Date Night at Ogden Botanical Center

I told you I was behind on things and by golly I was not lying. Waaay back in mid-June, A~ and I had a nice little date night out together at a local garden park. The Ogden Botanical Center is the sister site to the Davis Botanical Center which is our local Botanical center, the place where A~ and I did our Master Gardener training.

Of course, as with any time I get around a bunch of flowers, I took a bunch of pictures... Enjoy.

Two things A~ and I love are Gardens and Art. So of course, we had a great time.

The walking paths through the gardens were lined with booths set up by local artists. We walked through and enjoyed and thought about some time in the future when we could maybe buy the art we love... one day.

Looking out from the bridge in the "Japanese Garden" section of the center, we see the raised garden beds of the centers vegetable gardens. We walked through the garden and sat on the wide edging of the beds and determined then and there that in our next homes garden we will invest the money necessary to build this type of raised gardens. Bending was limited, the height was just right and the beds were narrow enough (I would guess 3 feet) to easily allow for reaching across them.

Just a very nice little river feature, oh and I love any kind of garden structures!

One of the local farms was out selling their local made ice creams. I think the tractor was just there for looks. It was a nice one though, old but perfectly restored.

Over in the evening shade near the rose garden was a very nice little Pavilion with a local String Ensemble playing classical music. We sat and listened for a time and just enjoyed each other.

Then, of course, we had to take time to smell the roses...



Is that not a beautiful rose?

We weren't the only ones out enjoying the garden.


As we were leaving, I noticed a little feature that I would suspect probably escapes a lot of the visitors to the Center; it was a Swale. A swale is a garden landscape feature that works in conjunction with the terrain's natural drainage tendency to help slow rain runoff and to allow the ground to receive more water.

In the Arid areas of the western United States like the one where we live, this is a great technique for capturing water that would otherwise find it's way to our rivers via the fastest way possible and the faster the water runs off the more sediment it takes and erosion that is caused. Bad all the way around.
Above you can see the way a berm was built along the contour of the lawn area. The area to the right of the lawn is a hillside that would naturally runoff a lot of rain water in our stormy seasons.
The berm make a shallow area between the hillside and the lower area that allows the water to slow and pool. During a large storm, this area will no doubt fill quite a bit and become a temporary pond area. As the pond sits, the water has a chance to percolate into the ground hyper saturating it and allowing a water plume to flow under ground where it can be used for months by the plants and trees around the gardens.

All in all we had a great time together that night. After walking through the gardens we headed down town to try out a new restaurant that we've thought of trying for some time. The food was good, deserts were great (Creme Brule for A~ and fried peaches and ice cream for me!) and we needed a walk around the block to let it sit.

Good times... Good Times!
Best to you all.
P~

This and that

Nothing big to report this weekend, it was time for a bit of rest. Of course that doesn't mean that nothing got done, just not nearly as much as I had hoped.

I did get my final new piece of garden bed all turned and tilled. It will be an onion patch that I should get 30 or more onions in. I picked up a couple of six packs of Chinese cabbage and some broccoli to drop in one on the garden beds too. I've been wanting to try chinese cabbage and so far my brocolli seeds are not sprouting very well so I wanted to hedge my bets.

I also ended up hanging some new blinds in 5 of our downstairs windows. I hate hanging blinds, but this time instead of buying some junky cheapo ones, we spent a couple of bucks more and got some quality ones that we hopefully won't have to change out for many years!

The biggest thing for me that went on this weekend was my first class that I taught as a Master Gardener. The class was taught at a local church and was set up to run in two different groups. Each group was about 30 minutes and just flew by! They were a very interested group of people and asked great questions. Each class ended up spending a huge amount of time talking about compost. Lucky for them, and me, that's one of my favorite things to talk about. I really enjoyed giving the class, and am already looking forward to my next on in April. This is something I can really get into doing.

Today the kids went down to Salt Lake to visit with family so A~ and I had an opportunity to spend some good quality time together. We had a good lunch and rented "Australia" for some home entertainment. It was a great time!

I hope you all had a great weekend and maybe got some work in on your gardens.

Catch you all tomorrow.

P~

Anniversary weekend '09

We had a great weekend here. It was A~ and my anniversary this weekend, actually it's next Sunday but we always celebrate it on this weekend courtesy of the long MLK weekend. As usual, we made out annual trek through the desert to Wendover. We like to have a few drinks, gamble a little and just of be a couple for a couple of days rather than just Mom and Dad. We didn't win at all (we left a little money for seed for the next visit) but it wasn't a total loss. I guess since we've made it a tradition of heading out there for 7 years now, we've made it to the frequent donors list. Because of this, we were able to get a free room, free $10.00 cash and have accrued enough "comp" dollars that we could pay for our food while we were there. Of course any money that we got for "free" from them was actually harvested from previously planted "seed money". So what, we had a great time!

So, wanna see what a free room looks like?Not too shabby huh? Of course it's nothing spectacular either, but it's was in the budget if you know what I mean...

The weekend wasn't just about the free room or the fun we had there necessarily, It was about the trip and the time. A~ and I have always been able to pass time together. Since we first found each other nearly ten years ago, we've just enjoyed each others company. I always enjoy these times when we're just riding along together listening to the radio, singing along or talking about what we dream of doing. I'm really lucky to have found such a perfect companion.

So, besides all the gushing about how much I love my wife...I thought I'd give you all a little picture, a few actually, of the stark yet interesting landscape we were kept company by throughout our drive. It's different, I think, than almost anywhere else.
At any one time you can feel like you're completely alone. No one in front, no one behind, just you, the hum of the road under you and the desert.
Then, at other times, the Salt Lake reaches out to greet you and rides shotgun alongside the road for miles and miles.
We stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats visitor center this time, something that we've never done before. It's really a pretty unique feature to this part of the country. It was created by the same natural method that built the salt ponds where we harvested our local salt last year.
I love this picture... I thought it gave a good idea of the vastness of the salt flats. They just go on and on and on.... And then there's the "Tree of Utah". It's the beacon on our trip, and let's us know that we're almost there. It's not pretty per se, but it grows on you I guess...pun intended.

I Hope you liked joining us on our little trip through the desert. I've got a HUGE week coming up this week, so I'll do my best to keep up with you. A~ and I start our Master Gardener class on Wednesday so I'll let you know how that works out and what I can expect.
All the best to you all!
P~

Traditions

Who doesn't love a good Holiday tradition? Somehow they just sort of grow on us don't they? I've always gotten a laugh every year as the boys decorated our Christmas tree. Every year we've been able to track their growth by the band of decorations that appeared spontaneously. Years ago, we had a very bottom heavy tree as the boys were only 3 or 4 feet tall. A couple more years and the strip of decorations moved up a little bit at a time as they grew.

Look at them now...reaching almost to the top!
And that, is another tradition. As the Dad of the house, or at least because for a couple of more years at least, (months more likely.) I am the tallest in the house and have the honor of placing this beauty on the tree. I say beauty in the most sarcastic tone available to the writen word, but truth be told...she's grown on me.
A~'s had this angel since she was a littl girl and it made it's way to our family. It's part of the tradition, the things that are constant from year to year. The things we look forward to.
And when we speak of looking forward to things, can you say Christmas cookies??? Oh yeah...I can! These are one of those special, delicate, tasty treats that I only get for the holidays. Just once a year. I mean we own the iron that makes them, and the recipe is pretty simple from what I've seen, but still only once a year. And THAT is what makes them soooo special. And of course more than anything else, time. We try to not wait until the holidays to make it a point to spend time together, but we all know how easy it can be to let life sneak up on us. What better excuse can you think of to spend time together in the cold, with hot chocolate and a camera than lights and Christmas displays.

A neighboring town has this beautiful display that, although we haven't made it there in a couple of years, we all really enjoyed it and will be coming back again for sure.
So there you go, a peek into our traditions, at least a couple of them. They do seem to sneak up and cling to us, and in doing so somehow help to define us. They are what we remember, what our kids will look back to as they define their own traditions in the future, and what we'll get to pass on to our grandkids one day. But those things are a ways down the road, for now, I think I'll just take another look at that middle heavy tree, snack on a cookie and have a great Christmas 2008. I hope you do too!

Being that it's going to be a busy season for everyone, us included, I thought I'd give you the heads up that I may be a bit sporadic through the rest of the month. I have a lot of projects and such that I need to wrap up before the new year, and there's only so many hours. All the best, till next time.
P~

What's you favorite Holiday.

I've been getting this question from my kids lately. I don't know why exactly, but I have. The strangest part is that I never really thought about it. I didn't have an answer, and if you know me at all you know that is just not right. Heck even when I don't really have an answer I come up with something. But this caught me off guard.

I suppose they were looking for me to say Christmas, that's their favorite after all; and I'd probably have to say it was mine too when I was their age. I do like Christmas, don't get me wrong, I guess I've just gotten a little to pessimistic for my own good in the last few years. I enjoy the time we spend together, and I love the traditions that we've built as a family. We get a big 1000 piece puzzle every year and take turns working on it with each other while we listen to our favorite Christmas music. My wife and I construct gingerbread houses for our boys to decorate together and we snack on caramel popcorn balls and divinity candy, and every year I try to make something by hand for the kids then hide it somewhere in the tree for them to find. It's when I leave the house or listen to the radio or TV that I get so frustrated. The only things we hear about are what we want, or what we should want. We're pummeled from the end of September with specials and sales and ads to "celebrate the season right."
I watched "The grinch who stole Christmas" with the family tonight and it made me think. At the end of the show, what is it that makes his heart grow three sizes? Anyone? Anyone?

"He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

He learned that Christmas is more than just stuff. He joined in the celebration and reveled in the giving. I guess I do like Christmas more that I let on, I just need to remember what it is about and keep my focus on the things that make it a special time. Family, friends, tradition and giving. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces, and enjoying the celebrations with friends.

A parting note:
Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand.

I know it's a bit early for Christmas posts, but December is right around the corner, and I guess this is as good a time as any to get in the spirit!

P~

Update

I've been slacking, in updating my blog that is. In reality I have actually been quite busy. The family and I caught a Grizzlies Hocky game the other night (Fri 30th). The boys do love the hockey games. I'm not sure if it's the free pucks they seem to get each time we go, or if it's the fights? Either way, we all had a good time even if the Grizz lost in overtime!
Sunday I finally got out into the yard and got a couple of more garden beds prepped for planting. I have to say I had a great time. The boys all came out and started spontaneously participating in the gardening with me. Even C~ (12) who generally won't want to work in the garden unless he gets to see green with presidents on it, came out and lent a hand. I was hoping to be able to pass on to them the love I have for getting into the dirt. Planting, growing and then enjoying the fruits of that labor later. Maybe the "seed" has been planted; last night we stopped by the local nursery for a scouting mission to see what's new this year and the youngest B~ (9) said that "the brothers" were talking and they want to have their own square foot garden beds this year to grow their own stuff in. (pause for silent internal YYEESSSS!) Of course they can! And as the fates were smiling on me, when we got home that night and took a walk around the block the cleanup crew was at the const. site behind our house and let me take whatever scraps of wood I wanted. This weekend the boys will be building their beds with the recycled wood.
Yep, life is good!
All for now.
P~

A Great Day

I had a great day today. The kids were down with their grandma and, besides the fact that A~ and I miss them when they're gone, we had a great day bumming around SLC together. Checked out some cool antique shops and just enjoyed having time alone. The trees downtown were blossoming, the sun was out and the weather was perfect. I don't think I could have planned a better day. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel ambitious and do some work around the house while I can, seems we're expecting yucky weather again. Oh well such is the nature of spring.

More later.
P~

Some weekends are made to do nothing

You know that's really not true, at least not the way it sounds. I didn't get a whole lot of chores done this weekend, but I really did do quite a lot.
We took the kids to the skateboard park twice. (I only skated once. I had to make sure I kept A~ company the first time since I dragged her along against her will.) We had a great picnic in a park down the road where the kids could play, and we tossed the ball around, ate a great spread of picnic food, and got our first good shade of pink for the year!
That night we watched a movie together and then crashed for the night, all so tired from a weekend of "nothing".
I think if someone asked, "Is parenting hard", I could say "There's 'nothing' to it.". Because the days of "nothing", are the best days of all. I have to remember this on more weekends. My kids will grow up one day, and will look back at the times we had together. Will they remember the busy full weekends working around the house, or running around doing errands? Nope; they'll remember weekends where there was "nothing" to do but enjoy our time together.
Enjoy your time. see you soon!
P~