Rapid Roundtrip.

We left for San José at about 2 PM Friday, picked up Eoin and Joe, and got back to Manchester at 11 PM Saturday. We flew Southwest, low budget, no frills-it was fine. The sandwiches we brought to eat on the plane were probably better than anything else I've ever eaten on an airplane. The open seating was also no problem. I must say that the cockpit crew seemed especially young. I took pictures of them during the layover in Las Vegas.



In the 33 hours we were away, we got 0.8 inches more of rain.

New blooms: summer azalea, monarda.

Coastal Roundtrip.

7-9-09 VERMONT: Last night we got another 0.2 inches of rain, but today, so far, none. It has actually been sunny. The veggies look pathetic, too cold and too wet. It will take a couple weeks of hot days to get them thriving.

San José tomorrow to pick up the boys and back on Saturday.

More Rain II.

7-8-09 VERMONT: Yesterday I got a few hours in working on the fence roses. They were getting over whelmed by giant weeds, giant from all the rain, and needed pruning of dead canes. I also trimmed all the paths around the house, raked up all the cuttings. When the rains came again, I quit. It rained on-and-off the rest of the night. This morning I emptied the boat and rain gauge [0.5inches] and started in on the roses again, pretty much finishing and dumping a cart full of compost before today’s rain began.

Besides all the rain, it has been cold. We have had a fire almost every night to dry out and warm up.

New blooms: filipendula.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Day....

Chilly Fourth.

7-6-09 VERMONT: On the Fourth, there was a series of T-storms with fireworks of their own. By evening the skies cleared, and we bundled up, gathered our rain gear, folding chairs, and bug repellent and went to Lake Morey for the pyrotechnics. The show was not bad if a bit short. We had parked about a mile from the golf course and so had an easy get-away.

The fifth was actually rain free and so was today until tonight when it started again. We have had another 0.6 inches bringing the total to 4.3 inches in 22 days.

Today I staked fallen flowers and did a bit of weeding.

New blooms: hydrangea, campanula.


Finale.

Soggier.

7-3-09 VERMONT: We have had a string of similar days, each with rain, rain and more rain punctuated by drizzle, each day dank, damp, dark, drear, dull and wet. Everything has been soggy and squishy. Everyday I empty the rainwater out of the boat and the rain gauge. There was another 0.9 inches for a total of 3.7 inches since 6-14. The forecast for tonight: T-storms.

It has been sunny today since about nine AM and I’ve been outside weeding, pruning, etc. I got the honeysuckle next to the driveway entrance cut back, it had snuck out about five feet while I wasn’t watching. The viburnum next to it has been eaten by the Viburnum Leaf Beetle, but now seems to be recovering.

New blooms: diablo, rhododendron, thyme, astilbe, delphinium, day lily.


The peonies are finishing up.

The daylilies are starting-it must be July.

More Rain.

6-29-09 VERMONT: We came up yesterday. I emptied the rain gauge of 1.3 inches and emptied the boat of rain water. Almost immediately, the rain began and has continued since with a few short breaks. At the last break, I emptied the gauge again of another 1.5 inches. Now there’s dead calm and fog. In spite of everything looking soggy and droopy, the gardens are full of color.

In bloom: lilac, weigela, summer sweet, spirea, meadow rue, baptisia, iris, peony, geranium, centauria, jacobs ladder, columbine, rogersia, phlox, daisy, apricot day lily, forget-me-not, azalea, lamium, stephenandra, hosta, bleeding hearts, solomons seal, roses, celandine, lupin, ladys mantle, valerian, fever few, water lily, sage, first sedum, trascantia, yarrow, tomato.

Soggy June.

6-27-09 SHORT HILLS: The pix are all up and there are new links to Bill’s pix and to the Lodge in Wise River.

In NJ, locally, we have had 7.2 inches of rain, more than twice normal. I did some pruning before packing up for Vermont.

New blooms: southern magnolia, cream rhododendron, day lily.