California, Who Do You Think You Are, Seattle?

What were you expecting, sunny California?  No siree, them there's raindrops in my bird bath.   

When I think of rain, I think of rainy cities, like Seattle for instance.  The average rainfall in Seattle is 142" per year.  They don't advertise Seattle as bright, sunny and mellow, like they do California.  Seattle once had the most rain in any place in Washington in one day.  14.26." I'm not kidding;  I looked it up!  The rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula are among the rainiest places in the world and the only rain forests in the continental US  You EXPECT rain in Seattle. 

But I live in California.  Here in California we're supposed to be the golden state.  One thinks of golden sunshine and golden poppy's.  People come here chasing beach time and sunshine! 

So what's up with this? This looks more like the birthplace of Starbucks!  I don't even like Starbucks.  However, I heard today that Starbucks is going to start serving beer and wine. Off track again but, Interesting.

One of my favorite blogs to read is Nana Diana Takes A Break.  Now there's a woman who loves her Starbucks.  She even says she loves Starbucks in her profile!  Give her a visit and I'll bet you come away wanting a good cuppa the joe.  Sorry about not liking Starbucks Diana, I still like people who like Starbucks!  Especially you.

But seriously,  back to Seattle.  Although the wealthiest man in the United States lives there,  (nothing to scoff at mind you) and my all time favorite rocker, Jimi Hendrix was born there, (that definitely says something about the fun factor),  I need me some sunshine.  Come on baby, come back to California! 

My new garden has had plenty of rain now.  Thank you very much.  It looks amazing, smells tropical and flowery, and is thriving in all this beautiful rain.  But now, now I think its time for some sunshine so it knows what to do next.  My plants are California thrivers.  They need sun.  Just like their momma.  

Here in San Diego our average rainfall is 9" per year.  Remember back in the day, when I first started this blog?  It seems like a million years since then but it's been more like 12 months, 5 days, 3 hours and  6 seconds ago?  Remember when the cottage looked like this, at the very beginning before we even started.  Click here and check it out.

Step By Step By Step

It was a sweet little cottage and I loved every inch of it.  But we had some big dreams for our cottage by the sea, and this blog has been about sharing our dreams and watching them become reality through lots of pictures and the nightmare adventure of the remodeling process.  Blogs are kinda awesome because they give you a chance to reflect and look back on the many changes and events that occur in just a short time.  I can't believe in one year a year that seemed like a lifetime, kids grew up so much, we have lost friends and family, gained friends and family,  experienced all the holidays, the ups the downs the Ins and outs.  My mom had her 80th birthday, my 6th grandchild was born, my daughter graduated college.  I wonder as I look back, as you only can in a blog, what each new month will bring and how it will compare to last year.  

One thing I know for sure is that I'm loving my front yard more than I did last year at this time when it looked like this. 

However first it took a lot of work.  We had to clean this mess up.  If I could only tell you the Man/Women hours that have gone into this.  But I'll spare you.  We had to dig and dig and grade and lay sprinkler lines and install sprinklers and fertilizer.  Then we raked and raked and raked some more.

This was the state of my front yard for months and months.

Then we started to do the initial ground work.  We formed patios and poured them full of cement.

Walk -ways were born.

Plants were discussed, researched, chosen and purchased.

This plant is a Mandavilla called Stars and Stripes.  When it blooms the flowers will be a deep red with a small white stripe. They were planted along walkways to grow up fences where they will thrive and bloom in the sunshine. Come back home sunshine.

We lay cobble stone pathways and planted, umm...   Where's my Latin vocabulary when I need it?  Anyway, it's a little kind of mossy grass which thrives in sunshine and will fill in nicely between the stones.

We chose tropical ferns and scuparum, on which blossoms a rich pink flower called "ruby glow".  It blooms almost all year long.  Even when it isn't blooming it has a beautiful green foliage.  

We already had the palm trees and they are very appreciative of our attempt and success at saving them from the savage happenings which occur during a full remodel.  Some of our plants weren't so lucky.

When I wrote this post, RIP I'm Missing You I was mourning the loss of my favorite Bird of Paradise.  Note to all:  Construction workers do not listen when you ask them to make sure to save your favorite plants, even when you point out the obvious.  But I regress.

After all the plants were planted, we got to put in the finishing touch.  The lawn.  The, pies de resistance. It came on a truck already all grown.  Wouldn't it be cool if kids came that way?   Just saying'.   Kind of...  Well, at least maybe skip over the teenager part and go straight to where they love their parents and think you are very wise again.  You know, as opposed to the complete idiot you are when they're between 14 and 25 married with kids of their own.  Off track again, sorry.

This is the topper.  It fertilizes the grass and keeps it nice and green and protects it from, from, I don't know what it protects it from but it makes it look really grand.

Just a few more strips to lay out and just like "Total Home Makeover," (minus 12 months, 5 days, 3 hours and  6 seconds), it will be an instant, amazing, beautiful front garden and courtyard.

Ta Da!  Just like that. 

 From this- 

  

To this.

Our Lady has a special spot in our garden.  She is surrounded by roses, which will look much better in the spring and summer when the sun is shining on them.

Here's a peek at what I see when I walk out my front door now.  {Sigh of happiness and contentment}.

Just under a year ago, not long after we did the cruel and unusual gutting destruction of our little cottage and were starting to rebuild, the front porch looked like this.  Then after a lot of labor and interesting changes, there was the Birth Of The Arch.  That was pretty exciting and we were very pleased with ourselves for thinking of it as it wasn't in our original plans.  It was our ode to Solana Beach where many of our landmarks and monuments including the train station and more importantly, The Belly-Up Tavern, where my hubs and I had our first date have an arch as their entrance.

Now the front porch looks like this.

And like this.  Can't you just see you and me sitting on the rocker and glider having a tall glass of something cool to drink?  Or maybe due to the inclement weather; the Seattle like weather, a cuppa tea or a Starbuck's together?  You're welcome to come on down.  Whatever the weather, we can sit and listen to the tide come in and out, and let me tell you, there is not a better sound than that.

If you come speedy quick, maybe you can get me out of doing the laundry.

Cause at this point my pup is buried in it.  But as soon as the sun comes back-

Its return will have the state ready to surf and shimmy again in the warm rays and high waves of tomorrow.  For goodness sakes we face Westward people!

• P.S.   Seattle, I hope I haven't offended you.  I love your Pikes Market, especially all the fresh produce and crafty crafts.  My niece Natalie goes to school there and loves it so much I think she's going to make it her permanent home.  Elliot's Bay is gorgeous and from the hotel I stayed at there once on the 4th of July, I could see the fireworks from my room.  Besides Seattle, anywhere that has people with the ability to invent Pictionary and Cranium (my fave board games) is okay with me.  

Blessings from the Golden State where the sun almost always shines.

Tia