The November Garden

Even though it is November, there are still things to be had in the garden. I picked these today:

Limes, Oranges and Two Tomatoes

Although the tomatoes are petering out, we still pick one or two a week; the basil has also just about given up for the season. Winter is the time for citrus. There are lots of oranges now; Valencias, which we grow, taste much better than Navels, and make great juice and marmalade. There are almost always limes on the tree; these are Bearss limes, which are bigger and juicier than the small Mexican limes found in most supermarkets, and are yellowish when ripe. There will probably be key lime pie for Thanksgiving.

Other things are beginning to push up while the fall crops are fading: the freesia, gladiolas and arum are coming up now, and will bloom in February or March; the amaryllis is also in leaf, but will die back in the spring and not bloom until August. Roses never go completely dormant, but do not bloom very frequently now, until spring.

Recent Vacations 2

We noticed the following signs in while driving through the small towns along route 395. It seems that every town has a sporting goods store with a fish sign. These are older signs, built to suit the particular small business, and are much more interesting and charming than those of national franchise stores appearing everywhere.

Bridgeport, CA: extra points for the guy wire terminating in a fly at the fish's mouth.

 Bishop, CA: a particularly nice composition, with the circle and arrow.

Lone Pine, CA: lots of wear and tear adds to the charm.

Lone Pine, CA: very nice rendering on the fish.

Obviously, the rainbow trout is the official object of the local obsessions.

Recent Vacations

Owens Valley, route 395 north

The journey is more important than the destination.

In early August, we took a two-night trip driving up route 395 through the Owens Valley, which has some of some of the most beautiful scenery we know. We find it quiet and restorative to wander through the vast and spectacular geology, where people and towns are few and far between, but you are almost never without at gorgeous view.

Sierra Nevada, view from Westgard Pass

Tule elk and Inyo Mountains at sunset

From the Owens Valley, all of the following can be found within a 100-mile radius:
The deepest valley in North America (Owens Valley)
The highest point in the lower 48 states (Mount Whitney)
The lowest point in the Western Hemisphere (Death Valley)
The oldest living things on earth (Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest)
The largest living things on earth (Giant Sequoias)

Volcano cone and Sierra Nevada, Owens Valley

Mono Lake tufa and Sierra Nevada

Tufa at Mono Lake.

White Mountain Peak, view at 11,500 feet

Bristlecone pine, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, White Mountains

Patriarch Grove, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Additional photos from the trip to follow, in the near future.

House on the Coast, Post #5

Joists being set for the first floor:


And first-floor walls go up quickly:



So far, the weather is holding. There was a chance of showers today, but nothing materialized. In the next few days, floor joists for the second floor will be in place