Front Porch Sitt'n

Our front porch has been looking pretty bare ever since it was first built. Not exactly hostile, but not overwhelmingly inviting by any means, and certainly not a place where we hung out. We took a big step closure to the "come on in neighbor" look recently with the addition of this bench that Ann is modeling. We can now sit on the front porch awaiting the arrival of friends and family just like an old married country couple. Or watching the rain fall and hearing it hit the tin roof (not rusted) above.

Ironically this very bench sat on busy Westheimer Road in Houston until we bought it, and we imagine that if it could talk there would be MANY tales. That area of Westheimer is home to a very, uh, DIVERSE group of Houstonians. Some of them no doubt used this bench for an assorted variety of activities. It was chained to an old fence to insure against thievery, but that didn't protect it from a few shots from a stray spray paint can or two. So now this former urban hipster bench spends its days lazily sitting on our Wimberley front porch, watching the occasional fox or cow cruise by, listening to the wind chimes chiming and the birds chirping. Hey, now that sounds pretty darn good to me.

2010 Blooms

I've been posting photos of spring time flowers for several years, and 2010 has definitely yielded a good crop. These pics were all taken in our backyard, most within about 100 feet of the back door. I've identified most of these in past years, but I'm lazier this year. The notable newcomer as identified by my not-so-lazy wife is the Evening Primrose, the yellow flower so named because it folds up in the daylight hours until evening.

















I was in Wimberley just yesterday taking these, but it seems very far away today. Perhaps because I really am very far away, working in the Seattle area for another week. It's nice to have these little memory joggers to remind of spring in Wimberley... but I'd rather be there.

Something Fishy Going On

My daughter Vanessa helped pick out this fish planter for our front porch last year, and I finally got around to planting a Manfreda succulent last October. Ann & I chose the Manfreda from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center because it can survive without water for weeks between our visits, and tolerates the shade under our porch. It managed to barely survive our record cold temps this winter, and much to my surprise it recently produce the four foot high stalk you see in the second photo. We are still waiting for the bloom, which hopefully will be occurring during our next visit.

Nap time

Our new cat Apolo has no problem making himself at home just about anywhere. Here he is pictured keeping Ann company in bed early one morning . It was probably Apolo who woke me that morning meowing for food, as usual. So of course I got up and fed him, and once up started working away on some sort of project. Pretty smart cat, huh, getting me to feed him and then taking my spot in bed? Watch out Apolo, I'm on to you now...