That Didn't Last Long

So much for my retirement from blogging. Who knew there would be so much going on this weekend? I have to share just one (or two) more of my adventures...

Arts Goggle at the loft garden gets a slow start as about half of the artists scheduled for our area cancelled due to the forecast of non-stop rain. When the music began people immediately began to get into the spirit. (There were more people at times but I was busy yakking instead of clicking.)

This trio is from our building. The fellow on the left is a professional touring opera singer. The others work at a national travel company that has a gnome for a mascot. They kept the wee audience mesmerized with their covers of western swing, Willie Nelson, etc. They said they had only practiced together for an hour or so but I think we have the makings of a new hit band.

Bluegrass music from an other local group who band together for these type of festivals.

The landlord had a keg of the local brew delivered as a bonus for folks visiting our little loft garden. My sweetie was on watch for any underage visitors and happened to be guarding when the FWPD on patrol came by. (She never knew people lived here. Guess that's a good thing?)

Then as promised the wind shifted around and it got really dark, really fast. Cold winds were whipping the vendors' tents and wares and folks quickly packed it in.

Except for the hangers-on.

A couple of the tenants and I helped some of the vendors quickly pack up in the gloom of the coming storm and I noticed "the guys" (college age? - hard for me to tell, everyone looks young these days) hanging out around the keg. Where have I seen these guys before? Probably from the landlord's other buildings close-by. Wait, I know, from the beer tasting at the local brewery.

Vendors all packed up - everyone gone but the "neighbors". Now it's raining. Really cold rain and the boys are on the dock, which is my neighbors' front door step.

"OK, guys," I say to my sweetie's new best friends. "I have to turn the gate back on which means you guys will be stuck inside here for the night."

"OK, we'll go." (So, Kate, if you are reading this... We definitely had the "ones".)

Blissful, slow soaking rain sitting on top of us from about 7:30 pm Saturday until Sunday at Noon. I did not even mind that the power was out from around 3 am to 8 am.

While it was still raining this morning, I had to decide how many gardens I could possibly drag my sweetie through on the Garden Conservancy's FW Open Days Tour held today. A new friend told me of one garden that was a must see with its collection of eclectic finds. So, I asked for at least this one.

If it has a bottle tree out front, you know this house is a must see.

Now, my apologies. It was difficult to hold the umbrella, focus the camera and not get the umbrella caught on the treasures in this side garden that was not much more than 6 feet wide.

Mirrors fashioned into shallow boxes hung on the wall as if creating light boxes. See how they highlight the garden behind me?

Yard sale finds and shade loving plants.

The glare hides the chandelier in this photo.

The garden is about 9 years old and has bird feeders everywhere, stained glass panels hanging around the tiny back porch. Every little nook has a bit of color and whimsy.

Her garden is very small and we must exit out through the paved alley and back through the side yard of the gracious neighbor next door. It would have been a treat to go through this garden as well but we walked politely and quickly through until...

I found these cockscomb and purslane growing in the cracks of the cement patio. Click.

Looking over the tour information I decided to forgo the sea of umbrella torture to my sweetie. We would just do a drive by of the rest of the tour homes to see their front yards.

The yard of this home in a small lot neighborhood is covered in gulf muhly, surrounded by eve's necklace (the small trees) with river fern holly and roses on their outer fence.

Can you imagine this yard in a suburban neighborhood?

This would have been a stunning sight had the rain not leveled many of the beautiful pink seedheads. Perhaps I will do a drive-by on a clear day, some day soon.

One of the homes featured I had toured during the Hidden FW tour this spring. I just realized y'all had not seen this on my blog as I had no photos to share. Why?

Here was the drafted posting:

FW Camera Police

Went to a garden tour in town today. Big as life on the ticket it says "no photography allowed". Well, what kind of intrepid blog reporter would I be without my camera? OK, OK , I'll leave the monster camera at home and only take the small pocket-sized one.

First home. I enter, see a docent and ask if I might take a photo of some rock work in the patio area. "You'll have to ask the lady out front," she says. So, out front I go. "No, for the privacy of the homeowners, security systems, you know."

OK. Maybe I'll do a drive by later, another day...

Second house. Into the back yard, I see cameras clicking away. I ask a docent, who responds, "Be discreet." OK, my pocket sized camera is way more discreet than the cameras currently clicking away with huge zoom lenses attached. I snap a few photos. See the posting here.

Third house, monster yard with a zillion dollar mansion.

I don't see any big cameras at first but I do see ladies with camera phones clicking in the distance. So I take some photos of the sweeping vistas of the grounds and this birdhouse.

Birdhouse of doom.

Down the pathway to the next part of the estate and a lady in a garden hat comes up to my left.

"Excuse me. There will be no photographs taken during this tour."

"Oh, I am very sorry. I saw some ladies taking photos over there earlier. I thought it might be ok," as I begin handing her my camera.

"You have clearly been told earlier that you could not do this. If you continue, your camera will be taken away," she is not interested in taking my camera.

"Ok, thank you. I will take no more photos." Darn.

Then, around the corner, OMG... I spy the most beautiful faux bois (fake wood, hypertufa) table, bench and bridge I have ever seen. I had not seen anything as beautiful since viewing the pieces of San Antonio's Brackenridge Park. It is clearly the work of Carlos Cortes - the table was just like this one!!!

Martha and Carlos Cortes - Source

I wished I had the courage to take one more photo! It took every fiber in my being to keep my hand off my camera. I was so good but I stood for the longest time seeking a secret photo angle of those beautiful cement pieces...

The remaining gardens in the tour were rather uninspiring and made me think that the "no photo" policy was meant for them. 20 photos. I don't think I have ever ended a tour (or any day) with only 20 photos in my camera.

Back to today and the last stalking shot of the tour.

The house next door to the forbidden fruit.

Thanks for all your prayers for rain in Texas. It seems this westerly front has given the whole state a bit of soaking rain. The rain did wash out the Arts Goggle and the Garden Conservancy Tour probably suffered a bit but the rain was so badly needed.

Enough adventures for today. Hope your weekend was exciting too.