CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

We are lucky enough to live on the farm my husband's grandfather homesteaded. He bought the first parcel July 5, 1912, so what else could we do but hold a centennial party!

Grandpa John was quite a man. He worked for tree conservation, fought to bring electricity to the farmers, worked to bring in the local hospital, and belonged to and worked tirelessly in many organizations, among them, the VFW, Granges, soil conservation districts and more. 

He immigrated to this country in 1905 at the age of 14 1/2. By 1912 he bought his first 20 acres, by 1917 he was fighting for this country. We honored him this weekend with a party that almost all his living relatives came to. 

What a legacy!

 An incredible article in the Seattle newspaper circa 1961

 One of his many obituaries. 

He was proud to serve!

Because he was one of the first tree farmers in the country, promoting sustainable and responsible harvesting, we thought it appropriate to use a piece of one of his trees and mark some of the rings with major events. We have his birth in 1890 and his great great grandchildren's birth in 2008 and everything in between!

We couldn't leave out the little guy who marks all our celebrations!

We had archival papers, like the document when he became a U.S. citizen, enlarged, then displayed them on the wall for guests to read.

The table holds towels and water shoes and badminton rackets for games in the pool!

 The bar!

 Our signature drink was a lemon drop, with four simple syrups to flavor them, mint, rosemary, rose and lavender.

Long tables set up for dining, we added votives as the evening wore on.

Comfortable seating around the pool. I caught one of the cows eating my roses earlier in the day!

The day before and the day after it rained, but the day of was sunny and beautiful! 

We displayed both the Italian and American flag to honor his heritage and his new country! 

What a wonderful day.

POOLSIDE GLAMOUR

The sun is coming up and it promises to be one of our gorgeous days in the Pacific Northwest! Before long the weather will be warm enough for pool time!

I am always on the lookout for a cute bathing suit, one piece styles, a little retro, are my favorite. Lounge wear is also on my radar, cover-ups, long flowing dresses, little tanks, soft loose pants.

Here are some wonderful examples. 

Soon we will be floating on our pool lounge chairs sipping a lovely cool drink and the rains of spring will be a distant memory! Well, I can hope can't I?

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY...

June has arrived with the gorgeous roses and beautiful peonies that I love.

 Unfortunately, it packed buckets of rain in it's suitcase. 

I swear, if I did not know better, I would think it was October! So I decided to live vicariously through my blog.

Here are photos of outdoor dining areas and patios. I am hoping they lift our spirits a little bit, until we can actually use the real thing!

Of course I love this photo. The green pillows absolutely add the final needed punch. I was so inspired by it that I got online and did some research for reasonably priced bolsters for my black and white striped cushions. I will only use Sunbrella fabric because it doesn't fade, but even more importantly I can get any stain off it fairly easily.

I found these pillows on a site called Home Decorators. The 19 x 12 inch pillow is on sale for $20, and the 22 x 9 inch bolster is $19. Excellent prices for Sunbrella fabric.

 The pink umbrella is a great touch!

 Monochromatic and sophisticated.

 Again, the spring green color is wonderful!

Do you think I like black and white striped fabric?

 Refreshing.

 Gorgeous.

 Love it!

 I love this pool set up.

 The idea of a chandelier in a tree is intriguing. 

 I like this because the fireplace does not take over the terrace. So many times they are way too big.

 Also, the lantern is awesome!

 Dreamy!

 Love how lush this is, would not want to be responsible for keeping the pool clean!

This furniture is to die for!

GARDENS

Spring has arrived! We have had several days of sunshine and it has been heaven. Early in the morning birds are chirping as I make my coffee. The air is cool and crisp with the smell of the earth and growing things. Is it any wonder that springtime is the proverbial time to fall in love? But I think they have it wrong, it is with the earth, not a man! Although I need that too. How else am I going to get those heavy pots drug around?

We moved into our home sixteen months ago. We lived with the yard last summer, learned our paths and living patterns. In the fall we set about bringing in soil and laying terraces and courtyards. So happy how it all came together. Lots more to do, but the fine tuning is the fun of it. Actually, I love the whole process, but this part the best.

The covered porch off the kitchen is probably one of my favorite things we did. Added this terrace last fall. 20 x 20 squares spaced two inches. Planted Elfin Thyme between them. Scoured every nursery within 25 miles and because it was fall could only do part of the filling in. I am already on the hunt this year to find the Thyme and complete the project.

This terrace is off the hill side of the covered porch. See the pipe in the corner? I buried it about three feet in the ground. My plan is to put a very large rotating umbrella in it. That will allow us to cover the outdoor table from all angles easily. I loath those umbrellas in the middle of the table that do nothing to shade more than one person! I will cut it off and paint it dark bottle green to blend in.

View across from the covered porch past the pool. This is our cow pasture with woods beyond. If you have a pool you know there are fence codes. Not a fan of chain link or any of those other sad choices. We built a three board fence with lumber we harvested and milled from our own trees. I then bought one inch wire mesh and attached it to the outside. Searched to find black mesh so it would disappear into the background. The code was one inch so children cannot get a foothold and climb it.

The pool, sited near the hillside where it drops off steeply. White cement stone, 26 inched wide,  surrounds the pool. Simple, I love it.

 Grass is thin, just seeded last fall. Need to add to it. Just got a wonderful organic fertilizer with iron, but not the kind that stains cement. I also ordered some seed that is supposed to be amazing. Roots 12 inches deep, needs very little water. If they work I'll post the names.

 That is the garage in the background. It is a beautiful design.

 Door to the pool room. I always wanted a yard full of daffodils and tulips. Last fall it was an absolute to do on my list. Plan to add more each year.

More of the garage.

 The pots surprised me with how much came back early. This African Ivy is amazing. I had no time for spring pots, so whoever showed up got center stage.

 Love the pansy and daffodils

 Not crazy about my porch chandeliers, but was at that stage and could not find/afford what I wanted. these will do until the others find their way home.

 French doors to the kitchen, extra large panes, saw it in an old Grange Hall and loved them. The BBQ is hidden around the corner, tucked in on a little pad. Blue stone path to the backdoor, where there is a bathroom right inside, no traipsing through the whole house to get there.

I do love the door lights. Restoration Hardware.

I will continue to post as the gardens develop and I add to them. I love to watch the yard evolve. next time I will show you my little side yard with fruit trees and hydrangeas.