Lake view. The trees down on the shoreline are Green Ash and are succumbing to Emerald Ash Bore, which will open up the vista even more. I should have an unobstructed view of the mortuary across the lake! When you live in the woods the weather can sneak up and hammer you. Now that I'm living more in the open I'll be able to see it coming and run for cover. The side walls are tall Arborvitae hedges with framed bamboo lattice on the end wall covered by William Baffin climbing roses and Etoile Violette Clematis - which are resting in the summer heat right now. The sudden increase in sunlight is giving some of the shade lovers whiplash. I'll either have to move some of them or they'll turn into compost.
Bench view (the sofa). My vision is to keep the center area relatively two-dimensional, a textured carpet surrounded by higher, lush plantings. I'm not doing real well with that - we'll have to call it a work in progress. The problem with all this stuff is that it grows and keeps growing. It gets to the perfect size and proportions, but it keeps on growing. Or it is delicate and dies and leaves a hole. It's a continual battle to keep the more aggressive plants from overwhelming everything else. Just like with nations.
The ceiling. Even with the loss of the large trees we still have overhanging oak branches. Green stained glass joined by lead caming against the blue sky. Light blue and dark green, the perfect color combination.
Part of the overhead sound system. Look close, a Western Kingbird, or possibly a Crested Flycatcher on the branch. Or a Peewee. I was going to have the dead branches trimmed when the treemen were here with the cherrypicker, but the birds, particularly the Wrens and Robins who use them for singing perches, vetoed it. Wrens are surprisingly demanding for their size.
I also have a more mundane sound system, a cheap CD player in the tool shed and a couple of pretty good outdoor speakers tucked in the Hostas, for a little background music with my cigars and beer.
Daylilies. We're getting to the end of the season. There's a couple of dozen variates, from 12 inches tall to 5 feet. Most are are light yellow or deep mahogany red. I don't care much for the muddy orange tones or golds. I prefer small flowers, but I have been known to fall in love with a few big gross golden or melon colored ones. More pics some other day.
2 comments:
nice photo of the bird on the branch..what kind is it gunnar?
I think it was a Western Kingbird. I knew at the time I clicked it, but I'm not certain now. We have Peewees, Phoebes, Western Kingbirds(a Tyrant Flycatcher), Great Crested Flycatchers, Least Flycatchers, all which could photograph like that. Someday I have to make a list of nesting birds. It's amazing what conscious development of habitat can do - some of which we lost in the storm. The tree men treated it all like brush, but it was planned habitat.
Yesterday I saw a mature Bald Eagle drift by like a bomber over the water! Not a nester here in Oakwood, but a local bird. They are becoming relatively common, but I still get excited.
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