When George and I returned from Pilgrimage last month I discovered that Metro Parks had offered me another garden plot. I waited a year for this second plot, and was delighted to see that it was adjacent to the one I already have. That makes for one large growing area, perfect for sprawling squash, corn and green beans.
We got busy and dug trenches, piling the soil into rectangular berms about eight inches high. Then, we filled in the berms with grass clippings, leaves and aged horse manure. This compost will rot over the summer in the trenches and provide an excellent mulch during August when water is at a premium.I've laid out growing beds for potatoes, zucchini, corn, peas, beans, tomatoes (9 varieties), collards, kale, mustard greens, leeks, onions, shallots, beets and chard, lettuce and carrots, sweet fennel, mint and borage. Only one growing bed remains to be seeded - the basil and cilantro, and I'll do that this weekend. I had to wait for the soil to really warm up for those.
I average at least two hours a day at the garden, sometimes puttering over aesthetics and the layout of rows. Part of the pleasure is having a tidy garden, so I've also cleaned up the area along the fence, removing old compost and rocks (years' worth) and restoring the area with some dahlia beds. Some of the gardeners from last year are working their same plots.
But, new people arrive and give it a try (like Allie here), who hope they can work in a few peas, squash and tomatoes on a minimum amount of labor. It is always a little amusing to see new-combers learning the requirements of building good soil and tending plants. I tell many of them that building good soil is really a challenge. It means shredding organic material that is grown so that it can be used as compost rather than throwing all of it away.
In the autumn we have to relinquish our plots back to the city, but some gardeners do a winter cover crop. Kale and mustard winters-over very nicely, even if it is a little aged and weather-worn. Some plots are 'year-round', and the city doesn't till these in the spring. They belong to people who grow leeks and strawberries for an early spring crop. Otherwise, all plots are tilled over by the city and re-configured every spring.Last weekend George and I paddled Alder Lake, looking for bean poles along the edge of the reservoir. 
As we paddled along, I pulled in about 20 poles, and place them in the canoe. Alder Lake was formed when a dam was built, creating a reservoir that has fluctuating water levels throughout the summer.
By summer's end stumps dot the shoreline.
This road was closed when the dam was built. It is a little amusing to see it heading into the water. We paddled around the corner, and had a picnic lunch in the canoe.
Of all the photos that I've taken of our son Taraz, this one is my favorite. We found a grove of cottonwoods during one of our hikes on the weekend. The fluffy seeds covered the ground making it look like snow had fallen.
We camped for a few days at Quincy Lakes in eastern Washington, bringing Taraz and his friend Angela. 
Hiking along the Dusty Lake Trail.
We had lunch along these immense basalt cliffs and watched the cliff swallows. They were busy feeding their young. As the birds swooped in to the nests the baby birds would buzz with excitement and the parents would hover overhead, flapping their wings like hummingbirds.
Some of the little fledglings did not survive, and small bones littered the ground.
Even though it was close to 90 degrees on Sunday we still had a three hour hike mid-day. 
This was Spring Lake, one of three. It was here that the heat got the best of Angela, and Taraz went into the water in his clothes and boots! (Flickr video.)
Taraz put sunscreen on my back several times, to prevent sunburn.
A late afternoon canoe paddle on gentle water.
I served a mixture of chorizo sausage, cheese and eggs, polenta and vegetables for breakfast on Sunday. 
It was simmered until the eggs are cooked, and the chorizo gives everything a wonderful zest and flavor. It is one of our favorite camping meals, similar to the shukshuka breakfast we had in Israel. A year ago when we were camping at Lake Wenatche I made a breakfast similar to this one, and accidently added Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid to the frypan rather than olive oil. I had to throw the entire meal away!
George has some of his videos of the trip up on Flickr...
Our friend Walter brought over a dozen roses last Thursday as an early Mother's Day gift, and to also celebrate May birthdays ~ his is just a few days before mine.
I've been busy laying out the growing berms for my vegetable garden at Franklin Park. They've given me two plots this year, so that means double the work.
George has helped do some of the digging and also re-worked a huge compost pile along the fence so I can use that space for winter squash. So far I've got kale, mustard, leeks, red and white onions, walla walla onions; collards, beets, sweet fennel, parsley, celery, carrots, shallots, snow peas and borage. I still have to plant green beans, corn, zuchinni, winter squash, tomatoes and hot peppers. I'll do that when the weather is a little warmer. 
Most of the heavy work is done now, and it is mostly a matter of water and hauling leaves/grass/straw for the trenches when I have time to lay them out. They are a valuable mulch as they deteriorate throughout the summer, keeping the soil moist and the weeds down.
We are also in the process of going through all our Pilgrimage photos, or I should say George is, posting them in the Flickr account as time permits. I have culled through and collected a few specifically of me, for putting into a little photo album. It will serve as a reminder that I was actually there!
One of my favorites was taken in the gardens at Bahji, in an underdeveloped area. I just happened to be wearing a sweater that matched the ground cover!
George has started filming our canoe paddles ~ we've had two recently, Isabella Lake and Montesano Slough off the Chehalis River. 
He posted videos from our paddle yesterday. The weather has been wonderful throughout the weekend, with sunshine and warm temperatures.
When George and I returned from Pilgrimage last month I discovered that Metro Parks had offered me another garden plot. I waited a year for this second plot, and was delighted to see that it was adjacent to the one I already have. That makes for one large growing area, perfect for sprawling squash, corn and green beans. 
But, new people arrive and give it a try (like Allie here), who hope they can work in a few peas, squash and tomatoes on a minimum amount of labor. It is always a little amusing to see new-combers learning the requirements of building good soil and tending plants. I tell many of them that building good soil is really a challenge. It means shredding organic material that is grown so that it can be used as compost rather than throwing all of it away.
As we paddled along, I pulled in about 20 poles, and place them in the canoe. Alder Lake was formed when a dam was built, creating a reservoir that has fluctuating water levels throughout the summer.
By summer's end stumps dot the shoreline. 
This road was closed when the dam was built. It is a little amusing to see it heading into the water. We paddled around the corner, and had a picnic lunch in the canoe.
