Gazania

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I can’t take credit for growing this bright gazania since it was growing at the County Recycle Center. I took this photo yesterday when we were recycling our cans, glass and plastic. Click on the image to enlarge.

A Tiny Daffodil

When we got back to the California house, I found several of the flowers in bloom. This tiny yellow daffodil is one of several that always come out in late winter or early spring. The flower is only an inch across and the cup is about a half inch. Click on the image to enlarge.

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For Your Viewing Pleasure

I cannot believe that I saw this billboard just a quarter mile from the acres and acres of these ugly wind generation machines. Where are the enviro-nuts when the viewing pleasure of those gorgeous snow capped mountains is being obstructed by these monstrosities? There are roughly twenty-five miles of these inefficient, expensive and eye-offensive whirling obscenities from Palm Springs, CA to Cabazon, CA along Interstate 10 in the Banning Pass between Mount San Jacinto and Mount San Gorgonio. Click on the image to enlarge.

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Courtyard Progress – Gate Layout

gate-draft.jpgDamsel and I drove to Congress, AZ today to work with the artist who is building our custom courtyard gate for the archway. He presented several sketches on tracing paper from which we were to select the art to be carved on the gate. We furnished him with some photos and ideas based on the southwestern motif of our house and furnishings. He did the rest and today we made the choices.

Image – rough layout of the lumber with the sketches placed at their approximate locations – click to enlarge

Damsel made the choices for the artwork. At the top of the gate, just above where the saguaro ribs are going to be, is an image of a quail. Below the ribs, in the center of the door, there will be a kachina. The bottom panel will contain images of a bear and the famous dancing piper, Kokopelli.

Other features we negotiated were to install iron straps for strength, wrought iron above the top of the wood, antique hinges and gate latch and, as previously mentioned, saguaro ribs at eye level to allow us to peep through the gate.

In a week or two, we will have the gate installed in the archway. We will certainly post about that when it happens.