More in the Garden

Well I was hoping to post the wonderful photos of our trip to the land of lavender and berry farms and the best cafe in the world today...but alas I am about to take off on another trip.

I know, I am SO bad! But it is somewhat a mission of mercy too. SO maybe just a little bad.

Anyway between laundry, dishes, etc I am probably not going to get the afore-mentioned photos done this afternoon, so until then more photos of our gardens-but first-a QUESTION. Yes, Aimee is calling upon any of her readers to help her with a QUESTION that desperately NEEDS an answer. HELP--pretty please.

OK now that I have pleaded properly for help, this is the QUESTION---

if you will please kindly refer to the photo above at this time.

No, that was NOT the QUESTION (in fact that really wasn't a question at all but more of a direction and request) HOWEVER the question is pictured above-sort of.

Complicated--yes I know--but I can be one complicated person if I try hard enough.

Let me make this easy---this photo above was taken before the major project of relining the upper pond was done, hence it looks better now except that the colors are really pretty in this shot I think. But back to the matter at hand.

I need HELP on deciding the color stain to use on the above pictured hubby-made bridge. I am thinking a redwood or cedar type stain but would like to know what you think.

Now let me tilt that question slightly in favor of one of those choices. I LOVE red and in fact can't ever get enough of it, but subtle is sometimes good too so ....

please help (and yes this blog happily allows anonymous comments so you can answer safely and securely knowing I will have no idea who you are unless you want me to).

Thanks and now on to the garden.. :)

Tree Cloud Hat. Really. I always like to think that clouds are God's cotton balls in the sky. He shapes them into things only an artist can and I LOVE to watch them--especially in southern Idaho where they look like animals and all kinds of neat things. I guess God does to clouds what some people do to balloons.

A cruel picture of a not quite ripe Sungold tomato.

Cruel because I LOVE fresh tomatoes and I want nothing more then to have one of these babies RIGHT NOW with some fresh lettuce. YUM!

This is why professional bloggers don't use point and shoot digital cameras but I could not resist posting it nevertheless because 1) I am in a one woman fight against perfectionism (mine) and 2) because I was like RIGHT there. And because it is blurry I will even let you know what it is--- a blue dragonfly.

The most of the way finished bamboo bench. Somewhere back in the blog archives there is a before (but it pains me to show you it, so if you really need to see it knock yourself out. But not literally please). The new bamboo, from my siblings Japanese-style garden, will fade from the greenish color in time and after sitting on it for a long time we have decided we are really people who need comfort so a bench pad will be made or purchased. Then we need to decide what to do about the weathered bamboo--maybe a stain or ??? Anyway I LOVE it and think it is great to sit on and watch the fish and clouds go by.

An astilbe--supposedly amethyst---but I have my doubts about it as it is pink not lavender IMO. This was when a ray of sunlight caught it just right. Us point and shooters LOVE it when that happens:) And it happens a lot if you spend time in the garden!

Now the bad, the really bad! I would offer a prize for guessing who did this but I have mentioned these bad boys in an earlier blog post so feel that wouldn't be too much of a guess. Anyway for those who just plain don't know this is the work of the dreaded gopher guys. Sigh and the worst part is they just found my mini rose bed.

--

Blessings from the NW,

Aimee

Or do you have another suggestion for the bridge? We don't want to use paint but otherwise would gladly listen to suggestions. It is in a Japanese-style garden if that makes a difference (I am saying that because so far I have only found natural wood color or red or red and black used on wood bridges in this type of garden).