PLANTS!!!

This week our project focused on plants. Last Saturday Lezlee and I spent the morning with the landscape architect picking out plants. He had put a few in the yard before but a lot more arrived today. I'm very excited about the plants. We picked ones that bloom at different times of the years so there is always something happening. We also picked a lot of really fragrant plants so the back yard smells wonderful. Finally, we used lots of colors to play off the bright walls and the metal structure.

So here is what our backyard and plants look like today.



This is an overview of the backyard. On the left you can see our new lemon tree, which is already producing fruit. This also gives you an idea of how big the herb "meadow" is is.



Aren't these little plants great. They are a bizarre succulent that look like they come from Iceland. They're ground cover that will spread along the base of the bigger plants.



These yellow flowers were picked to compliment the purple walls. They'll grow up the side of the wall and spread across them. They'll be offset by white roses.



This one bougainvillea will set of the yellow flowers.


These will be covered with blue flowers most of the winter.


One of the aloes.



Rosemary that smells delicious!



These will also be ground cover and full of yellow flowers.


This is the side of the yard where we've made a dog run. It will be the coolest part of the yard because its right under a great big pine tree.






Jordan and our new pomegranate tree.

In other news, Holden learned to weld this week. He's working with Aaron--the metal artist--so he can have a break from painting. He loves doing that kind of stuff. Today he learned to use the plasma cutter. Here he is with one of the gates he made. This is the big 10' gate that will lead into the BBQ area. It was designed to look like a stylized ocotillo--a thorny woody desert plant that our street is named after. The ocotillo motif will also be used on other gates. His girlfriend Noelle was accepted into nursing school this week and she'll start in the fall. These week we had a friend of mine over for dinner whose daughter served in the Bulgaria mission. She brought three Bulgarian dishes--all very good.




Brennan is turning into quite a wrestler and is going camping tonight with the scouts. Hopefully by the end of the summer he'll have almost all his merit badges done.

Jordan had strep throat but at least it wasn't swine flu.

Lezlee finished her abnormal psychology class and is waiting for her next class to start.

I finished painting the Dying Gaul and it sold almost as soon as it hit the gallery. I also started another painting of a friend's daughter leaning against a purple wall. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Now Lezlee and I are going on a double date with Holden and Noelle--dinner and then the new Star Trek movie. The key to having your kids want to do things with you? Pay.