All posts by jah

Simultaneous Garden Remote Spinners

I now have two remote-controlled spinners for the optical illusion ball in wire object and the metal globe with the repurposed license plate Vallejo sign. This gives some idea of our backyard porch view and part of our garden, with some cameos from a few dogs. You can hear the four water features going. They turn on courtesy of Alexa at sunrise and shut off when the lights come on at sunset, which is also when the solar lights illuminate the back garden areas. This is our sanctuary (especially during early Covid).

No Bugs Were Harmed…

…in the making of this video, but I wanted to convince myself that it was alive, so I kept bumping it until it stretched its arms out to brace itself.

Under my gardening table I have a trash can that I use for convenience to discard things I can’t compost. I almost reached in to get one of the bamboo leaves that fell in there, only to see that it was a living bug! Lest you think I was making it up, here’s the juxtaposition from the bamboo area of our backyard and under the outdoor staircase where a lot of the dead bamboo leaves collect.

Is it a leaf or a bug?

These clippings cannot die!

When we first moved here to Vallejo our friend Manny who lives on Mare Island and who used to live in Glen Cove, gave Shando some clippings that we planted in our front yard. Most memorably Manny said, “No matter what you do, these CANNOT die.”

That was very helpful in my decision to start getting serious about gardening. We replaced the small patch of grass that I was not very thrilled to have to mow with this area where we planted a young palm tree surrounded by succulents with mulch.

I’ve since killed LOTS of things in our gardens, but these have survived, just like Manny said. Indeed, THIS year they have grown with leaps and bounds, and look how beautiful they’ve bloomed this week!

Safest Kind of Snake

While prickly, no venom or biting involved here.

Through a circuitous, tortuous, and even serpentine route, I was gifted a certain serpentine cactus of a type unique to my eyes. I think it fits in with my cactus area nicely. Thanks to James, Jason, Greg, and Steve for thinking of my garden and me!

Kayaking with Snoopy and Polar

I enjoy kayaking in Lake Chabot here in Vallejo every time, but I think the dogs are kind of bored. They probably equate being on the kayak to being in the car. They see it as a mode of transportation and are eager to arrive when we get back to docking. Sometimes they just lay down in the kayak and aren’t interested in looking at the water much. They certainly don’t seem to sense the GIRAFFES that we see each time as they eat in their Six Flags park enclosures that are visible from the lake.

Napa River Sunset Dinner

This evening was exceptionally lovely having dinner by the Napa River and watching the sunset afterward beneath the white eucalyptus trees. Thanks for suggesting the RIPARIAN location, Noel & Mark! You have made our move to Vallejo so much more valuable with your amazing friendships, Covid notwithstanding. It doesn’t hurt that Mark is a big Streisand fan like me!

Even in the reflection of the window, you can see the Mare Island Causeway, which is so cool.

Their dogs are Dewey & Mia (the pomeranian).

Montara September 2023

After the picnic in San Francisco, we decided to go down to one of our favorite dog-friendly beaches, Montara. Amazingly we found great parking in both SF and at the beach (with a little patience). It was the first time we’ve taken Snoopy and Polar to the Coast and I was particularly proud of how well Snoopy minded, since he had been quite a runner when we first got him and before he was neutered.

Furassic Park 2023

Despite the “carmagedon” on I-80 with the Labor Day Weekend shutdowns, we ventured into San Francisco to attend the Bears of San Francisco “Furassic Park” picnic in Dolores Park. In this first picture, look at the SIDE-EYE Snoopy is giving someone. So shady!