A Walk on the Seattle Pacific University Campus

Can't you imagine pausing here to admire the view between classes?  Or talking with friends?  Springtime is magic on campus, with the promise of summer just ahead.

Hosta at Seattle Pacific University

Look at this lovely hosta next to McKinley Auditorium of the Performing Arts.  By mid-summer, this plant will have doubled in size.

Seattle Pacific University

The Seattle Pacific University campus is a lovely place for many types of trees and shrubs.  I attended a conference there last week at the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Department, and saw a campus covered with pink cherry blossoms, huge hostas, and manicured lawns and flower beds and borders.

Variegated Weigela

This is a most unusual plant/shrub, with variegated leaves and orchid-like flowers in profusion.

The Goldenchain Tree

During the two weeks in the spring when the Goldenchain Tree is in bloom, the bright yellow string of flowers are spectacular. This is a small deciduous tree that can grow to 15’ in height and 10’ in width ,forming an upright vase shape at maturity.

Flowers first start to appear in late May. They form on long (10”-20”) racemes which hang in pendulous clusters from the branches. The flowers resemble those of the garden pea. Hummingbirds and bees are attracted to the flowers.

Flowers morph to small flattened pods. The seeds of the Goldenchain Tree are poisonous.

This tree is on the campus of Seattle Pacific University.

Papaya Punch Yellow Rhododendron

We have a very unusual rhodie in the front yard that was a very tiny plant when we moved in 11 years ago.  Here is it, now about four feet high, and lovelier each year.  It's hardy in Zone 8b to -15 degrees.

The Rhododendron, Washington's State Flower

Washington officially designated the coast rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) as the state flower in 1959, though it was actually selected as the state flower in 1892 by the women of Washington for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

Also called Pacific rhododendron, or big leaf rhododendron, the coast rhododendron is a broadleaf evergreen rhododendron species native to western North America. The coast rhododendron is found primarily near the Pacific coast, but its range extends to the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

We have several lovely varieties of this species in our yard in Maltby.  They are right now at the height of their annual beauty.

The History of Hostas

Hostas are natives of the East and of Japan in particular, and when they were first discovered by Westerners, their correct place in the plant kingdom was not at all clear. Englebert Kaempfer (1651-1715), a doctor and botanist with the Dutch East India Company, was the first Westerner ever to see a hosta and certainly the first to draw and describe one.

The generic name Hosta was first proposed by the Austrian botanist Leopold Trattinick (1761-1848) in 1812. It honors an Austrian, Nicholas Thomas Host (1761-1834), who was not only a botanist,  but a physician to the Emperor Frances II.

The main influx of hostas to the West started in the early-1800's by Philipp von Siebold (1791-1866), another of the several doctor and botanists who worked in Japan.  His first shipment of Japanese hostas reached Europe in 1829. He was subsequently followed by other famous plant collectors such as Robert Fortune (1813 -1880) and the American Thomas Hogg Jr (1819 -1892).
The practice of introducing hostas from their native countries to the West still continues to this day.

Petunia Basket in the Apple Tree

I loved this petunia basket I found at the Yakima Fruit Market a couple of weeks ago.  It looks nice on the apple tree in the back yard, near the bird bath.  With half-shade, it should flourish during the summer months.

EmpressWu Hostas--Update

The Empress Wu hostas are very popular right now, as they are resistant to pests and diseases that affect other smaller varieties of hostas.  These have grown in the few weeks I've had them, and I look forward to them doubling next year.  Aren't they nice against the fence in the back yard?

A Spring Evening

The rhododendron blooms and the evening light make a lovely backdrop to the yard and pasture in the Spring.  I snapped this picture on a May evening last week, and you can almost smell the lilacs and the apple and cherry blossoms.

Small Kitchen Garden Needed

My organic heirloom vegetable garden is located quite a distance from my country kitchen, so I've been looking for a planter I can put on my deck to hold fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, and rosemary.  Over the long weekend, I found a planter for the deck made of old recycled fencing.  It's the perfect size for the deck, and this week I'll buy some good potting soil and plant my herbs currently residing on my kitchen counter.  The combination of sun and shade on the desk should be perfect for these items that will go into my fresh salads, soups and chicken pot pies.

Dining "al fresco" on a Spring Evening

It's Memorial Day weekend, and the weather has been perfect since Friday!  Tonight was the perfect evening to dine at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Woodinville, and the newly remodeled patio was finally open.  It was wonderful to sip the sweet Sangria and enjoy our favorite selections as we enjoyed the sun and the festive atmosphere.  Summer is almost here!

Rhododendrons in May

This time of year, in mid-May, four of my rhodies in the front yard fill the flowerbed in front of the house, all blooming at the same time.  There are two bright red ones that I transplanted from a dark corner of the back yard, and then a fuschia-colored variety, a light pink one, and my favorite, a delicate yellow rhododendron tinged in orange.

All together, offset by three Barberry bushes, it makes a lovely grouping in the front yard.

Flowering Cherry Tree in Bloom

My neighbor's beautiful flowering cheery tree spills over into my yard this time of year, spreading the lovely pink blossoms on my lawn like a carpet, and creating a lovely, scented breeze.  It's a wonderful place to stand, pause a moment, and look up into such natural lushness and color.  It never ceases to move me each and every year.

Soon the blooms will be gone, and shiny, green leaves will fill the space until fall, when the leaves turn color and then drop to the ground, completing nature's cycle.

Petunias on the Garden Gate

This wonderful arch is the entrance to our formal front yard here in Maltby.  I found a great petunia basket last weekend to hang there, and it keeps the large fuschia under the Asian Pear tree company.

I like to think that the vibrant purple flowers greet all who pass by here.

Lake Quinault Lodge

Here is a picture of the lovely lodge at Lake Quinault.

The Beach House

The Beach House at Lake Quinault is a small collection of cottages right by the lake.  It has a long deck running the length of the house, and the view of the lake is spectacular.

The lovely summer flowers added the perfect touch to a summer spot created to while away an afternoon.

Lake Quinault Lodge

Lake Quinault is the quintessential 1930's getaway--you can imagine how life was slower and the summer a time of getting out of the city and truly enjoying the outdoors.

The lodge was lovely, and the setting was so perfect that it almost didn't seem real.  We'd love to come back soon and spend a night there, swim in the lake, and enjoy a new experience at The Lodge.

Lake Quinault

On Tuesday, we packed up the dog and headed to the Olympic National Park and forest. It was only a 30-minute drive from Seabrook to Lake Quinault.  We had never been to the lake before, and the place emerged from the forest almost like magic.

The lake is a lovely, pristine body of water with a shoreline filled with chairs in which to relax, sit and test the water with your toes.  Nala jumped right in (being the Australian Shepherd that she is!) and enjoyed a couple of short dog paddles.

It was a perfect day to lounge by the water's edge, and to remind myself that this is what vacations are truly all about.

Nala and Susan on the Beach

Pacific Beach was sunny and in the 70's last week, which is unusual weather this early in the year.  It was wonderful to walk the beach and not be bundled up on three layers of clothing!

Nala loved the ocean, and had quite a walk.  It was so warm on the beach that it created a misty fog for us to walk in.  It was the most perfect of days.

The Porch

Every cottage or summer home needs a front porch with a pair of Adirondack chairs, don't you agree?  Here's the porch of Eleanor Cottage, which faces a lush, green lawn and the community fire pit.

I spent many happy hours on this porch the past week, and it was wonderful to kick back and relax, read the paper each morning, and finish (from cover to cover)  my first summer 'read' of the season!

Beach Cruiser Bicycles at Seabrook

Monday dawned sunny and warm, and I got my Beach Cruiser bike and took off.  Here's me and Nala stopping for a rest.  It's glorious to bike all over the beach town and look at the wonderful ocean views and check out the newest homes and cottages.

Eleanor Cottage, Seabrook, WA

We arrived at Seabrook on Mother's Day last weekend.  Here's a picture of the cottage, all decorated in black and white, with a house full of black and white photos from Pacific Beach in the 1930's.

Nala is enjoying lounging on the couch. 

A Child's Birthday Party

Kai's 7th birtday party had two parts--a small, family party at a restaurant, and a kid's party at a pottery-making company.  Each child started with clay and a potter's wheel, and created their particular masterpiece.  It was fired in a kiln, and then painted.  Here's a would-be artist perfecting her craft, and enjoying herself along the way.

The Quiet Moments of the Morning

As I was backing my car out of the gravel driveway this morning, I turned to look back at the front yard before I braved the frenetic world of commutes and Fortune 100 companies.  Early this Spring morning, the world was completely still, the trees in full bloom, and the air was fragrant.  I promised to keep this one perfect moment in my mind throughout the day to remind me that in spite of my hectic professional life, there is a small haven waiting for me in Maltby each evening.  And as I cast off the cares of the day when returning home, I am at once renewed by my life in a small town and the Slow Life that I've created as a healing balm to the greater world's intrusions.

Strawberries

I planted strawberries in this large planter on the back patio for maximum sun exposure.  They are already springing to life, with small strawberries already starting to form.

Surveying A Day's Work

Here is a good spot to relax in the evening and survey the raspberry patch, the shade garden, the vegetable garden, and the woodshed.  The greenhouse is located to the right of this view.

The Shade Garden in Bloom

The heucheria and other perennial plants are making an appearance as the days get longer and the temperatures soar.  The shade garden is filling up the space this year, and it's a nice focal point for the large yard it's located in.  We love to pull a couple of chairs into the yard in the evenings and weekend and enjoy all of the work that has gone into the creation of this space.

Begonia Baskets for Summer

I finally found two waxy begonia baskets this weekend--one pale yellow, and one bright red.  These flowers last all the way through the month of September most years, so I consider them my best 'annual' investment of the season.

Motel Chairs

I love these white, metal chairs from the 50's, and I've moved them into the pasture these last weeks to keep the large, wooden garden bench out of the way of the gardeners.  These chairs offer a great place to stop and relax in the shade of a large cedar tree that originates in my neighbor's yard.  In the summer, I pile these chairs with vintage fabric-covered pillows, which really complete the look of offering an elegant place to while away a sun-infused afternoon.

A "Before" Picture of New Pantry

Here is the beautiful Rustic Cherry pantry that California Closets built for us yesterday.  It was beautifully done.

My New Pantry

Here is my new pantry.  After I got home from work yesterday, I spent all evening filling it up with items from all over the house.  It's great to finally have an organized space!