SUNFLOWERS 2015 BY DAY

Guest photographer: © 2015 Kurt Ingham. True height of sunflowers: gi-normous. I wear celebratory Klimt leggings* obtained after seeing Woman in Gold and reading its source Lady in Gold by Anne Marie O'Connor.

*design based upon Hope II by Gustav Klimt

SUMMER MOONFLOWERS: SUNFLOWERS AT NIGHT 7.21.15

                                                                                                                               Gia and Sarahbelle enjoy the summer night air in their back yard (daytime too hot.)

DOOM CONCLUDED

 The job of taking down our three drought-killed, 60ft. redwood trees took half as long as projected. They truly were dead and therefore quite lightweight according to the arborist's service. The ex-mimosa tree practically broke every branch off in their hands. Below, the redwood mulch. No firewood because redwood is terrible firewood, practically explodes pooof! into dust instead of burning. Based on our experience with the ex-walnut tree that also died in the drought, no purveyors of old, fine hardwoods want to transport same from Southern California, so we didn't even look for takers this time.

 
Left, Gia attempts woodworking of her own; right, Sarahbelle in front of log that shows deadness of outermost tree rings. 

Below, some new flora life after our brief and badly needed rain the day before. At bottom, a void.

A PICTURE OF EMINENT DOOM...

Guest photographer © 2015 Kurt Ingham. A picture of eminent doom: these three 103-year-old redwoods died in the Southern California drought and will be removed starting Saturday. Salts in the soil from lack of rain-cleansing killed them: we could have watered until Gov. Brown personally asked us to stop and it would have made no difference. Climate change and urban heat effect has doomed our landscaping from 103 years ago... 

In answer to FAQ, we're relying on the advice of an experienced arborist who checked these trees two years ago for comparison. He has since attended seminars about the effects of the drought on SoCal trees and told us exactly how the trees died. (You can't tell from the photos, but they are bending over at the top as dead trees do.) We have had a new average of 3" per annum rainfall, and that matches the Sahara Desert. Our Valley savannah previously had between 12"-28" inches rain with droughts only lasting 3 years at most this last century (since the house and its landscaping are a century old.) We have lost LOTS of trees at this point, the 80' Walnut being the biggest, and these 60' Redwoods being second biggest. We are confirmed tree planters and hate doing this, but as previous trees have fallen on top of our cars and 30' branches are dropping off routinely, we don't want anyone hurt.
 

Above, almost dead Mimosa tree

 

BLUE FLOWERS

Blue flowers, I know not what. Sorta cymbidium-looking. Affordable at supermarket for photo subject and niceness at home.

OUR ONCE UPON A TIME SPIDER LILIES

Spider lilies grown at home back when it actually rained here. All dead now, not allowed. 3 inches of rain per annum extant for the last three years and 8 minutes of watering mandated for our entire half acre, civic council conveniently forgetting A) never to allow water-guzzling, massively high-density multiple-unit housing that they rubber-stamp for maximum property taxes and B) without the asphalt, this area was a natural savannah, like the Serengeti--  seasonal rain, lots of plant growth with bulbs and grasses and certainly enough water for lots of wildlife.

BACKYARD TREE INSTALLATION

DEATH OF A TREE 2.0

Sad day for our 100-year-old farmhouse in the middle of an otherwise densely packed metropolis: death of our 100-year-old walnut tree, which had threatened to take out others with it in its terminal desperation (two of its confreres had fallen on our automobiles, fortunately inanimate objects.) Photos above taken yesterday. Below, bygone days--another Pleasant Valley Sunday; then, less than pleasant recollections...

LAST of the GIANT SUNFLOWER GARDEN 2013

 Above, Mr. Twister celebrates his eventually ten feet tall Giant Sunflower and below, yours truly as poseur, guest photographer Kurt Ingham.

Above, who says compositions can't be topsy turvy?
Below, moth, moon and nighttime sunflower.

SUNFLOWERS @ DAYBREAK

Clouds remain a sufficiently rare occurrence where I live

that I'm drawn to document them. Cloudstalker!  

SUNFLOWERS @ NIGHT, TONIGHT

Bauhinia 2013

The Bauhinia Orchid Tree in our front yard produced its normal abundance of blossoms despite this year's arid winter. Blooming lasts for at least three months. Happy visitor amidst foliage seen below...

WISTERIA 2013 2.0 and signs of spring

 Digital futzing with the few wisteria blooms of an arid winter...

Below, my horse Indy attempting to converse; a three day old Quarter horse foal and mum seen through a fence,

 

  
and a Paul Klee-ish pattern emergent from cable tv disruption.