Tranquil days

We've entered that drowsy, tranquil zone of summer when we spend our leisure hours in riding or walking around the local lakes with the dogs, watching the ducklings hatch and grow, and then wheeling over to check out the goods at our neighborhood nurseries...planning our flower and vegetable beds for the summer.

A cove at the East end of Berkeley Lake where the ducks love to congregate in the shade.

This mama knows I can't get through the rushes to capture her babies.

This is our new favorite "hangout"...an amazing mom-n-pop nursery in our neighborhood called "Al's Pine Garden & Nursery". These are a vanishing breed of nurseries that seed all their own starters, know their species inside and out, and really care about teaching their customers. The array of flowers, vegetables, bushes and trees is truly spectacular, and the prices..I hardly dare tell you this, but the prices are much better than any of the lesser "plant mill" nurseries that you see so many of these days. Oh, and with each new variety, you get a little hand-typed and xeroxed sheet explaining how to prepare the soil, care for and harvest your plant.

M. trolling for his vegetable garden.

Just look at these heirloom tomato starters! How can you not love this??

I like that they have all their hardy, low-water xeriscape items clearly marked.

Here it is. All you locals...GO THERE NOW!! I'm telling you, you do not want to miss out on this place!

In this era of escalating fuel costs and a deteriorating environment, we are particularly happy to live in a neighborhood where we can get pretty much anything we need on our cruiser bikes, and take them home in paniers and bags. We bought heirloom and regularl tomatoes, another flat of strawberries, grape vines (already starting tiny grapelings!), three asparagus plants, as well as shasta dasies and nasturtiums, and (my treasure!) two foot-high pink peonies. I have been coveting peonies since we moved to Denver, and am finally fulfilling that particular dream! Can't wait to see them bloom!

View over the cornfield behind Al's. Yes, this is another facet of our beautiful neighborhood! You'd never guess we live in the city!