFEFCU5IoKsUoMC4giP4XIFJ-zOYEY1uihDAHWUM_klwtauTqqYuYeubSbMrOphzcu_joVt-s0G99WHaojv_0tc1zHEINSSjVoJEHqyBnKe-3eFJCqE0fix4e8xuKrB8MRWa4AQm1I1Rm/s1600/pukiawe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFEFCU5IoKsUoMC4giP4XIFJ-zOYEY1uihDAHWUM_klwtauTqqYuYeubSbMrOphzcu_joVt-s0G99WHaojv_0tc1zHEINSSjVoJEHqyBnKe-3eFJCqE0fix4e8xuKrB8MRWa4AQm1I1Rm/s320/pukiawe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pukiawe</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTp7QMmW_BdWPtiDazF6F_C0OtauSdVlrOKX1SUkfNxLwRGkjd0TeZgiXvT5K43nFMJw5UKiEr6it5IfVn89Z2Ek4OSMnl4e2blzpAOicbj6BR7ponr86fQLOSCo6Lc_qJ7_P1a_EoZbGA/s1600/green+and+rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTp7QMmW_BdWPtiDazF6F_C0OtauSdVlrOKX1SUkfNxLwRGkjd0TeZgiXvT5K43nFMJw5UKiEr6it5IfVn89Z2Ek4OSMnl4e2blzpAOicbj6BR7ponr86fQLOSCo6Lc_qJ7_P1a_EoZbGA/s320/green+and+rose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu6cH68U3M-fFQqnCO1sI79I02cjLdNtwqwafiJ8yIUB6tHchiaBvwKWYeESxDJhk4gQzYatUwSmmRQcDUbPs9XUEglmVpSkPPJRVmQpY5dM-4NWGJwj-ux2Is1mtZUtCHsz3N2LNwOpF/s1600/ohi%2527a+lehua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu6cH68U3M-fFQqnCO1sI79I02cjLdNtwqwafiJ8yIUB6tHchiaBvwKWYeESxDJhk4gQzYatUwSmmRQcDUbPs9XUEglmVpSkPPJRVmQpY5dM-4NWGJwj-ux2Is1mtZUtCHsz3N2LNwOpF/s320/ohi%2527a+lehua.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">'Ohi'a lehua</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH9xAAedi9CAGVgnq27B1ecN3qAG4vEM_jyyHLTjFrIT7SmHDsijeEwaknd7mdl810XQ8xh8Fqmgqh1ESzzuSfmGF3rtUlj6GaIPOeQO4FSJMePlmOgWdl5_wvmnpvzBzv13wQ0ibTdjz/s1600/fern+leaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH9xAAedi9CAGVgnq27B1ecN3qAG4vEM_jyyHLTjFrIT7SmHDsijeEwaknd7mdl810XQ8xh8Fqmgqh1ESzzuSfmGF3rtUlj6GaIPOeQO4FSJMePlmOgWdl5_wvmnpvzBzv13wQ0ibTdjz/s320/fern+leaf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72jI0YI4lyCGKBgYDn5t5dN6Fs35jChXEqRiYYVJJ_Gn3xl9hcojtEPQ7Eranu7dPsJTSBCG_v6MOiSkO3MHtvEGjy2US2VNOno64vVupGShAMRboXL2TQF4cFW4P2nbylpGtDmptte6h/s1600/large+fern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72jI0YI4lyCGKBgYDn5t5dN6Fs35jChXEqRiYYVJJ_Gn3xl9hcojtEPQ7Eranu7dPsJTSBCG_v6MOiSkO3MHtvEGjy2US2VNOno64vVupGShAMRboXL2TQF4cFW4P2nbylpGtDmptte6h/s320/large+fern.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Hapu'u ferns are just spectacular. I remember seeing large ferns in the Jurassic Park movie and thinking they must be fake. Guess not. These ferns can grow as tall 40'. There is a section between the Crater Rim Drive and Chain of Craters Road where the road is lined on either side with Hapu'u ferns. Of course, we had to find a place to pull over for a picture. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3sCQ98Zm-FNOfgemJjhyIIQwERz-8YW4tzhX1p0LGLyl-VNhs4BawrpZDZKi607IrFGCWEOolpzfkkNc7nFnBTBeYcr3qA80xJ_ZvHecyLlUit_Vwnu3ps4Oojz4d7QB5N9tXRXhIIMO/s1600/pink+fruits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3sCQ98Zm-FNOfgemJjhyIIQwERz-8YW4tzhX1p0LGLyl-VNhs4BawrpZDZKi607IrFGCWEOolpzfkkNc7nFnBTBeYcr3qA80xJ_ZvHecyLlUit_Vwnu3ps4Oojz4d7QB5N9tXRXhIIMO/s320/pink+fruits.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of many steam vents</span></td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Edge of the Kilauea Caldera</span></td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Steam from the volcano during the day</span></td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Volcano glow at night</span></td></tr>
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</span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-75111462108486684102010-11-14T13:14:00.003-06:002010-11-20T12:43:17.919-06:00Hanging on to autumn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuVQlQU2UbSvHfJA3xSiZBV9FxpNsck_q9eScX7_EY2s6_VTYs0i8OSTBd7psQiwpR79ZR0TBR465JxYBKeH-gGjrcKTTqESj95fJ3N6hGWwjlQ0OCRUtWQs_cCwX-DKyHsPj21NWCYFs/s1600/October+Glory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuVQlQU2UbSvHfJA3xSiZBV9FxpNsck_q9eScX7_EY2s6_VTYs0i8OSTBd7psQiwpR79ZR0TBR465JxYBKeH-gGjrcKTTqESj95fJ3N6hGWwjlQ0OCRUtWQs_cCwX-DKyHsPj21NWCYFs/s320/October+Glory.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In mid-October I stopped in Target to pick up something. There, prominately displayed by the aisle, were Christmas dishes. They caught my eye and I thought how pretty a holiday table would look with them. Then, I remembered it was October. Christmas dishes in a store in October?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Halloween morning the Sunday newspaper arrived full of ads. Toy ads. The kind of toy ads that usually are in the Thanksgiving morning paper. Again, I wondered, wasn't it a bit too soon to be thinking about Christmas? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Monday morning, November 1, on the way to work I was doing my usual searching on the car radio trying to find a song I like. Unfortunately, I pushed the button for our local radio station that plays Christmas music 24/7 in November and December. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm really not in the mood to think about Christmas yet. We have had such a beautiful fall in Kansas City and see no reason to rush from one season to the next. Is Thanksgiving just a bump in the road from Halloween to Christmas? Not for me! I hanging on to autumn for a while longer. If you feel the same, you might enjoy these photos of fall color:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjeK6Qu3dj9ZWLTX8-yyu3-6F0C8qy9SQT6EeaTqcnw3MkHec3rvbHRchYFG6qOBOcaqmB__gDJh2ULOih059Xp6Z8_McnLPO6BMbvM2J324ItMobmolE1VbcdNIQVQr63ZKxvp9DhNNe/s1600/ginkgo+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjeK6Qu3dj9ZWLTX8-yyu3-6F0C8qy9SQT6EeaTqcnw3MkHec3rvbHRchYFG6qOBOcaqmB__gDJh2ULOih059Xp6Z8_McnLPO6BMbvM2J324ItMobmolE1VbcdNIQVQr63ZKxvp9DhNNe/s320/ginkgo+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Carpet of ginkgo leaves</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9d7pSxfzPx-fWVaEhMp6jW7c8gK9Mgv3f36g3TpBAr57gvryPQNVkKTyk_6xfTBgATa7v7kJFiS9kxLpjh8m4F6KAzprTr3XmUT0-A0yHZf_kmRBrHPq-sswQbYBlgA7l0OX6jRFCAtwz/s1600/Gold+Pillar+fall+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9d7pSxfzPx-fWVaEhMp6jW7c8gK9Mgv3f36g3TpBAr57gvryPQNVkKTyk_6xfTBgATa7v7kJFiS9kxLpjh8m4F6KAzprTr3XmUT0-A0yHZf_kmRBrHPq-sswQbYBlgA7l0OX6jRFCAtwz/s320/Gold+Pillar+fall+color.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gold Pillar Barberry in the fall</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT99FU4DOslsl9dq5A0XmhINoo2FB8TquTUS5ss3l0pLQQ1r5UgEBAuf_574wTqHE8lDcNC0vRsShkir3N_aZTVv8qZRygL6BhcCRCO-9tUz-IJzfXqom47o2ryn9kil17uM6dGNkZJgnH/s1600/heptacodium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT99FU4DOslsl9dq5A0XmhINoo2FB8TquTUS5ss3l0pLQQ1r5UgEBAuf_574wTqHE8lDcNC0vRsShkir3N_aZTVv8qZRygL6BhcCRCO-9tUz-IJzfXqom47o2ryn9kil17uM6dGNkZJgnH/s320/heptacodium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heptacodium (Seven Son Flower)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpFGTWoIuJJajCywho-gEpGZqMPkwR8FbK3RPm78J2zvSfCZnz91sHTr-vguraT-STdClGZcAL78QKTGOFu5NwBEoFozTjIiUxz3_4za9LaX0z39oEKJuFe5ADtP2paYVuC4vZ2HVHEyB/s1600/Shantung+fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpFGTWoIuJJajCywho-gEpGZqMPkwR8FbK3RPm78J2zvSfCZnz91sHTr-vguraT-STdClGZcAL78QKTGOFu5NwBEoFozTjIiUxz3_4za9LaX0z39oEKJuFe5ADtP2paYVuC4vZ2HVHEyB/s320/Shantung+fall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Shantung Maple</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyTGzNo7Pe1z8oua3eImBpBwwP9ewSYSUBSELCnUmqNxjNJvmgReAUiSq2RriUp3YFnMuAn5xEuElG8_-3Kp-DwdfZ1EBwSxn6phhFEoaCBboszKJUp-7zZ4hB8nuKtjboCJ3uV7XlMGn/s1600/OG+sliver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyTGzNo7Pe1z8oua3eImBpBwwP9ewSYSUBSELCnUmqNxjNJvmgReAUiSq2RriUp3YFnMuAn5xEuElG8_-3Kp-DwdfZ1EBwSxn6phhFEoaCBboszKJUp-7zZ4hB8nuKtjboCJ3uV7XlMGn/s320/OG+sliver.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October Glory Maple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RQKhiQk0PipbC9JpuayAXsvHvjB8fKQypQwsOpzJgQxINsGOViC479YNDmUUkCWmvktEx_zOxJA54tXw8ie_BXFPFFiZYrwC9CyqVnPrZgWZDJiOMtYvKcBYRV81YtAXemg-6T0VODmJ/s1600/purple+pansy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RQKhiQk0PipbC9JpuayAXsvHvjB8fKQypQwsOpzJgQxINsGOViC479YNDmUUkCWmvktEx_zOxJA54tXw8ie_BXFPFFiZYrwC9CyqVnPrZgWZDJiOMtYvKcBYRV81YtAXemg-6T0VODmJ/s320/purple+pansy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pansy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxzCcWijqhFn8ytEjk-ie3vDBwgva38DdrYN_H85_k80i5xY_2RjUa8bhUGUmhRkk-ZKAD8aM3DW8iy-S_khBy2rH3_nR69DFNA-SxrGIi-56geD7rB2uci6ETMbiOkZvmDH0kJiOdGBV/s1600/aronia+fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxzCcWijqhFn8ytEjk-ie3vDBwgva38DdrYN_H85_k80i5xY_2RjUa8bhUGUmhRkk-ZKAD8aM3DW8iy-S_khBy2rH3_nR69DFNA-SxrGIi-56geD7rB2uci6ETMbiOkZvmDH0kJiOdGBV/s320/aronia+fall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aronia (Chokeberry)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpZ6caB6E_QoUfDOYK20x4X8qvqT168uYk2KzP5VYRLWpm4wBTuzFrmx1fV-j-qbRObift8S9LwCi1xEstgNUVQfw1ZeDoSWFBfffKOgD5kNrzkY1ko9eUm-C3c5zNEKN0m8UdAhmCSfy/s1600/white+mum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpZ6caB6E_QoUfDOYK20x4X8qvqT168uYk2KzP5VYRLWpm4wBTuzFrmx1fV-j-qbRObift8S9LwCi1xEstgNUVQfw1ZeDoSWFBfffKOgD5kNrzkY1ko9eUm-C3c5zNEKN0m8UdAhmCSfy/s320/white+mum.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garden Mum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-39047844127500129212010-11-02T20:41:00.001-05:002010-11-02T20:44:15.564-05:00A rugged landscape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7xDCtqeBvfGOknUnxehzCyEJYTI2Nuk7fthwC0PTLONkxclPN3B79a4Vkw0N2X6AJC25qH8L55lCExxdSqjBmtmasUiusPqIFuD4NqT8FHVqCjNBqQ_zgkBLjoNiSFx_2RkQVJH231bh/s1600/DSC05013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7xDCtqeBvfGOknUnxehzCyEJYTI2Nuk7fthwC0PTLONkxclPN3B79a4Vkw0N2X6AJC25qH8L55lCExxdSqjBmtmasUiusPqIFuD4NqT8FHVqCjNBqQ_zgkBLjoNiSFx_2RkQVJH231bh/s400/DSC05013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our journey home from Colby, Kansas a few weeks ago took many detours. It was the road sign on I70 that caught my husband's eye. Next thing you know we are headed down a gravel road, through a farmer's field, and across a cattle gate. The rutted road took us to the top of a rock formation overlooking <a href="http://www.kansastravel.org/castlerock.htm">Castle Rock</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though crops grow to the south of this chalk formation, this view to the north and east shows only a few junipers dotting the landscape and grasses. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdvs-MNrFDyE61VCmNKtRom9luhCFhPB-gnUthyphenhyphenO-TZuJCtvs_H4jaF12UIsOlYyLnSMeOhv2O2-x-Qh-6H1CfN1nJvn_JbbihX1BqhDfDqrBkp5xEEKDfafPS3uJ7-MhNgXG_lClDt8g/s1600/DSC05021+%282%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdvs-MNrFDyE61VCmNKtRom9luhCFhPB-gnUthyphenhyphenO-TZuJCtvs_H4jaF12UIsOlYyLnSMeOhv2O2-x-Qh-6H1CfN1nJvn_JbbihX1BqhDfDqrBkp5xEEKDfafPS3uJ7-MhNgXG_lClDt8g/s320/DSC05021+%282%29.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fortunately, we were in a Jeep and it could handle the road that winds around the rock formations.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AXekLmiB63Uj7dWychzuefvA_Rr4W__eEAqAK7PSZDDfCWdX_xjSsx1pW_U0qZLarHYIXH_EcBPGCUmVARUbn3eFrzCVc5FVP24JP-nyGQMYCqNbx2WT-0OliOp59B7PMynvBoRmDFSG/s1600/DSC05017+%282%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AXekLmiB63Uj7dWychzuefvA_Rr4W__eEAqAK7PSZDDfCWdX_xjSsx1pW_U0qZLarHYIXH_EcBPGCUmVARUbn3eFrzCVc5FVP24JP-nyGQMYCqNbx2WT-0OliOp59B7PMynvBoRmDFSG/s320/DSC05017+%282%29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We stopped several times to get out for a closer look and hiked in the area. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was on the lookout for rattlesnakes and was just certain this was a great place for them to call home. Fortunately, we didn't see any. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We did see small plants growing in the cracks of the rock formations along with yuccas and grasses in the open areas. Castle Rock is a rugged landscape with a rugged beauty. </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-25339639619456031702010-10-30T20:32:00.004-05:002010-11-17T08:56:36.433-06:00Not enough time to visit a garden?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivShUXnZhWQHB4Crmyj15bZOroAIYBhIMv0xxg85eimfeopwxkkGVm149rm9l3vHgBMr6wMXG8ld-_xuqEyN-D4lAZb2vHJUDQVc1F6y7Of-mTG1nMpUl2G2oOieYzLK9KobmZv90u0-cX/s1600/7gablescourtyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraQwbjpR4q_G3ppvNBptihRITGTaH1T5dvmvs_tFna3HnlvdNhZf38-35c1NrcRBuvKujmP0gLqm5JAkXyKcwcORDQe46c0GM0L2ZlDDYulRK8sf3C6gy0xlzze1yEMM9mgNKjLi_yYjk/s1600/lion+and+pansies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraQwbjpR4q_G3ppvNBptihRITGTaH1T5dvmvs_tFna3HnlvdNhZf38-35c1NrcRBuvKujmP0gLqm5JAkXyKcwcORDQe46c0GM0L2ZlDDYulRK8sf3C6gy0xlzze1yEMM9mgNKjLi_yYjk/s400/lion+and+pansies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dDYfNiQELy94LrceSoeGOSs7Pi8_0S9Bv8JB82g97c9LgNlgIlFZBKE_TgNrNSDTgeUjFc0lmDT3YbQ-Bxo1DxbcbQxy0lkpDxjdMF5ObB1Dbj2UM16G3QlpHbgprzQ_XREqMz8UYxdr/s1600/7gablescourtyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dDYfNiQELy94LrceSoeGOSs7Pi8_0S9Bv8JB82g97c9LgNlgIlFZBKE_TgNrNSDTgeUjFc0lmDT3YbQ-Bxo1DxbcbQxy0lkpDxjdMF5ObB1Dbj2UM16G3QlpHbgprzQ_XREqMz8UYxdr/s320/7gablescourtyard.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our numerous visits to St. Louis always included time at <a href="http://www.mobot.org/">Missouri Botanical Gardens</a>. However, our fall visit this year was a quick overnight trip for a cousin's anniversary party and there simply wasn't enough time. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitObiXNacaPMK6UN6_d_srKXzV2i10-fgWrw0CUvyhxU4Gyc6THHUVYZsuP5PQK5COQi4ehYpIdYNzvwjfldmiqhLC4b7UIkZVOBuMzZzY_0txfhcg70widcgv_wMYisX5IXrhnR6Zu7R-/s1600/lion+fountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitObiXNacaPMK6UN6_d_srKXzV2i10-fgWrw0CUvyhxU4Gyc6THHUVYZsuP5PQK5COQi4ehYpIdYNzvwjfldmiqhLC4b7UIkZVOBuMzZzY_0txfhcg70widcgv_wMYisX5IXrhnR6Zu7R-/s320/lion+fountain.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As soon as we checked into our hotel and I saw the courtyard behind the registration desk, I knew this wasn't going to be a problem. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, <a href="http://www.sevengablesinn.com/">7 Gables Inn</a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is a wonderful place to stay in Clayton, Missouri. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The courtyard of the inn is a lovely setting for a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast and place to read the newspaper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7 Gables Inn is in a neighborhood of art galleries, shops and restaurants. Our morning stroll to church took a round about way so I could take a few pictures of the sidewalk dining spots, colorful containers, street trees, and adjacent neighborhood. Though I missed the Missouri Botanical Gardens, we found a way to visit St. Louis area and still spend time in a garden. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-57074238926752335992010-08-22T19:57:00.002-05:002010-09-06T11:20:46.238-05:00A part of the prairie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67mJj66vLUSaV0oetf9U-_ZTRbNnSQteYymHy1Jjb7x3z7Fmn39VUA0soxKlsxWGohxvtw6JmtssBoEeVmJThZZQvuxBEgTm6sRi-n1iWFJuAEBD4m3r-4nLFv-jRjSq1FI4HkB5MFB2v/s1600/view+from+the+highway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67mJj66vLUSaV0oetf9U-_ZTRbNnSQteYymHy1Jjb7x3z7Fmn39VUA0soxKlsxWGohxvtw6JmtssBoEeVmJThZZQvuxBEgTm6sRi-n1iWFJuAEBD4m3r-4nLFv-jRjSq1FI4HkB5MFB2v/s320/view+from+the+highway.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"It's gotta be a <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/cgi-bin/glk?http://libinfo.uark.edu/specialcollections/manuscripts/fayjones/projects.asp?Sort=Built">Fay Jones</a>" my husband and I exclaimed when we spotted this church outside of Omaha, Nebraska. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I didn't see it listed in the directory of Fay Jones' projects, I kept searching trying to find out who was involved in designing the church. We found out later that the architect is Jim Dennell of <a href="http://www.bcdm.net/religious.html">Beringer Ciaccio Dennell Mabrey</a> in Omaha thanks to a blog post by Michael Knorr, <a href="http://knorrarchitecture.blogspot.com/2010/03/giving-architectural-credit-where-due.html">Knorr Architecture</a>. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But, none of this mattered when we first saw the church while driving down the highway. </span></div><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMi6KbPCi8MRl0AArSuyelh0vfB8ZJMTDSTrobuCbxU2wnJCZ9BvpZPelEd8in3uJj8roUTmWzjno6lErWDyyjfscW0oVmFa8wuF8EDhwuDpHEM1FQ0KG4ZgjuyS5Jhw6-fz1MTxo2L2mQ/s1600/grassland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMi6KbPCi8MRl0AArSuyelh0vfB8ZJMTDSTrobuCbxU2wnJCZ9BvpZPelEd8in3uJj8roUTmWzjno6lErWDyyjfscW0oVmFa8wuF8EDhwuDpHEM1FQ0KG4ZgjuyS5Jhw6-fz1MTxo2L2mQ/s320/grassland.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQcqnZhtcbnK65bRSLpfUITg9pN7FZar7i_VMKFDna-aF7wYEhklKi1F7WOWYo9BRTIW67cuRvyOhd8FDtAVgr3Xs3YTQh9nRKol-14k3xveeCrqfKboPMz2SHtstmf68u_uHssFM-zbV/s1600/garden+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQcqnZhtcbnK65bRSLpfUITg9pN7FZar7i_VMKFDna-aF7wYEhklKi1F7WOWYo9BRTIW67cuRvyOhd8FDtAVgr3Xs3YTQh9nRKol-14k3xveeCrqfKboPMz2SHtstmf68u_uHssFM-zbV/s320/garden+entrance.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Of course, we had to journey off the highway and get a closer look at the <a href="http://www.holyfamilyshrineproject.com/">Holy Family Shrine</a>. From the parking lot, much of the church is hidden from view and screened by the native grasses. The entrance to the visitors' center was carved out of the hillside and is landscaped with grasses and many native and ornamental flowering perennials. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAQeS8lwectl5UcwPjdMX6BtLZY5yXOKBwMngttflE8pBvxlTU1Jfnw4uKchRrnICb8nJoitu_8zlF0Z85z20r65Ry1Kewg6gMMHBmJQbuKe0kb90S9cmMgpl6TaeLTskNGh04kLE2JjJ/s1600/view+of+walkway+and+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAQeS8lwectl5UcwPjdMX6BtLZY5yXOKBwMngttflE8pBvxlTU1Jfnw4uKchRrnICb8nJoitu_8zlF0Z85z20r65Ry1Kewg6gMMHBmJQbuKe0kb90S9cmMgpl6TaeLTskNGh04kLE2JjJ/s320/view+of+walkway+and+church.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgid-yCtRlxN73uAyy0jx1PkMoa9lVlH70kummzMrv5NOn7laXjYJINhxBb24lzXBJTYV2LjRplnBTAtB76S35pYkHfXpY-BGDdxklwMfFiHGxTWmfdotNXSsvsCFCQzsPgteKtqOs874fB/s1600/inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgid-yCtRlxN73uAyy0jx1PkMoa9lVlH70kummzMrv5NOn7laXjYJINhxBb24lzXBJTYV2LjRplnBTAtB76S35pYkHfXpY-BGDdxklwMfFiHGxTWmfdotNXSsvsCFCQzsPgteKtqOs874fB/s320/inside.jpg" /></a>A stream of water begins in the visitors' center and is a part of the path leading into the chapel to the base of the altar. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The view of the surrounding prairie from inside is simply magnificent!</div>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-14010921501190858112010-07-28T13:05:00.003-05:002010-07-28T18:38:41.713-05:00A slower pace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1OKO3NRyiNxHEQVujytxWGa8d3hKYUrV1SDNvMuQzKWzPDcUfXPvidJK2gtuVQ4gN8Gx7MP2I8zpJpcMOpmAisT8aMQjrurj_jF_aqKnC2EU-qSFPIy8LD6IMkphzOHd_jxKFn6I_T27/s1600/red+barn+and+road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1OKO3NRyiNxHEQVujytxWGa8d3hKYUrV1SDNvMuQzKWzPDcUfXPvidJK2gtuVQ4gN8Gx7MP2I8zpJpcMOpmAisT8aMQjrurj_jF_aqKnC2EU-qSFPIy8LD6IMkphzOHd_jxKFn6I_T27/s400/red+barn+and+road.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The first couple of times I drove past this barn I reminded myself that I was working and stayed on task. The road past the barn took me to the growing fields for work where we have hundreds of acres of trees. I was in the area to meet with our tree grower to tour the fields and take pictures for marketing materials for the nursery. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ye3wnJ0i9ePr3lQsBmHXDnfNNb4MvCCmign93vswO5c4QStkjD8C3ZrKsYJnDMFLS9xIYpyuTY7n3Cc8zweS-D-W5AlRmcDDgQ6WNFQZfuqX-61rEVKqvISSy7CO2OuzDV2Mip99KHfZ/s1600/tire+swing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ye3wnJ0i9ePr3lQsBmHXDnfNNb4MvCCmign93vswO5c4QStkjD8C3ZrKsYJnDMFLS9xIYpyuTY7n3Cc8zweS-D-W5AlRmcDDgQ6WNFQZfuqX-61rEVKqvISSy7CO2OuzDV2Mip99KHfZ/s320/tire+swing.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However, it really wouldn't hurt to just lean out the car window and take a few pictures while driving by. Then, I saw the tire swing hanging below a giant Catalpa. Suddenly the pace slowed with a reminder of the swing my mom's parents had in their yard in Harwood, Missouri. Every now and then, we would make the trip to Harwood for a visit and family picnic. Old tin cans would be lined up on a fence and so we could practice target shooting. We would scare the younger cousins in the outhouse. And, we would take turns swinging. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgdWrw3Fs4O0zydFo_c9meEHJS8RhPPenMH6jMsVS1fhesKOnxL2l-j7frZKAtdK58k_G26ew6oUUElWbnOBBorTpwKyCgUN-kmS2VxfLNp0mvPZhQ9JHsIBqnOK2iZeSlPwCH7mIqSbs/s1600/compass+plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgdWrw3Fs4O0zydFo_c9meEHJS8RhPPenMH6jMsVS1fhesKOnxL2l-j7frZKAtdK58k_G26ew6oUUElWbnOBBorTpwKyCgUN-kmS2VxfLNp0mvPZhQ9JHsIBqnOK2iZeSlPwCH7mIqSbs/s320/compass+plant.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On one of our visits we took a trip to the nearby <a href="http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/moatlas/AreaSummaryPage.aspx?txtAreaID=5701&txtAreaNm=s">Schell-Osage Conservation Area</a>. As we sat on a ledge overlooking the land, Grandpa told us about the Indians, plants and birds of the area. Maybe that's why I love native plants so much. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Compass Plant is flowering in the fields by the red barn with the tire swing. Native to much of the United States, <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SILA3">Silphium laciniatum</a> was used by the early travelers across the plains. With the leaves and flowers generally on the north and south side of the stalk, it was easier to tell the direction they were traveling in. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeEDn5VuxckIiDoaZFc8wUn0Km75ZFfQqmtw0KDLQe0XaHQCU-qYfNU6gQXZM7wA_ux2-CbzQIp9KrdWnKSasY1JSeokCQdDLWrdJSwVp8JS0ZYRHd3B_Yg8gWJx_2b7a6kNCO-2X6UoY/s1600/compass+plant+flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeEDn5VuxckIiDoaZFc8wUn0Km75ZFfQqmtw0KDLQe0XaHQCU-qYfNU6gQXZM7wA_ux2-CbzQIp9KrdWnKSasY1JSeokCQdDLWrdJSwVp8JS0ZYRHd3B_Yg8gWJx_2b7a6kNCO-2X6UoY/s320/compass+plant+flower.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hanging out the car window taking pictures didn't seem the best way to capture this moment and memory. Next thing you know, my car is pulled over to the side of the gravel road and I'm taking pictures and enjoying a slower pace. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-31828408924975305952010-07-25T11:12:00.001-05:002010-07-25T11:23:53.262-05:00Our first fruit and vegetable garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDadznMI9wDmmJ4tGt8dgBGOHE2qziuPFbCxSIIOzLrz5fYzcTfiIhTTCJFAsps1Y3WeS2u030uNATsEt1sqx5hCf0xHYMEK0rDAzEPwBFe1zIiTKw5S1gRCjbqrXaR7ZzlNkaCUWgyt4/s1600/corn+tassle+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDadznMI9wDmmJ4tGt8dgBGOHE2qziuPFbCxSIIOzLrz5fYzcTfiIhTTCJFAsps1Y3WeS2u030uNATsEt1sqx5hCf0xHYMEK0rDAzEPwBFe1zIiTKw5S1gRCjbqrXaR7ZzlNkaCUWgyt4/s320/corn+tassle+close+up.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All excited about her success at college growing corn for an experiment in a plant science class, my daughter decided we should have a fruit and vegetable garden this summer. Off to our favorite Grass Pad my daughter and I went to buy our plants and seeds. As we stood there looking at all the plants and packages of seeds, I wished that I had paid attention to my grandparent's vegetable gardens. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thinking back on their house where they lived for close to 70 years in the northeast part of Kansas City, I remembered that Grandpa kept records of what he planted, when he planted and tracked the daily temperature and rainfall. And, he relied on The Farmer's Almanac for help. But, as a child, I really didn't care about what cucumbers he grew, I just loved the pickles Grandma made with the harvest. Bread and Butter pickles were the best. They always grew green beans and I got to snap the beans for Sunday supper.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5szTcgkxo4ZggmhmJqFwRcgH0wOI3magJBKy2V5EJwmlHkLj2IM5iQE7sTgm-CA1C2gdi9HxFKdYV3rtWYRS8nWC22f71eHtFrBI-EK369re1oImOoRGEPXznivg4YYMqvCFPHz-oTph/s1600/corn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5szTcgkxo4ZggmhmJqFwRcgH0wOI3magJBKy2V5EJwmlHkLj2IM5iQE7sTgm-CA1C2gdi9HxFKdYV3rtWYRS8nWC22f71eHtFrBI-EK369re1oImOoRGEPXznivg4YYMqvCFPHz-oTph/s320/corn.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> For our garden, we got off to a slow start. Here it was Memorial Day weekend and we were at the store selecting our plants and seeds. We chose a package of Ferry Morse sugar enhanced sweet corn because the package claimed it was guaranteed to grow. And, it is growing! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And, so is the Burpee Hybrid Muskmelon. It's growing all over the garden... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm not sure what a muskmelon tastes like; it's something my daughter had to have. Soon, though, we will have one ready to sample. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPO2ZdQTVz_G5XzBTiToPQR5EsuvB3UboAtvVwA2M4X_V5yTCWc213KnNZN-sLdI09PVlcAeFd9uzyk8Ki0RZqqOMUyfwfEUyqaGQGZyrHAVmW1liaXG1qHg6Q6J3VyA8vqKbkG2QkwDqm/s1600/jet+star+tomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPO2ZdQTVz_G5XzBTiToPQR5EsuvB3UboAtvVwA2M4X_V5yTCWc213KnNZN-sLdI09PVlcAeFd9uzyk8Ki0RZqqOMUyfwfEUyqaGQGZyrHAVmW1liaXG1qHg6Q6J3VyA8vqKbkG2QkwDqm/s320/jet+star+tomato.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our tomato plants are also coming along. Years ago I grew a tomato plant only because a friend gave me a plant and said I had to. At that time, I didn't even like the taste of a fresh tomato. The only thing I remember from that experience is that you really have to get them staked. Unfortunately, my daughter has yet to learn that lesson for her garden. This is a Jet Star tomato. She chose it because the picture on the tag showed lots of bright red tomatoes. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KxCnJDWYA_8RjyxeCCfM0CHDyzlfrKRX8joV00BoX7T9fcMotUonxAQylAcgn0m8hGPP7HPtJr_YFAoquUnUYgtN3-oXSTmkp79PgxarF-7fQ-wvf7qlxQrKYxsZ-JcoC5O-Ps3EmbsN/s1600/ornamental+pepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KxCnJDWYA_8RjyxeCCfM0CHDyzlfrKRX8joV00BoX7T9fcMotUonxAQylAcgn0m8hGPP7HPtJr_YFAoquUnUYgtN3-oXSTmkp79PgxarF-7fQ-wvf7qlxQrKYxsZ-JcoC5O-Ps3EmbsN/s320/ornamental+pepper.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The ornamental pepper has done well. Probably because it is in a container on the front porch. The peppers we planted in the garden were promptly eaten. We have yet to figure out what to do about all the critters in the garden. We tried fencing. But we didn't know there was a mole close by just waiting. The raised trail went under the fence and right to the sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes were the first plants to disappear. The green beans and peppers were next. That was when the rabbits found a way through the fence. Red pepper sprinkled around the plants seems to do the best job of keeping the pests away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It looks like this is the first of many fruit and vegetable gardens in the my future. My husband is excited about building a garden this fall complete with raised beds. In his mind it will be very utilitarian. In my mind it will have a fence with an arbor at the entrance. In the middle of the connecting paths there will be a large container with flowers and pretty herbs. We'll see what compromises take place in the construction of our next garden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For now, I'm just glad my daughter came home from college wanting to plant a garden. </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-35412574449830752452010-07-11T12:19:00.006-05:002010-07-11T12:36:14.262-05:00Here comes the bride - the construction phase of a garden for weddings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycOq6yB8oEr6p1fXHtuz1bsfjxsor5TOhB5oa934GLWZqzDbgp5ep3fNTrR02OBHHbFugRu-mSjsYOkQSww8BYE5b9t7WH96mUsuQI5wtzAMX9fMO1w79PHbVqmAxbF5MV9wbNjilQB2-/s1600/pergola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycOq6yB8oEr6p1fXHtuz1bsfjxsor5TOhB5oa934GLWZqzDbgp5ep3fNTrR02OBHHbFugRu-mSjsYOkQSww8BYE5b9t7WH96mUsuQI5wtzAMX9fMO1w79PHbVqmAxbF5MV9wbNjilQB2-/s320/pergola.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Linda, a dear friend, has dreams of a bride and groom getting married under the pergola in her garden some day. Not only a site for weddings, the garden just east of Kansas City will be a place for social and church gatherings and be open, from time to time, for garden tours. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXEr1_YX6_vLV5U8_-LDOfQRPyfRtOnnpwBNU3NfErJZcSwA6Zy71dldKKn5WRaCdQatsKGJRAhwg_5NSY8w9niYpuvHQeUHTK9_5_6alS6f5tJ7Y8aXppRR-lq8JQUqoxCGWuOCnKXB_/s1600/sand+and+cement+mixer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXEr1_YX6_vLV5U8_-LDOfQRPyfRtOnnpwBNU3NfErJZcSwA6Zy71dldKKn5WRaCdQatsKGJRAhwg_5NSY8w9niYpuvHQeUHTK9_5_6alS6f5tJ7Y8aXppRR-lq8JQUqoxCGWuOCnKXB_/s200/sand+and+cement+mixer.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But, first, the construction phase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A pile of sand and a cement mixer are signs that there is some serious construction going on here. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13KqvaXKr35Zarc2leQ38nolsrtYqrVsXxAGQOBnFFviMd4DtPtfV2Rzf71jd9Z288zEX51-IFWYQLQfPAYq7VVIcX-DnxQRarax_xTM4TmK54W3h17H1atOLmgQROBz9VwSIXKJynMBv/s1600/brick+form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13KqvaXKr35Zarc2leQ38nolsrtYqrVsXxAGQOBnFFviMd4DtPtfV2Rzf71jd9Z288zEX51-IFWYQLQfPAYq7VVIcX-DnxQRarax_xTM4TmK54W3h17H1atOLmgQROBz9VwSIXKJynMBv/s200/brick+form.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The bricks are being made on site using this form. Because a specific color is desired for some of the bricks, this time consuming process is preferred over buying ones at a local brickyard. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRk3fTLq0UF4UEV_kLivmy77D7saESRf9wnQeyv_rW0Gu4qv6IwyRvdGBpOmIPo2ef6qle5XO0pk8ocp4Ylyg1WgV285Yjci3oNTWQRC4PwE8oEgpuOzp5pM-tt3ZtuvyVUfxE2lR22qr/s1600/lines+of+bricks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRk3fTLq0UF4UEV_kLivmy77D7saESRf9wnQeyv_rW0Gu4qv6IwyRvdGBpOmIPo2ef6qle5XO0pk8ocp4Ylyg1WgV285Yjci3oNTWQRC4PwE8oEgpuOzp5pM-tt3ZtuvyVUfxE2lR22qr/s320/lines+of+bricks.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lines and stacks of bricks are ready to be installed in one of the remaining paths being constructed in the garden. The design of the garden was modified when Linda discovered that the planned pathways don't work for some of the shortcuts she takes. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0Fr0z0CRya2AEuc0etGvOddUsGLNTp6n3HnHZegpIvVflNgokHQQxwNdaM9KxMIYrkaLDF-AhD4MByTN0ISMoeXvKRSdiLoAx6RyBcTDPq2Ole58Aovx3t4ArpJqOLgI9O1hKk5mTnNR/s1600/bricks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0Fr0z0CRya2AEuc0etGvOddUsGLNTp6n3HnHZegpIvVflNgokHQQxwNdaM9KxMIYrkaLDF-AhD4MByTN0ISMoeXvKRSdiLoAx6RyBcTDPq2Ole58Aovx3t4ArpJqOLgI9O1hKk5mTnNR/s320/bricks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIW96Zj9ub-0Bw9SYNmRWdnum2zBqhk3m2MXwpbd7BQLlPVwd3K0dh5-U0RHw17sTfgJi1Kyd9LrooiJKo5rWE_hSyCtwrEKuPDRcrqTJWFKlDrShlCccjF31XvL0ojHZU4L6HJdMyuIF/s1600/paths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIW96Zj9ub-0Bw9SYNmRWdnum2zBqhk3m2MXwpbd7BQLlPVwd3K0dh5-U0RHw17sTfgJi1Kyd9LrooiJKo5rWE_hSyCtwrEKuPDRcrqTJWFKlDrShlCccjF31XvL0ojHZU4L6HJdMyuIF/s200/paths.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Paths and gates are designed to be wide enough for wheelchairs.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ILjxOPqkE7EMJXNS9nwm9zv8pwMcz5nhL5Cpj1yybNmlrdqYynuCUm_hDmaOdpys69Cf5rHF9fMzugPHtl1UI3o2w7jXQRERT8xs-oO9Qk4phv7YHroEQoKezQXGCQk2Ban7A8v46aL9/s1600/angel+fountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ILjxOPqkE7EMJXNS9nwm9zv8pwMcz5nhL5Cpj1yybNmlrdqYynuCUm_hDmaOdpys69Cf5rHF9fMzugPHtl1UI3o2w7jXQRERT8xs-oO9Qk4phv7YHroEQoKezQXGCQk2Ban7A8v46aL9/s320/angel+fountain.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Right now this fountain is a favorite swimming hole of the two resident dogs. Built with ledges to hold water garden plants, next year this water feature will be full of plants. The dogs will have to be content with swimming in another water garden constructed just for them on the edge of the garden. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCebs901lkAGckzUJCuxGdEgUwhxmBWZ3P1coP1O3cLQmiGyfdwfL9wHmHJRBA4t8KSx8ompcubaBJPjKIKJkZPpzkyJjySKhkn9lhIHLm0aMUQ1kOGBLKhjBADcos0TzuB3YEQoF-R6u4/s1600/chair+and+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCebs901lkAGckzUJCuxGdEgUwhxmBWZ3P1coP1O3cLQmiGyfdwfL9wHmHJRBA4t8KSx8ompcubaBJPjKIKJkZPpzkyJjySKhkn9lhIHLm0aMUQ1kOGBLKhjBADcos0TzuB3YEQoF-R6u4/s200/chair+and+fence.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here's a place where Linda can sit and watch the dogs swim, read a book, reflect on the day, pray, and plan out the next phase of the garden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With some plants in place and many more to come, Linda's plan is to mainly use native shrubs and perennials in the garden. It's a tough site that is wide open to the elements. There is pasture on the south and east sides of the garden and her earth contact home is on the north. The large windows of the house overlook the garden. She has found that many plants that grow successfully in most parts of Kansas City have a tough time here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What would you plant in this garden? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-42966845685955559272010-06-25T16:03:00.006-05:002010-11-17T21:22:54.787-06:00My, oh my...<div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hR6Wr32LOtV_HgGaAbY6dYPTBX3DUMXkOG3rhY3j91U0p7UkLDGsWh0ot1W9O92QnMRmHMfpSgWerUsXdp7RS_Mmr4_FjXtiT9SCKaBCDmS-RDKpoGoRyXUedRhmwrYiJPpv-77Qjzfu/s1600/Garden+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hR6Wr32LOtV_HgGaAbY6dYPTBX3DUMXkOG3rhY3j91U0p7UkLDGsWh0ot1W9O92QnMRmHMfpSgWerUsXdp7RS_Mmr4_FjXtiT9SCKaBCDmS-RDKpoGoRyXUedRhmwrYiJPpv-77Qjzfu/s320/Garden+view.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I had heard about this garden from numerous friends. And, even though they all said "it is a must see garden" and I was prepared for something great, it still took my breath away when I walked through the gate. Doug and Diane Seip have shared their gardens on a couple of occasions this year. For the most recent event, Doug (with Family Tree Nursery) invited members of several area horticulture industry groups over for an evening tour. </span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIRE3j1tWZf5GG3Rs0nuuDcRgPgq4Ms6HE3nelefLfPYhD2wqSkXsxLvTX8s7Zd7oTsk-PkI5GU2qAanPgLRVw6HBPizpTWrYT2jn-W_HTzJMv_6vozQi7eIQs8FHROIGoq3W11xHzkq2/s1600/Weeping+White+Pine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIRE3j1tWZf5GG3Rs0nuuDcRgPgq4Ms6HE3nelefLfPYhD2wqSkXsxLvTX8s7Zd7oTsk-PkI5GU2qAanPgLRVw6HBPizpTWrYT2jn-W_HTzJMv_6vozQi7eIQs8FHROIGoq3W11xHzkq2/s320/Weeping+White+Pine.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Doug has an incredible selection of conifers. Pictured is a weeping white pine. Yes, it is huge! </span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdPre0Ty4DUObwa1vKzfEdvkhm92B6GOtOP6rbNJicvACsrRiC05KZMzPSd2yU2x_l6VSx9uBFgEU92iLhIGcn698zCmxyE_MhzEK0Ph21W8gxdiM4seD_Ixln_f-xuwqN2UxjaMiaVcn/s1600/Dragon+Lady+Holly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdPre0Ty4DUObwa1vKzfEdvkhm92B6GOtOP6rbNJicvACsrRiC05KZMzPSd2yU2x_l6VSx9uBFgEU92iLhIGcn698zCmxyE_MhzEK0Ph21W8gxdiM4seD_Ixln_f-xuwqN2UxjaMiaVcn/s320/Dragon+Lady+Holly.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you have wondered how well Dragon Lady Hollies do in Kansas City's zone five climate, here's the answer. Beautifully. Doug planted two on either side of a garden shed by a walk way many years ago and they are now taller than the shed. </span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">An advantage of working at a nursery with a greenhouse, Doug can overwinter his banana tree successfully. Mine didn't fare as well in my dining room. </span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">There are many beautiful containers in Doug and Diane's gardens. Here's a couple of my favorites:</span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhLG0C4rHNZ2Pq72VKdtceOYtMlRaMbcz1QVejzJQHP_izlE1kpRpL8aolJ9D5MSHmRB0EqUN9tlvH5LUjaIYlK5eyKAWDoOAWreggqJr4QbfXgchl-k-GXXwIorfSoJYHxmgeSQaAxvK/s1600/Container+with+palm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhLG0C4rHNZ2Pq72VKdtceOYtMlRaMbcz1QVejzJQHP_izlE1kpRpL8aolJ9D5MSHmRB0EqUN9tlvH5LUjaIYlK5eyKAWDoOAWreggqJr4QbfXgchl-k-GXXwIorfSoJYHxmgeSQaAxvK/s320/Container+with+palm.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPDs19soMcZBywlT9RGKN1SQChOKizC7qYmQBt5bnHcr22EPXCtxBVrTVxfo40y9fik4m0JlmQZ65xUZ-3LgcQuUUmNel8RtuDy_d7J65NOMFVraHQsjKZrEC89F6HGiFwdB3hNILGtHD/s1600/Container.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPDs19soMcZBywlT9RGKN1SQChOKizC7qYmQBt5bnHcr22EPXCtxBVrTVxfo40y9fik4m0JlmQZ65xUZ-3LgcQuUUmNel8RtuDy_d7J65NOMFVraHQsjKZrEC89F6HGiFwdB3hNILGtHD/s320/Container.JPG" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you ever hear that the Seip's garden is open for a tour, drop everything and go!</span></div>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-30752624434986830092010-05-26T21:31:00.002-05:002010-08-22T19:34:00.117-05:00A great weekend to visit Powell Gardens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jN44dbiXepp1L-qdFZgCw7oegIzFOmYeWUjlsR7P8gWnG3OS3dDHu0T-yGgh2oC2ngp9Lps3VTfZTcVELKw-ge1djB1NcNZbsa_ZfskHjnyBXpfHnrOCSLpRkrANCgcF7FtSAJzs1A0n/s1600/wind1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jN44dbiXepp1L-qdFZgCw7oegIzFOmYeWUjlsR7P8gWnG3OS3dDHu0T-yGgh2oC2ngp9Lps3VTfZTcVELKw-ge1djB1NcNZbsa_ZfskHjnyBXpfHnrOCSLpRkrANCgcF7FtSAJzs1A0n/s320/wind1.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Finishing up the stop at <a href="http://www.powellgardens.org/default.asp">Powell Gardens</a>, Lyman Whitaker's wind sculpture exhibits ends in June at Powell Gardens. The large sculpture to the left greets visitors at the entrance of the visitor center. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I spent last Sunday strolling along the gardens with my husband. The morning was windy and the sculptures were fun to watch moving in the breeze. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsU2pcPC-OHpsIUA8iGpkyjTFTeME_upGsszrqv1FtLCyDzSN6W41_5VTd-aLTAoUPJEFIDHqKpSEImGQHjCJgQ513jf_n1Ez_K4gy7DEwyZmyL2mt-whgdT5RLDLQ9ypqbg7H8UfLcIs/s1600/wind2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsU2pcPC-OHpsIUA8iGpkyjTFTeME_upGsszrqv1FtLCyDzSN6W41_5VTd-aLTAoUPJEFIDHqKpSEImGQHjCJgQ513jf_n1Ez_K4gy7DEwyZmyL2mt-whgdT5RLDLQ9ypqbg7H8UfLcIs/s320/wind2.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The one pictured on the right is one of my favorites. It is in a garden close to Cafe Thyme. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In addition to the wind sculptures, Powell Gardens has been preparing for the next feature attraction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Big Bugs, by Dave Rogers, are on display through October 3. Throughout the gardens, you will find the bugs. We saw ants marching across the Meadow towards the chapel, a giant spider web in the Rock and Waterfall Garden, and a praying mantis in the Heartland Harvest Garden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The overlap of the two exhibits makes Memorial Day Weekend a great time to visit Powell Gardens. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeL3M_1YyiJJCRHkjSOZScwurANiYL1WzPQzrNsN9hEAwpyRebuHHCi3DtMKXV1kqic6dJ8cN1UAJw0G_RA-Jysa-JpX6KZZT8UokTtDIubzRYkzbzMPtqSpyJhdKeOUyEUnhl8r_CS6A/s1600/spider+and+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeL3M_1YyiJJCRHkjSOZScwurANiYL1WzPQzrNsN9hEAwpyRebuHHCi3DtMKXV1kqic6dJ8cN1UAJw0G_RA-Jysa-JpX6KZZT8UokTtDIubzRYkzbzMPtqSpyJhdKeOUyEUnhl8r_CS6A/s320/spider+and+web.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It had been ten years since my husband last visited Powell Gardens and he was amazed at all the changes. Our first visit to Powell was over 20 years ago when the lakes were being dug and the old visitor center had a vegetable garden featuring plants from around the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today, visitors to Powell Gardens are fortunate to experience edibles from around the world at the 12 acre Heartland Harvest Garden. Viewed from the top of the silo, the quilt garden is shown below. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUs9zLAdDj2Olsvb8o-IVJ1uT5rZ8lm7VPwXRL9vjakY45GcAo2F01H1HJv6-7Mzy0NqpKKLUW__E9FBQVt033BAjVdL288sO5A-_nowUso0E7CCb8qRrP1PxxU6ylAD6q94uoH4arXyaE/s1600/view+from+silo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUs9zLAdDj2Olsvb8o-IVJ1uT5rZ8lm7VPwXRL9vjakY45GcAo2F01H1HJv6-7Mzy0NqpKKLUW__E9FBQVt033BAjVdL288sO5A-_nowUso0E7CCb8qRrP1PxxU6ylAD6q94uoH4arXyaE/s320/view+from+silo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the tasting station we ate strawberries, carrots and the flowers from nasturtiums. Though this garden peaks later in the season, there is much to experience right now. I love the lines of this iron fence with the flowers in the herb garden.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_g8t4BHJjJt7DGkwRrl-BWKLTEZKaioNbkBWUzzj40qai62ftfJPYbpeQ4UhjYPvzAK7uz_MXL1ZvyG8vpA4kyExD0Tdc8xfseGDU5Km6kGhqvjLBU5spvugp0Ig95dGEkQE8fIQaeJME/s1600/iron+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_g8t4BHJjJt7DGkwRrl-BWKLTEZKaioNbkBWUzzj40qai62ftfJPYbpeQ4UhjYPvzAK7uz_MXL1ZvyG8vpA4kyExD0Tdc8xfseGDU5Km6kGhqvjLBU5spvugp0Ig95dGEkQE8fIQaeJME/s320/iron+fence.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And, not limited to the Heartland Harvest Garden, vegetables used throughout Powell Gardens:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRW0bWDAi_Sk6c_be0X9W7_3arGd_fETqUi0kLudZ_TOgSeTFB8Rpajg74zCHzCAAD1EmF2GmdnbFttLwlekZshVnDAjg7Uo48WJP5aHIHn3fO17PVir4yIeXYZjDy7sOM4aHQ2RR3I6S/s1600/yellow+snapdragons+and+cabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRW0bWDAi_Sk6c_be0X9W7_3arGd_fETqUi0kLudZ_TOgSeTFB8Rpajg74zCHzCAAD1EmF2GmdnbFttLwlekZshVnDAjg7Uo48WJP5aHIHn3fO17PVir4yIeXYZjDy7sOM4aHQ2RR3I6S/s320/yellow+snapdragons+and+cabbage.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikuqJH1vk1TTzdhyZrE2_x3BxNToLQX12VZ93MbBO6giWNPg7-w2TdRbSJ3vv6utWq6ltQlhMtUdgAFjJ-Qk-4azOCr84Dd1w4C_S0E9oMfpVLjmYDTkgmsxBspUoL39eqvAqhbbU5iTt/s1600/cabbage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikuqJH1vk1TTzdhyZrE2_x3BxNToLQX12VZ93MbBO6giWNPg7-w2TdRbSJ3vv6utWq6ltQlhMtUdgAFjJ-Qk-4azOCr84Dd1w4C_S0E9oMfpVLjmYDTkgmsxBspUoL39eqvAqhbbU5iTt/s320/cabbage2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After winding through the Island Garden past the living wall, we spent some time at the Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel. Here's a few of my favorite views of the chapel:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtGBtTv4l1IOhKxUm0d66EFp9DSx_LvOd3RGNzCEgB1pjMGkxTEVUX4VrbmXtxHlhdTisjRriIKIq_CSWQ7-1dgOE1Kxp1yF7133MEYausZxZQ8mGIrNfp08IpBAhgAp6PjPONTKg0BAD/s1600/chapel+from+distance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtGBtTv4l1IOhKxUm0d66EFp9DSx_LvOd3RGNzCEgB1pjMGkxTEVUX4VrbmXtxHlhdTisjRriIKIq_CSWQ7-1dgOE1Kxp1yF7133MEYausZxZQ8mGIrNfp08IpBAhgAp6PjPONTKg0BAD/s320/chapel+from+distance.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnapnI0zNniI525fAqeAbxX1onfU0sqlm6CCg7LT32OR9zG48ZRo_1yFsWKmYKlWCw_C4gvpTlJ7_4niKb_0hRuybsKmhYz9pfwLfrCQnf8XNEjh9lPCwgYk9zr5wVvuAZaFiUEGA5TNb/s1600/chapel+to+the+prairie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnapnI0zNniI525fAqeAbxX1onfU0sqlm6CCg7LT32OR9zG48ZRo_1yFsWKmYKlWCw_C4gvpTlJ7_4niKb_0hRuybsKmhYz9pfwLfrCQnf8XNEjh9lPCwgYk9zr5wVvuAZaFiUEGA5TNb/s320/chapel+to+the+prairie.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKz468EGRBWflcwKjg-O7qf2Ffo20KkqeTMhbh1MBXWVtez_nXMMHgD04VKYqW2klwqN4sc6KTxd-bOa2EU21Fzru_7V-OwZYeNQnkO8ITtoWnf3F3z6IdNrqeVLzP1D9pyE5ty2HxsCa/s1600/chapel+looking+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKz468EGRBWflcwKjg-O7qf2Ffo20KkqeTMhbh1MBXWVtez_nXMMHgD04VKYqW2klwqN4sc6KTxd-bOa2EU21Fzru_7V-OwZYeNQnkO8ITtoWnf3F3z6IdNrqeVLzP1D9pyE5ty2HxsCa/s320/chapel+looking+up.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLoCtUQIjPhJmdxMlRX_GacNsMTKHxjaemUt0BIC0_Q1dPNW62hxLi-YB1nsfj5kQ1cN6I7l8R2ICxZMwUvC1AUyndy5NkzUs6m6G0InTfeaEPL46tDckK_F5FXOOXRJd31Urmw8iKq49/s1600/chapel+looking+up1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLoCtUQIjPhJmdxMlRX_GacNsMTKHxjaemUt0BIC0_Q1dPNW62hxLi-YB1nsfj5kQ1cN6I7l8R2ICxZMwUvC1AUyndy5NkzUs6m6G0InTfeaEPL46tDckK_F5FXOOXRJd31Urmw8iKq49/s320/chapel+looking+up1.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Throughout the gardens we saw roses, peonies, iris and poppies flowering:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXrBlT0vxt-oR_5RJNyUukITahLUhfY7glYsqFKR-L8ALIRXXyVdS2DFBSsSL6SQVGn5bVY_T8uh5flbs_7sm_nG37oyqfX967Y5ctH5y9tQKBiDzmkh0BDI2gtZssZY3vmL_ivIbYoyW/s1600/distant+drums+shrub+rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXrBlT0vxt-oR_5RJNyUukITahLUhfY7glYsqFKR-L8ALIRXXyVdS2DFBSsSL6SQVGn5bVY_T8uh5flbs_7sm_nG37oyqfX967Y5ctH5y9tQKBiDzmkh0BDI2gtZssZY3vmL_ivIbYoyW/s320/distant+drums+shrub+rose.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWu0reEvq_2nlJR9fu-CnMQSq2SvdMlviJLoUMMZ-JAXPz-O12VOBvVq6xjtIqyUjBVzrgaLRexAHNrzt4ltGLY3XS36HZfznBUEw4NC4Uw8YOM7-K18UYQRVPfRz5F6Hb0a4NSom8Im3/s1600/iris+and+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWu0reEvq_2nlJR9fu-CnMQSq2SvdMlviJLoUMMZ-JAXPz-O12VOBvVq6xjtIqyUjBVzrgaLRexAHNrzt4ltGLY3XS36HZfznBUEw4NC4Uw8YOM7-K18UYQRVPfRz5F6Hb0a4NSom8Im3/s320/iris+and+wall.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpns9B1FL3KXYP5a9i9iySMjgtbikQl4BXzKQtj3Tb4SOPdgf8Na8eZn-5ZpFDFddB0XKUlG1l_i2QLOGTu2oEHtwQdBbeJ1_trsskiSq0nU_FcmNPS6iCEoXIYpU7ZMNs8B1S3OR_37P/s1600/peony3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpns9B1FL3KXYP5a9i9iySMjgtbikQl4BXzKQtj3Tb4SOPdgf8Na8eZn-5ZpFDFddB0XKUlG1l_i2QLOGTu2oEHtwQdBbeJ1_trsskiSq0nU_FcmNPS6iCEoXIYpU7ZMNs8B1S3OR_37P/s320/peony3.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgDYYPipIRFYoKr2Q92CHMgfvfjx-uDBTYJsB4h4j_HqjZRSx8Uf7z7u9sAuTK8spwS9qpU0cVfBIaQTJ_CX8lyvE8nou-mc4hf_54eLZ60ypctsZhDGSmnA8vF6ZGf3HpeKG_2KbOsQS/s1600/poppy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgDYYPipIRFYoKr2Q92CHMgfvfjx-uDBTYJsB4h4j_HqjZRSx8Uf7z7u9sAuTK8spwS9qpU0cVfBIaQTJ_CX8lyvE8nou-mc4hf_54eLZ60ypctsZhDGSmnA8vF6ZGf3HpeKG_2KbOsQS/s320/poppy2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm looking forward to my next visit to Powell Gardens and bringing along my husband. I can't wait to show him what rice looks like.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-46465310617257862982010-05-16T12:16:00.006-05:002010-05-16T12:24:14.449-05:00The Prairie Center<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULPf1Y0nbYVahu_eg8enwADkqWrCFj-wjmzycl4PrXTRVY8opoDtjXaEyVz36k2NovYriTEDojXQObKltrRN2XcaqHQyYf6U_tnjm9sKEawg45JPPZRNnVeXP48nY3ZBYUjhdRamJAibN/s1600/Phlox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULPf1Y0nbYVahu_eg8enwADkqWrCFj-wjmzycl4PrXTRVY8opoDtjXaEyVz36k2NovYriTEDojXQObKltrRN2XcaqHQyYf6U_tnjm9sKEawg45JPPZRNnVeXP48nY3ZBYUjhdRamJAibN/s200/Phlox.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.lenexafieldandgardenclub.org/">Lenexa Field and Garden Club</a> finally made its way to a field for one of our meetings! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fortunately, there was a break in the weather. The skies cleared a bit during a very rainy week and we met Tuesday evening for a tour of <a href="http://www.naturalkansas.org/prairie1.htm">The Prairie Center</a>. Located in Olathe, Kansas, the 300 acres of tallgrass prairie, riparian woodlands and wetlands are maintained by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We learned about the family that originally farmed this property and even lived in the chicken coop for a while. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jeFor5TJaledykc4AMy8y0695cTO_Pm4BToXcWfdYktkDEFBg7UhF0LW0gEVUUmrGub4vwW_27_TW_OipH2kamFD7b7B_OhLuI896xnoXuIwSTkmQSPxcpkf26PU23E3cYx154Se1nIS/s1600/BlackLocust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jeFor5TJaledykc4AMy8y0695cTO_Pm4BToXcWfdYktkDEFBg7UhF0LW0gEVUUmrGub4vwW_27_TW_OipH2kamFD7b7B_OhLuI896xnoXuIwSTkmQSPxcpkf26PU23E3cYx154Se1nIS/s200/BlackLocust.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We only hiked a portion of the six miles of trails making it to the original homestead and back. Along the way, we learned about maintaining a tallgrass prairie and the challenge of fighting off the encroaching woodlands such as the Black Locust and Redbuds. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoevS_GvWAEhtixTMckck7bJuResFm9Joy1UBv-z9u_FphWQMd7Zl0TMEUUvNqnDlvnTukx8Q7opHdRDdeWlHSzQjHE35NnnSSxTWAXpZszN2ZseMZymE5bm3X4UqjhXPiYAyCRfspzWE6/s1600/IllinoisBundleflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoevS_GvWAEhtixTMckck7bJuResFm9Joy1UBv-z9u_FphWQMd7Zl0TMEUUvNqnDlvnTukx8Q7opHdRDdeWlHSzQjHE35NnnSSxTWAXpZszN2ZseMZymE5bm3X4UqjhXPiYAyCRfspzWE6/s320/IllinoisBundleflower.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since it is early in the season, we saw only a few wildflowers along the way including Phlox and Spiderwort. The seedheads of Illinois Bundleflower lined one of the paths.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The large leaves of May Apple were visible in a grassy area by the lake.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the site of the original homestead, our guide pointed out rows of cedars. Lining the drive to the house, the cedars made it easy to find the path to the house even in snowy weather.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The evening ended with the beautiful setting sun. The garden club is planning to meet again this summer at The Prairie Center and we are looking forward to exploring more trails, enjoying the summer flowering native and naturalized plants, and seeing for ourselves how tall the native grasses grow. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQYrjmjLmiRJg6wDk_zFEjttjijUvNlg1N87XG6UIM3rdQcjbCSqp8F52KdeEW8JAtG5hrE1ZAdjDDKCPMgNIoSsy_Ru2CXqsibUX1xA9WyDcp0TEis40567kfLyhN2sdGn9zzk4o_sDq/s1600/SettingSun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQYrjmjLmiRJg6wDk_zFEjttjijUvNlg1N87XG6UIM3rdQcjbCSqp8F52KdeEW8JAtG5hrE1ZAdjDDKCPMgNIoSsy_Ru2CXqsibUX1xA9WyDcp0TEis40567kfLyhN2sdGn9zzk4o_sDq/s320/SettingSun.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-88137591068065991772010-04-04T18:46:00.001-05:002010-04-04T18:48:20.235-05:00Forsythia balls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cog-EFAKZiYP_lSVkam6M-1hiU-8x58ccJY3PBbM6srFfG4f12SQ0IgNP2jRExhQX7qrkm2hDm4f7lEM1mmgrb36RcEVNOATmEXdt-Jp1DQ8axBfiVphazh1v_I9SuC2H-yA4911HfTy/s1600/Forsythia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cog-EFAKZiYP_lSVkam6M-1hiU-8x58ccJY3PBbM6srFfG4f12SQ0IgNP2jRExhQX7qrkm2hDm4f7lEM1mmgrb36RcEVNOATmEXdt-Jp1DQ8axBfiVphazh1v_I9SuC2H-yA4911HfTy/s320/Forsythia.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Last week, one of my landscaping friends called the nursery requesting box balls (boxwoods clipped in a ball shape) of assorted sizes. For some reason, it made me think of all the forsythia balls that are very visible right now since they are in flower. Wouldn't it be nice if forsythia was given room to grow and not be pruned into a ball? The arching branches covered with bright yellow flowers in the spring would then be covered with colorful foliage in the fall. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODV2tPtnMNB3fqjS9gSu4LQLFvSL07w0x0GOyNdi81Cu2YXKMZ55qJkhYMGH-gaGi-7MlQy_jMy2cEx3HRLmfngkc9Tmqp94Bat-M5CkhHtp8bhWiVS1sjMP1-8N_HdYvsaQVVr6J8ltw/s1600/Forsythia+shubs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODV2tPtnMNB3fqjS9gSu4LQLFvSL07w0x0GOyNdi81Cu2YXKMZ55qJkhYMGH-gaGi-7MlQy_jMy2cEx3HRLmfngkc9Tmqp94Bat-M5CkhHtp8bhWiVS1sjMP1-8N_HdYvsaQVVr6J8ltw/s320/Forsythia+shubs.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-8008190308843787772010-04-01T15:47:00.002-05:002010-04-01T15:48:14.534-05:00Finding a stash of magnolias at the nursery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEina3MiHRRxidspF0zNYf71kfCplS8lh5AZJGq0H-_djlDnx5YxQWV025VkdXqGFJcKbrjefC4qehtc_7znZ-VnLCCLfNDARnU9-FyYcOCLHXvYV69OklqR0sFDdN82kaVuEUX8gaW2R7ZD/s1600/Leonard-Messel-Magnolia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEina3MiHRRxidspF0zNYf71kfCplS8lh5AZJGq0H-_djlDnx5YxQWV025VkdXqGFJcKbrjefC4qehtc_7znZ-VnLCCLfNDARnU9-FyYcOCLHXvYV69OklqR0sFDdN82kaVuEUX8gaW2R7ZD/s320/Leonard-Messel-Magnolia.jpg" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">T</span></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Through the plastic covering the hoop houses at Loma Vista Nursery's Ottawa growing operation, I could see these beautiful flowers. Inside the hoop house, the fragrance was wonderful. Though I had to get past a crop of Alleghany Viburnums to get close enough for a photo, it was well worth the effort. Quite often, Leonard Messel Magnolia is grown as a multi-stem tree that matures 15-25' tall and wide. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlrgl2kBETwAIE4CvR_c5bg15MPIYY5YMP18ohyphenhyphenIQFgQwRE5rp-ISCNaEKxa_nw_Ck5qMWFaR2b-WMyNI2fIG6TSYVRVExs3GvuqsDmNeyBYhe9xIExhrwVFpmNSXkHONZKEuaCoBvVLK/s1600/Royal-Star-Magnolia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlrgl2kBETwAIE4CvR_c5bg15MPIYY5YMP18ohyphenhyphenIQFgQwRE5rp-ISCNaEKxa_nw_Ck5qMWFaR2b-WMyNI2fIG6TSYVRVExs3GvuqsDmNeyBYhe9xIExhrwVFpmNSXkHONZKEuaCoBvVLK/s320/Royal-Star-Magnolia.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quite visible around town, are the Royal Star Magnolias. The flowers are opening up thanks to the warm weather we have had this week. Upright oval in form, Royal Star matures 15' by 12'. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i6sLBDdOzQvRWqeKVrsRZ_TaT4MihWepYtXnIKZwTFSiVMaxb5Zfrut1JKFhYZlZg9afyNVn7LxU4JtNKMMBPpZQDUd1badUGpGwZWTJ72MNq8OwJ02UPmdkfdpNaZ3kED8XeGrOM3Da/s1600/Centennial-Magnolia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i6sLBDdOzQvRWqeKVrsRZ_TaT4MihWepYtXnIKZwTFSiVMaxb5Zfrut1JKFhYZlZg9afyNVn7LxU4JtNKMMBPpZQDUd1badUGpGwZWTJ72MNq8OwJ02UPmdkfdpNaZ3kED8XeGrOM3Da/s320/Centennial-Magnolia.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Centennial Magnolias have blush pink flower buds that open up a very pale pnk. Centennial matures 15-20' by 10-15'. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As with the Leonard Messel Magnolias, Royal Star and Centennial are also fragrant. All are great additions to the landscape as a spring time accent. </span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4627998602700286906.post-54641706228833693242010-03-13T10:47:00.001-06:002010-03-13T10:53:55.808-06:00In love with orchids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxfqkCxZk5gTxpiW5rOmbZssEdurfjN25ncxxt4J5IRcVr76OsZdvpz-uPeaQcgIVAosd5f4TqHFZRdehQSHO8hbl5r3gTTweqT9HFo0GrOiVwf6kdBUR16mj1QkKtnaif5xzCsK_aai8/s1600-h/Orchid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxfqkCxZk5gTxpiW5rOmbZssEdurfjN25ncxxt4J5IRcVr76OsZdvpz-uPeaQcgIVAosd5f4TqHFZRdehQSHO8hbl5r3gTTweqT9HFo0GrOiVwf6kdBUR16mj1QkKtnaif5xzCsK_aai8/s320/Orchid.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was very excited to read on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/PowellGardens">Powell Gardens facebook</a> posting that it's time for the orchids and ferns woodland exhibit at Powell. And, better yet, post a photo or your impression of the exhibit on their facebook page and enter a drawing to win an orchid from Birds Botanicals! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is an orchid that I bought at <a href="http://www.birdsbotanicals.com/home.htm">Birds Botanicals</a> in January. It is still flowering and putting on new buds. On Tuesdays, from 10am to 8pm, they are open for shopping. It is a great adventure.</span>Susan Mertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06114554456243324215noreply@blogger.com0