Surprise! A Bloom in the Garden on 10/30/10

It was an amazing weather day today!  Warm sunshine, gentle breezes - not typical for IL in late October, but we accept graciously...  Here are a few shots to capture the day.

The last few leaves hung precariously on the neighbor's Maple tree.  Most of them crunched underfoot as I walked around the yard.  It's hard to believe the growing season really is over.  One single little Stella D Oro bloom reached for the sunshine from my 'Sun Garden'.   In it's protected corner of the world, I almost think it has become a Zone 6 micro-climate.  Those plants are first to bud and last to hibernate.

A weeping Pink Guara draped itself across the Stella D Oro bloom

The south-facing family room is where all the inside plants hang out.  In good company, the Meyer Lemon chills with the Oxalis triangularis and Hibiscus.

I love watching the leaves of the Oxalis follow the sun around.  You can see them reaching for the light.  Then at night when they close up, they remind me of butterfly wings.

A bold face all the way in mid-October

Re-blooming in October just blew me away!  I always thought roses loved the heat, but apparently my Double Pink Knockout roses are very happy in Fall.  They were blooming profusely until a very recent cold snap.  I caught this bloom a mere two weeks ago!

Pink Guara - up close and personal

Pink Guara was "'Most Impressive' flower for 2010" in my gardens.  The plants were a gift this Spring, and who knew they were going to knock my socks off.  The blooms gracefully dip in the wind and are still blooming.  Delicate as fine china... hardy as the north wind.

A Snapshot or two ... essence of Autumn

Sometimes it's just about the essence of the season ...... Here is a nod to my 'Budding Photojournalist'

Happy Gardening ... and fruitful season 'transition'!

Road Trip! ...Ramblings from Kentucky...

A mere two weeks ago we packed up for a "Girls' Road Trip" and headed down to Kentucky for a long weekend.  We made the pilgrimage to visit friends, who recently relocated from IL - seeking 'greener pastures' and warmer weather.  What a whirlwind of laughter, adventure and photo ops!  (Batten down the hatches... I took LOTS of pictures!)

Fowler Ridge Wind Farm - Fowler, IN

In travel down "Ventura Highway" (aka US-I65), through Indiana, we came upon a 'wind farm' that was really uber-cool - at first.  Then it kept going, on and on....  If you enlarge this photo (just click on it), you'll see the windmills going on.. forever!  It got a little "Area 51" for me - but I DO love the idea of harvesting wind as an energy source, and the wind blows long and hard on the Midwest plains!

Never be short-sighted to the power of a 4-day weekend trip.  It's cathartic, it doesn't require too many resources and you really feel like you've 'gotten away'!  We went to an area, famous for one of it's early inhabitants - Abraham Lincoln.  It included a stop at Knob Creek Farm, in Larue County (shockingly, a 'dry county'!).  I have to say, it was a bit surreal walking around the same grounds where America's 16th President wandered and worked as a boy?!  There was a quiet vibe there - it felt a bit hallowed.

Lincoln's Farm - restored period home

Knob Creek
Dry creek bed in Fall  / dangerous flood plain in Spring

Lincoln's "Knob Creek Farm" - sample garden in the meadow

What IS that growth on the tree?
(... there was some posted sign explaining the phenomenon, but I missed it!)

Also in our travels, we visited "Buzzards' Bluff"... somewhere in rural Central Kentucky.  It's the kind of place that you would never find unless you are with a native resident - and I mean never!  Every road in Kentucky meanders - so bring a compass ... and remember landmarks!  Anyway ... the views were incredible.  (I did have a few moments where a chill ran down my spine - one mis-step would be the last one.)

Down in the Valley -- it's a LONG way down!

The craggy trees and crumbling paths are not for the faint of heart!

The panoramic shot -- it is truly a 'bird's eye view' !!
(Buzzards' Bluff - appropriately named!)

With all our adventures, some of the true beauty was in my friend's yard.  Kentucky enjoys hardiness zone 6 - so they enjoy 2 more months of mild weather than Illinois, one on the front end of the season & one on the back.  So while IL is fading into fall quickly, these little gems were doing well at this " Old Kentucky Home" (by the way, there is a rumor rumbling around our family that we are somehow related to Stephen Foster, but who can really know?)!

What an invitation!?!!  I love that trellis...
(This woman finds 'treasures' everywhere!)

First, what's a yard, without "yard art"!  There is heart and whimsy ... there's flora and fauna (my dear friend is a "bird nerd" and we love her for it!):

Need I say more? ... I think not!

A wayward Pelican .. forever petrified in the garden!

What's a garden without gnomes?!!

These Kentucky "chicks" have no idea -- they have hit the mother lode!!

And of course there is the "flora":

"Dinner Plate Dahlia" ....**POW!!**...

Butterfly Bush:  Kentucky-style

"Black & Blue" Salvia

Pushing the 'edge' of complimentary colors!
(Another eye-catcher)

Chelone - "Turtleflower"

"The money shot!"  (Clematis on antique trellis)

....***POW 2***....  ('Dinner Plate Dahlia' - in sunburst red)

But ... all good things come to an end, especially when it is only a long weekend trip!  So we 'shuffled off to Buffalo', and headed out of Kentucky, "the Bluegrass State" (or "Kentucky - Unbridled Spirit" if you visit the Kentucky Department of Tourism!)

Heading home, over the state line into Indiana....
(Louisville, KY)

Happy trails !!!!!!

"10 Things...." on 10/10/10 (ya, I meant to do that)

The Garden Blogging community is a generous and creative lot!  Garden Blog pal, Kimberly at Garden in Paradise (10 Things) invited me to share "10 Things" I like, on my blog.  Soooooo ... here goes, in no particular order:

Inspired by today's incredible weather, the 1st thing that comes to mind:
1) Morning coffee & a quiet read on a Sunday morning!

2005 - Sunday morning on the deck

Nothing makes me happier then starting my Sunday morning communing with the 'flora and fauna' - whether it was sitting on my deck (in the picture above) or now, in my 3-Season room with all the windows open!  Someday in the future, there will also be a paver patio just outside the door of the 3-Season room - so I have 'choices'!

(Conversely - when the neighbors get the 'power tools', like leaf blowers, out on Sunday morning - I want to say 'Have you ever heard of the "Day of Rest"?' ...and in my mind - I use a lot of colorful explicatives.)

2) Hanging out with my husband and kids - enjoying the young adults the kids have become, and listening to their perspective on things.

Back when they were little...

3)  "Girls' Night Out!" or "Girls' Road Trip"

Night on Beale Street - Memphis, TN

Nothing says "havin' a blast" like getting out for a night or a long weekend with 'The Girls'!  A few years ago, we loaded up the truck and headed down to Memphis, Tennessee - to visit Elvis at Graceland and sing the Memphis "Blues" on Beale Street.

4) Cranking the tunes on my iPod!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjornolsson/2097514869/

I L-O-V-E, love music - and have a quite diverse music library.  Depending on my mood, I listen to anything from classic rock to classic Bach!  But I am especially dangerous when I'm driving!!  I love to crank the tunes when I'm in my truck .... usually some serious rock n roll (Zepplin to POD) !!  I'm also a iPod "playlist" queen (ask my friends) -- I've become the De facto DJ for all social events, and I'm 'ok' with this.

5) Photography!  ... it never gets old...

Indian Rocks Beach, FL  2010 - "In the rain"

It started with a Minolta SLR back in 1982 (yep, that long ago!) and evolved to my current digital Canon Rebel XT (a generous anniversary gift from my hubby in 2006).  Thank goodness for inexpensive electronic file storage, because I run amok when it comes to taking pictures - then sort it out after the fact!

6) Hanging out with my extended family!

We're like 'cats n dogs' getting loud n rowdy!

Whether it's with my brothers and sister, or extended out to our cousins, etc. - we are loud n rowdy!  There is always animated conversation, laughter and an ice cold beer or two....  Sometimes we sound more like 'cats & dogs' wrestling, but it's always lively!

7) Road trip - the "Clark Griswold" drive out to Estes Park, CO

Rocky Mt National Park - Estes Park, CO

If you can't be home for Christmas, then 'Christmas in the Rockies' is an amazing alternative.  On a semi-regular basis, we pilgrimage to Estes Park, CO to meet up with extended family.  It's a driving vacation, so you can decompress from work - and after the 2nd day in the car - be eternally grateful to reach in the mountains!

8)  "Big Boy Toys" ......... 4wd trucks, motor-cycles and high-performance cars

My 1st truck - 4wd Ford Bronco (351 h.o.)

No joke!  I love driving stick-shift ... motor-cycles ... and big ol' trucks.  I have had quite a variety of vehicles in 'my youth' and enjoyed them all.  I'm a little more reserved these days, but I still get whiplash looking at a brand new, tricked out pick-up (like a F-150 SVT Raptor) or a hot bike (like a 2011 Harley Fat Boy LO).

9)  The change of seasons!  (really!!)

Sunburst Locus - on a Sunny Sunday in October 2010

A warm breath of wind & sun in October 2010

Mums & Smoke Bush in the front garden - October 2010

As the leaves on the Sunburst Locus rain down on us right now,  I have to say I just love the change of seasons in Zone 5!  Even the snow in winter is picturesque - though I will be the first to admit the month of February seems about 90 days long (for the shortest month of the year)!

10)  Garden Blogging!  Reading (fellow garden bloggers) and writing....

What a difference a year or two can make....

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Blogosphere and garden blogging has been very, very good to me!  I have learned more and met some of the most amazing people in the garden blog community than I could have ever imagined.  I am forever amazed, impressed and amused by the talent out in the virtual world!  I hope anyone that stops by my humble little corner of the world enjoys the visit(s) and takes advantage of the garden talent that is linked on my home page.

Now, for the final task of this meme - inviting 10 garden bloggers to participate (in random order).  As my friend Kimberly so eloquently put it - I hope the invitees participate, but I certainly understand if you already have or choose not to.  There are fascinating gardeners out there, and I look forward to what is on their list..... I love that this list is 'global' !!!!

Wall Flower Studio (CAN)
Crystal Coast Gardener  (US - NC)
My Dry Tropics Garden  (AUS)
Gippsland Gardener (AUS)
The Idiot Gardener (UK)
Dung Hoe (US - CO)
Dakota Garden (US - ND)
The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener (US - NJ)
Elephant's Eye (AFR)
This Grandmother's Garden (US - UT)

The 'rules' are very basic:
1) Post the person that invited you
2) List the "10 Things" you like/like to do
3) Invite 10 bloggers to participate

Wordless Wednesday - 10/06/10

"Pretty in Pink" sisters in the garden - 10/06/10
(Pink Guara & Double Pink Knockout Rose)

"Kentucky" Clematis
('field trip' photo - 10/03/10)