I had a great time on my trip to Cambria. But I think there was a little too much sitting and driving. I came back so stiff and sore, it scared me a little. I returned to a garden jungle, thanks to our rain and nice warm days. A few days spent working in the garden, along with a trip to the gym and some good wholesome food, and I am almost back to normal.
See? It really is a jungle. I did quite a bit of weeding and a little whacking as well.
Back to Cambria. One day, after class was done, my friend Mary Lynn and I took a short trip to the ocean to see the elephant seals. We took our friends from Ohio, Oklahoma, and Michigan! Phyllis, from Michigan, has an indomitable spirit. She drives herself across the country to Cambria every year! She told us we had walked 2000 steps on the boardwalk at the beach.
There is a wonderful nursery across the street from the lodge where we have our camp. I saw this outstanding flowering plant there, but it was $103.00, so I decided to pass on it!
Back at home, in the garden jungle, the day lilies had started to bloom!
The first hydrangea was in full swing.
The gallardias were nice and cheerful.
And the Rose of Sharon was putting out a lot of blooms. This is such a rangy plant, though. I am not sure what to do with it!
This little geranium gives me a lot of pleasure. I love seeing it there in the back of the garden being so cheerful and putting on a show.
Finally! Success with the Astilbes. This one is apparently in the right spot.
Ha! When I was scrolling through my most recent pictures in iPhoto, it scrolled back to the first picture on this computer. Wasn’t he a funny, cute little guy?
And here is what four concentrated days of work at rug camp resulted in. If you want to read more about the process, check the other blog.
All in all, I am very happy to be home for a while. I am planning on returning to some of my art quilting, and also concentrating on my health, with lots of good fruits and veggies, lots of exercise, and plenty of trips to the gym. Oh, and probably a LOT of work in the garden 🙂
debby weighs in 
Haha! You were posting while I was posting!! 🙂
I LOVE your dog rug project. That is going to look so cool when it is completely finished.
I just want to give Noah a huge squeeze and just basically lay around on him and disappear into his fur. He wouldn’t mind that, would he? 🙂
GMTA? And Noah would not mind that at all. He just stands very still when I lay my head on his neck. That is one of the reasons I love him so much (also because he is not barking when I do that 🙂 )
Awww, baby Noah!!! Love that fluffy boy!
It looks like that beautiful $103 flower came with a bonus ladybug…such a deal! I’m sweating over here and super envious of that shot of you and your hooker friends (sorry, couldn’t resist) at the coastline, with that breeze and the beautiful ocean.
Your yard looks so nice! I know I’m seeing the weeded and whacked version, but all of the flowers looks just lovely and natural. You have a good eye for knowing how much to W&W. 🙂
You are very nice to say that about my yard. I weeded after I took that picture. It looks better now!
The young Noah pic made me laugh out loud. Which is good, I need laughs.
You did such a wonderful job with his rug eyes! When I do fused fabric animal quilts it takes me forever to get the eyes to the point where I say “THAT’S [insert appropriate pet name here]”.
Thanks Jeannie! I have never done realistic animal or human quilts, so this was definitely a first for me.
That flower price still cracks me up. I wonder if anyone has actually bought one?
That rug is beautiful.
I am always amazed at how I go into the garden every day and see the slow growth of the plants. . Then I leave for 2 days and it gets swamped with weeds. What the heck?
One good thing that happened–the bigger weeds were actually easier to pick!
I love seeing your gardens…and your furry friends. Wish you had identified your friends by name…which one drove all the way to California?? Re your Rose of Sharon, I have that shrub in several colors and it can tolerate a big cut back in fall or early spring and still bounce back with lots of blooms. I have been working on my Astilbes and finally found the key to keeping it healthy is to add a humus dressing around base. Love your hydrangea and the geranium. MORE PHOTOS PLEASE.
You’re cracking me up, Mickie! I always think I’m putting in too many pictures! I am planning on taking some more later in the week after MLG comes and helps clean up and plant a few things.
My rug hooking friend is the one on the end standing next to me–Mary Lynn. And Phyllis is the lady on the opposite end using a cane–she’s the one who drove from Michigan! I met Mary Lynn and Phyllis the same year at rug camp. The other two ladies, Betty and Linda, we met at the CA Getaway that Gene Shepherd holds in his studio in Anaheim in January. Even though we only see each other once a year, its for a concentrated period of time, so we’ve become good friends over the years. Mary Lynn moved to Ca last year, so we get to see each other more often.
P.S. Thanks for the plant advice!
Your portrait of Noah is fantastic! That is just amazing to me the non-artsy/crafty person.
I’ve always thought how ironic it is to be home and in a routine and sick of it! So, you plan a little getaway… and then can’t wait to be home and back in routine.
I really like my routines. To be fair, there is a lot of variety in my routines, so I never get bored.
wow. ONE HUNDRED AND THREE DOLLARS?!
Id have had to pass on that beauty as well.
love it the eyes are really good
Awww Noah, so cute. And your work is beautiful, the eyes are almost real.
So that’s called Astilbes 🙂 I have it in my garden too but had no idea what the name was. Learned something new today.
Looks like you had a wonderful trip.