Rancho Randevu

 

It is early September, and in a little more than a month I will set out on a "bucket list" trip to Costa Rica. Rich will be staying home and taking care of all the critters, and is allowing me to borrow his camera for this epic trip. I wanted to practice a little prior to departure.

I recently became aware of a flower farm in the bluffs just outside of Winona. The gardener, Natalia, is passionate about dahlias, and her passion is evident in the quality and beauty of her labor.

The name of this gorgeous garden is Rancho Randevu, and it can be searched out on Facebook. Natalia sells arrangements, recently made an unforgettable floral statement at a wedding, and kindly let me come out and walk among the flowers and practice with Rich's camera.

Dahlias are not hardy to our zone, so must be planted yearly in the spring, and in the fall dug up for cold (not frozen) storage. This would be a lot of work for even a small garden. Rancho Randevu takes up a considerable footprint.

Natalia plans to work with her dahlia's genetics, and try to create new varieties. She enjoys sharing their beauty with her community.

Enjoy the Colors!!

On a lower field she has planted rows of zinnias, with an edge of cosmos. They add accent and different form to her flower cuttings. 

They are also some of my favorites.

The local bumblebees are big fans of the garden as well.

Thank You Natalia for sharing your garden with me today!!

Summer Vacation

It's the "Dog Days" of Summer, which actually have no relationship to heat and panting dogs. Here is a cute and short video to explain: DOG DAYS. I was fortunately granted a week of vacation, which actually turns out to be 11 days of freedom based simply on how my schedule works (weekend work). I decided to plan a little road trip for Rich and myself, however my house-sitter could not arrive until 6 days into my break, so I went about my usual activity during many of my vacation days, and got some things done around my house that I normally just don't have the energy or motivation to do while in my normal work schedule. 

I painted a whirly-gig that I scored on one of Rich's auctions. I like the movement they make. It was just a quick spray can job. No one will look close enough to critique my work. It is fun! I think I need to acquire some more. It is planted in the middle of my butternut squash pots, currently setting a lot of gourds for this fall's harvest, and the raised beds with lettuce that is going to seed now.

Speaking of Dogs - I washed mine.

Oliver was sure I was trying to drown him.

Nova took it surprisingly well. 

She's rather neophobic (afraid of new things), 

but didn't put up too much fight to get washed.

Now at least all the hair on my floors is mostly CLEAN hair.

I gave away my remaining fish in my fish tank, and then broke the entire setup down. I've decided I'm DONE with keeping fish. They can be nice, but do need maintenance, and I seem to be wanting to move into a phase of life where I try to limit the things that rely on me to fuss with them. Unless I REALLY want to. Some things, like dishes and laundry, I just can't free myself from, but extra chores of cleaning a fish tank, that I can disencumber myself of.

I am falconry bird-less right now, so not fussing with that. I shall approach the fall trapping season in a positive disposition, ready to take on a new challenge with the cooling weather.

After a few days of getting some things done around my house, and planning for my upcoming trip, I headed out on my adventures by doing something I have never done before. I took a train ride. Specifically, I booked a ride from the Amtrak station in Winona, Minnesota down to the Chicago area, where my friend Darla, who is also my house-sitter, would pick me up. Rather than picking me up at Union Station in the heart of Chicago, I exited the train in Glenview, a cushy suburb north of the City.  But I am getting a little ahead of myself.

Click the link below to experience a video compilation I created. "Relive" is a fun app, that when you have it installed and activated with a membership, it can track your entire journey, then plot it on a map after, allowing you to add pictures and details for a memorable video. Be sure to toggle the sound ON and go full screen.

  

Relive - Illinois to Bayfield

While looking for things to do within a few hundred miles geographic circle, I discovered that we had not yet visited Bayfield, Wisconsin, and experienced the Apostle Islands. Well, let's correct that.

I consider this to be the prettiest picture of our journey.

*I need to finish the posting*