Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Steamy Summer...

...makes for lazy post updating.

Ugh, I promised a post last week, and then my family came to visit!  YAY!!!  But the post never got written (boo), and at this point I don't even know where to begin!  While I've been lazy with the posts, we have not been lazy with getting things done.  We have a new front light (solar sensitive so it only comes on at night!) thanks to Peter's electrical abilities, we have upgraded tomato cages, new bike racks for vertical storage, patio furniture (thanks, Mommy and Daddy!), and flourishing gardens even in the summer heat.  

It's been a great summer so far.  It was fun to see what our house was capable of.  Throughout my family's visit, we deemed it very possible for it to house 6 people at one time, though it is HOT and incredibly cozy.  And for party purposes, we figured out that it can hold up to 25-30 people at one time with some spillout into the backyard.  Again, it's intimate, but still possible!  I think that's pretty good for 812 sqft, right?

I've finally been working in my studio more, which has been pretty great.  We figured out a way to cool it enough so I don't die in there, so look for updates on the art side of things soon.  Alright, enough from me, here are the photos.  Oh, and a shout out to Crystal Roel for the photo push.  =)  

BIKES!!!  Finally we don't have to trip over them every time we travel between the kitchen and the living room.

I like the way they look next to our hanging rack and bench.

And now into the "front yard"...bachelor's buttons!!!

The bamboo is growing, and so is the perennial mix that I threw in there at the beginning of the summer! 

Sooooo green!!!

Shot from above.  Notice the unintended melon that just sprouted there.  I'm excited to see what it really is.  

New light!  Thank you Peter!

Now the backyard!  Here it is! 

New chairs from my parents.  I think they brighten things up.  They're comfortable and cool on the skin.  Excellent for summer relaxing in the yard. 

WE FINALLY HAVE A HOSE IN THE BACKYARD!  Our neighbor Miguel (who is a professional plumber) installed it a couple weeks ago.  You should have seen the drill he used to drill THOUGH THE ENTIRE BRICK WALL (3 layers of brick) so that we could connect the spigot to the water line.  IT WAS A SERIOUS DRILL.  Whoa.   

Tomato wranglers in the back, it was indeed a wrestling match to get those up and in there.  Somehow our tomatoes are doing extremely well in our soil!  So excited!

Photo from the back of the yard.  Notice the new fence that Miguel installed a few days ago.  Though it was nice to have it open, it's also nice to have some privacy back there.  Plus now we can let Kitty out there and not worry too much about her escaping. 

Close-up on fence and fig.  It finally got leaves!  Not dead after all!

Little heirloom lettuce mix! 

Peppers and blackberries!

An eggplant!  I've never seen eggplants grow before.  They're so cute...

Close-up on the tomato plants!  Even with the posts and wire, they're still a bit unruly.  Tsk tsk tsk.

Another attempt to capture the whole thing. 

Chairs and table from our friend Molly (thanks, Molly!!!).  Two extra chairs hang in the back ready for friends to use.  (oops, I can see now that I forgot to remove the tags on the chairs...they're brand new...)

The back yard!