HIDDEN HOQUIAM

 

 

ON JULY 20, THE MASTER GARDENERS OF GRAYS HARBOR HELD THE 2013 GARDEN TOUR. I INVITED GAIL TO GO WITH ME, MY TREAT. SHE DROVE AND WE LEFT AMERICAN SUNSET AT 10:00 SATURDAY MORNING. WE DIDN'T GET HOME UNTIL 6:00 P.M. WE HAD A GREAT TIME!!WE  TOURED SEVEN GARDENS.

 

 

 

ALL THE GARDENS WERE BEAUTIFUL........

 

 

GAIL AND I TALKED TO THE OWNER OF  THIS GARDEN, SHE SAID THE DEER ACTUALLY CLIMBER THESE STEPS AND ATE HER TOMATOES!!

 

 

ALL THE GARDENS WERE IN OR AROUND HOQUIAM, WA.

 

 

THIS WAS A LARGE TRUNKED TREE!!

 

 

THE HYDRANGEAS WERE IN FULL BLOOM!!

 

 

I LOVED HOW THE OWNER OF THIS GARDEN LEFT ALL THE NATURAL WASHINGTON FERNS.

 

 

 

GAIL ENJOYED THE GARDENS!!

 

 

BLUE HYDRANGEAS....

 

 

HUGE FERNS!!!

 

 

OF COURSE, GAIL FOUND SOMEONE SHE KNEW!!

 

 

THIS GARDEN SITS ABOVE HOQUIAM WITH LOTS OF DECKS AND FOUNTAINS.

 

 

 

GORGEOUS FLOWERS AND BLUEBERRIES....

 

 

AND VEGETABLES GROWN IN PAPER SACKS....

 

 

 

MORE WATER FEATURES.....

 

 

AFTER TOURING  THIS GARDEN GAIL THOUGHT SHE WOULD LIKE SOME KIND OF FOUNTAIN AT AMERICAN SUNSET.

 

 

I LOVED THE PINKS AND BLUES IN THIS GARDEN!!

 

 

WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE TO SOME OF THESE GARDENS, BUT A FEW WE HAD TO TAKE A BUS, PROVIDED BY THE MASTER GARDENERS.

 

 

THIS IS THE VIEW FROM THIS GARDEN......THE PACIFIC OCEAN!!

 

 

GAIL AND I LOVED THE HUGE ROCKS IN THIS GARDEN...MADE NICE PLACES TO SIT!

 

 

 

THIS IS A MULTI MILLION DOLLAR HOME....STRAIGHT OUT OF BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS  MAGAZINE.....................BETTY LIVES THERE.

 

 

THIS IS BLACK BAMBOO.....MAKES A WONDERFUL SCREEN!!

 

 

 

THE LAST GARDEN WE TOURED WAS AN EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE HOME!!

 

 

RIGHT ABOVE THE PACIFIC OCEAN......

 

 

BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

 

A DECK AND STEPS THAT LEAD DOWN TO THE OCEAN.

 

 

 

 

 

STUNNING VIEWS..... AND YOUR OWN PRIVATE BEACH!!

 

 

IT HAD A SWIMMING POOL AND A HOT TUB!!

 

 

A PAGODA

 

 

GARDEN SCULPTURES

 

 

AND ART

 

 

AND FLOWERS EVERYWHERE

 

 

LOTS OF LARGE POTS

 

 

 

 

AND THIS WATER FEATURE

 

 

 AFTERWARDS, GAIL TREATED ME TO LUNCH. THIS IS HER FIRST TIME ATTENDING THE GARDEN TOUR, AND WE BOTH AGREED, WE ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH. IT WAS A FUN DAY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

48 YEARS, OLYMPIA, WA., GARDENING AND GEOCACHING

IN HONOR OF OUR 48TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY THIS SHIP WAS LAUNCHED IN GRAY'S HARBOR................ NOT REALLY.........THIS SHIP WAS BUILT AT THE SHIPYARD HERE AND LAUNCHED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON JULY 8, 2013.
SOME OF US WORKAMPERS WENT DOWN AND WATCHED IT.  IT IS 85 FEET LONG.

 

 

IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING!! THE SHIP WEIGHED SO MUCH IT TOOK BOTH OF THESE TO KEEP IT FROM ROLLING INTO THE OCEAN.

 

 

THIS FRONT END LOADER ..........AND  A DUMP TRUCK WITH A TRAILER LOADED WITH GRAVEL.

 

 

WE WERE ALL WONDERING IF WE COULD VOLUNTEER TO BE THEIR DECKHANDS.

 

 

AND WE WERE ALL SPECULATING AS TO  HOW MUCH THIS WOULD COST....WE ALL THOUGHT  MILLIONS  $$$$$$$$$

AFTER WATCHING THIS EVENT, WE WENT TO THE MOVIE, THE HEAT. IT WAS GOOD!!

AND THE NEXT DAY WE STARTED OUR 49TH YEAR OF WEDDED BLISS.

THE CAMPGROUND WAS FULL, SO WE TOOK MAGGIE AND MARLEE OVER TO THE CITY PARK AND PLAYED BALL WITH THEM.

 

 

 

I CAME HOME FROM CHURCH SUNDAY AND DARRELL HAD PICKED THIS BOUQUET OF FLOWERS FROM OUR FLOWER BEDS. THE HYDRANGEAS ARE BEAUTIFUL NOW!!

 

 

 

THERE IS ALWAYS  PLENTY TO DO WITH OUR GARDENING JOB...

 

 

 

WE ARE  ALWAYS WATERING.......

 

 

OR WEEDING .....OR DEADHEADING.....TO KEEP EVERYTHING LOOKING NICE.

 

 

ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON WE DROVE DOWN TO THE BEACH.....

 

 

 

LOOKED LIKE EVERYONE WAS HAVING A GOOD TIME.

 

ON FRIDAY, JULY 12, WE MADE OUR SECOND TRIP TO OLYMPIA, WA. IT'S ABOUT 75 MILES FROM ABERDEEN. IT'S A LARGE CITY WITH WALMART, KOHL'S, PET SMART, OLIVE GARDEN. WE WENT TO ALL THOSE PLACES.

 

 GOT MAGGIE AND MARLEE'S NAILS TRIMMED AT PET SMART. THEY DID A GOOD JOB....BUT POOR M AND  M, THEY WERE SO SCARED!!! WE HAD HEARD ABOUT THE   LARGE FARMER'S MARKET SO WE HEADED OVER THERE. WE WERE ALMOST TOO LATE, THEY WERE PACKING STUFF UP BY THE TIME WE GOT THERE. IT WAS ONLY 3:00 IN THE AFTERNOON!!

 

 

WE BOUGHT SOME APPLES AND PEACHES.

 

 

THEY HAD VARIETIES OF PEACHES I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF.

 

ON THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH THE WESTPORT GARDEN CLUB MEETS. SEVERAL OF THE LADIES FROM CHURCH BELONG TO THIS AND THEY INVITED ME TO GO. ON THIS WEDNESDAY THERE WAS A FIELD TRIP TO TWO NURSERIES NEAR MONTESANO, WA. WE FIRST HAD LUNCH AT THIS WONDERFUL LITTLE RESTAURANT.

 

 

EVERYONE WAS SO NICE! WHEN WE FIRST SAT DOWN THEY HANDED OUT PIECES OF PAPERS WITH A NUMBER ON IT......I WON A PRIZE!!

 

I LOVE IT.....THE FLOWERED THING IS A LITTLE BOX....SOMETHING I CAN USE!!!AFTER LUNCH, WE WENT TO THE FIRST NURSERY.

 

IT LOOKED LIKE A ONE WOMAN SHOW. THE OWNER IS THE LADY  IN THE CENTER OF THE PICTURE AND HER YOUNG SON.

 

 

LOTS AND  LOTS OF PLANTS TO CHOOSE FROM.

 

THE GARDEN CLUB FOLKS BOUGHT LOTS OF PLANTS!

 

 

AND THEN ON TO THE SECOND ONE. HIS FUCHIAS AND HYDRANGEAS WERE BEAUTIFUL!!

 

 

 

AND THEN WE HEADED FOR HOME....I ASKED TO BORROW DEE'S PHONE TO CALL DARRELL TO PICK ME UP......BARBARA, WHO I RODE WITH,.......SAY'S "I'LL TAKE YOU HOME, I WANT TO SHOW YOU MY GARDEN ANYWAY". IT WAS LOVELY. SHE HAD A BOG GARDEN GROWNING IN A BARREL. WHAT A TREAT TO SEE HER LOVELY GARDENS!!

 

IN BETWEEN EVERYTHING WE ARE  STILL GOING GEOCACHING. FOUND ANOTHER ONE IN GRAYLAND. AGAIN, DARRELL FOUND IT, BECAUSE I WASN'T TALL ENOUGH TO FIND IT.

 

 

 

BUT, HE DID LET ME HOLD IT TO GET MY PICTURE TAKEN. IT WAS A ' SIGN ONLY' ONE IN A LITTLE TIN BOX.