Morningstar Gardens

I've been getting to know Sioux Rogers, who lives in a beautiful place called Morningstar Gardens, on Thompson Creek Road in Applegate. Sioux's husband J.D. cultivates heirloom apples -- his orchard has the widest variety of any in the valley -- and edits The Applegater, a local newspaper. Sioux writes a column for the paper and cultivates the amazing gardens around their house, which are quite extensive. I've gone over there a couple times in the last month, to help out with the garden exchange for 4" pots, rose cuttings, columbines, lilies and other extras she was willing to give me, for my own flower field/garden. It's been a real pleasure going over there.
Below: one of the heirloom apple trees, espaliered.

...You can really get a feel for the beauty of the garden here if you click on the pictures. I'll be coming back to photograph more (and pick up a few more plants) as more flowers begin to bloom....

Morningstar Gardens, Part II

These pictures are great if you click on them separately to blow them up. Above: many rosebushes; Below: a garden gate.

Above: an apple tree, with one of the many chickens wandering around; they have turkeys and dogs too. Below: growing new apple trees....
Below: looking at their house.

A day at Dennis and Leslie's

Dennis Meiners is a ceramic artist. Leslie Lee is a painter. They live nearby on Upper Applegate Road, and built their own house and studio. We've become good friends. I was over recently to help garden and watch NBA playoff basketball, and asked if I could photograph the place and their artwork, which they were more than happy to acquiesce to. They also asked me to mention that their place is up for sale, if anyone is interested in moving up to the area. It's a pretty fabulous spot. Above: some of Dennis' work, including vases that hang on the wall. 2 pictures below : Leslie's painting, with Dennis' ceramic frame. They were getting ready for a huge show in Portland, churning out a ton of work at the time I was there.


Above: Dennis' ceramic mugs, just taken out of the kiln; below: Dennis and Leslie at the kiln, just after a firing.

Dennis & Leslie's, part II

Above: just one room in their enormous art studio. Below: art studio, exterior view.

Above, their veggie garden, right before I mowed it! Below: the back deck of their house, with their dog Penny.
Below: another look at the art studio exterior, with Leslie waving.

Sukey

This is my cat, Sukey. She's 3 years old. These pictures were taken inside the school bus where I live. Here she is crashed out on top of some of my storage boxes. Below: grooming....


Above: at the entrance to the bus, scratching; below, a reflective moment, perhaps?

A few random shots

Above: this is a better view of the vent being used to circulate heat from the wood stove. Like I said below, this vent was covered up and made to look like the surrounding walls.
Finishing the drywall on the outer walls upstairs.
Last three pix: the flower garden. I finally got the sprinklers going, for the first time this year, to water in the transplants....

The smaller arbor

These shots show the arbor over the main entrance, on the barn side of the common building, which is not nearly as massive as the south-facing arbor, but impressive nonetheless.

Completing the drywall

Above: Val, a cool guy who grew up near me in Castro Valley, CA, finishing the kitchen ceiling; Below: the completed solarium walls.

Above: this is a vent that will help circulate the heat from the wood stove. It was later covered in plywood and drywalled.
Above and below: "Mudding" -- adding a textured layer over the sheet rock.

Stair risers

These are the risers for the indoor stairs, before installation. I just love the patterns in the wood. You'll have to click on the pictures to really see the good detail.

Our farm

Above: one of the many fruit trees on the farm's orchard, in bloom. Below: strawberries.

Above: Garlic
Above: recently planted broccoli; below: a wider view of the broccoli field, of which the above planting is a part.

Finishing the Arbor

John Mehta on the main arbor. It was later stained with pine-colored wood stain.
Below: Matt Champol.


The upright beams had been stained with a redwood-colored wood stain, but nobody liked it, so it was later sanded off and replaced with the pine wood stain.