In the Sicilian Garden

After arriving on Friday, we have spent a lot of time in Serafino's garden. There is some rain, but it makes everything so green.

Here are two quick shots to give you the feel for the place.

Traveling...

If it seems a bit quiet around the WelchWrite blogdom for the next few weeks, it is because we have departed for a Christmas Trip.....to Sicily!

My wife has relatives there and, a few years ago, when we visited for the first time, I made mention of returning for Christmas some year. That idea took root and has brought us to the cusp of our journey. We are getting packed now and the excitement is growing. We all feel a great need to get away from the hustle and bustle of LA for awhile, so this should provide an excellent chance to unwind and experience Christmas in a whole new light. I believe that everyone needs a host of new experiences in their lives. Even if I sometimes shy away from them, I still understand how important they are.

The house-sitter is happily ensconced and the cats are already buttering them up with their poor, sad, hungry faces. You would think we don't feed them at all. (SMILE) I am sure they will have taken over entirely by the time we return.

I will be reading my email and such once we arrive, but I don't expect to be as active with the blogs as I might normally be. That said, though, if I come across anything interesting, you folks will be the first to hear about it. I am taking my digital camera and will be able to download photos there, so if I come across any interesting gardens, I will be sure to send some pictures along.

I wish you all the happiest holidays you can possibly imagine and can't wait to return to the New Year recharged and ready to face whatever comes our way.

Gardening Catalogs

Waiting for Spring offered up a post on garden catalogs, and I realized that, unlike most gardeners, I don't get enough of them. For whatever reason, I never got on the gardening catalog mailing list, but I am sure my requests today will result in the usual avalanche that other gardener's always talk about each Winter.

New Sunflower Items in my CafePress Store

I added a new branch to my CafePress store this evening, featuring my photo of Canyon Sunflowers taken at the Theodore Payne Foundation last June. The mission of the Payne Foundation is "To promote and restore California landscapes, and habitats, propagate and make available California native plants and wildflowers To educate and acquire knowledge about California flora and natural history."

Other photos taken on this trip can be seen in this photo gallery.

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In my gardening journal...

This is just one small example of the things I put in my journal when thinking about the garden. I try to capture my thoughts, wherever I might be, so I can refer to them later. I also keep a Someday/Maybe folder with ideas pulled from online, my own photos and magazines.

Click for larger image

Eight Best Gardening Books

Just what I didn't need...more books to read! Still, these should be a load of fun to check out.

Here is the list from the Christian Science Monitor's web site, via Feedster.com...

Judy Lowe of the Christian Science Monitor selects eight best gardening books for 2003.

[Via Feedster gardening]

Bulbs in December

Our first rains triggered the bulbs in the garden and now they up quite far. It won't be too long before we start seeing flowers.

Bookish Gardener points out a book I will need to check out, Christopher Lloyd's The Adventurous Gardener. It sounds quite interesting and a quick check of the LA Public Library shows that they have a copy.

I am always looking for good gardening books, so it is nice to find a sight that can recommend additional titles to try.

You can get further information on the book by visiting this Amazon link.

Holiday Video and Books

I have posted links to some of my favorite holiday books and videos over on My Word.

Cleanup..a little

With our annual holiday party fast approaching, I thought it was time to blow all the leaves off the driveway area, at least, to neaten things up a bit. One of the disadvantages of having all these lovely trees is that most of them eventually drop them all,, usually around the same time.

There are still plenty of leaves left to fall, so I only did minimal cleanup. The leaves on the pathways help to keep the weeds down anyway. Once we return from our holiday vacation I will do a complete cleanup, along with the yearly trimming of the roses. For now, the path to the doorway is swept and ready to welcome guests.

Fall color in December

Click picture for 4 images

As if to provide a bit of proof that we do indeed have seasons in Los Angeles, here are some photo examples taken in the neighborhood this morning.

Liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua) trees are quite popular street-side planting in this area, and the cold nights send turn them shades of red and gold, just like some of the trees back East. They do make a bit of a mess, though, with their heavy seed pods and dense leaves.

More Liquidambar information from Google.com