Sunday, October 20, 2013

The second leg of my neighborhood walk

I was getting a bit tired as I continued my walk.  This was more strenuous than I envisioned.  I was hoping to get my back in shape, but I think I put a bit more stress on it as I continued my walk.  So far, I have walked a little over a mile.

Although I was hoping to see more Halloween decorations, I was met with more flowers and greenery.

Pots of blooming flowers caught my eye before I saw the ghosts hanging from the tree.

I've always admired this house, although it was condemned and ready to be torn down when some local architect purchased it.  To my knowledge, no one has ever lived in the house, although they keep building onto it.  In fact, while I was walking by, there were people there who were working.  The owners brought in all the landscape stones and materials, because originally, the yard was a muddy mess.

Mums on the porch, mums on the walkway, and mums on the bench with the birdhouse decorations, made this fun to see as I passed by.

I had planned to walk straight home when I got sidetracked by this house and its side yard.  Talk about impressed!  As a result, I headed down a side street I had never walked on before.

I was glad I did, because I was greeted with several pumpkins on this porch.

I swear this house reminded me of a beach cottage.  The crisp white and turquoise screamed ocean to me.  As a result, the pumpkin seemed a bit out of place here.

Turning the corner, I decided to snap a photo of a tree with a small amount of flowers around it, as well as the planter box on the porch.

Turning yet another corner, I had to laugh at these decorations.  It looked like spring (the spring flowered banner), summer (geraniums and flag), and autumn (the pumpkin) were all represented here.

Here was an autumn inspired yard I was hoping for.  I was thrilled to see the hay bales and wagon, along with the pumpkin lights and other pumpkins that were tastefully gracing this yard.

I stepped a bit closer to see the tasteful vignette they had created in their side yard.  I think these must be antique lovers.

I turned another corner, walked a bit, and was greeted with a lovely lavender and pink landscape.

What looked like autumn foliage at a distance, turned out to be dead plants in the hanging baskets.  All was not lost, though, because the flowering bush (I had no idea what it was) was gorgeous.

It was obvious these people liked bird house ornaments, and maybe a bit of clutter, too.  Thankfully, I only had about three more blocks before I was home.

Can you tell I live in an older, well established neighborhood?  Many of the wood houses were built in the late 1940s to early 1950s, while the brick houses were mostly from the 1930s. According to my abstract, my house was built in 1920 and is a true Craftsman style, even though the inside was gutted and changed due to a fire the year before I purchased the house.

All that landscaping I saw on my walk encouraged me to, if not mow, at least plant my Mexican Sage in the ground.  Silly me!

It took over an hour, and a 15 minute break, to get this plant out of the pot.  I had no idea I would work so hard, or I might have cut my walk short.

In the process, you can see how many branches I accidentally broke as I was digging and pushing and cursing while trying to get that plant out of its pot.

You can also see how much dirt I unearthed (pun intended) from that pot before the sage was free.  As soon as I took the photo, I placed the dirt back into the original pot the sage had been uprooted from and returned these pots I couldn't get apart to their storage area.

It's fairly obvious this plant was now a mere shadow of its former self, after I manhandled it into the ground and added cardboard around it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to keep a few of the weeds and grass out of the area and it will have a chance to grow next year.  Incidentally, I was glad I did this, because Friday it rained, which turned to sleet, which turned to snow.  The only sunshine this weekend is in these photos!

And because I can't waste anything, I filled a pot with the rest of the Mexican Sage.  I'm better at arranging artificial flowers, because these didn't want to go where I placed them, especially after I added water, even though I used a frog in the pot.

What a difference a day made.  To prove the weather changed dramatically in a single day, here is the view from my front porch Friday morning.  Even the trees were starting to shed their now yellow leaves.  It definitely felt like autumn had arrived.

I hope you enjoyed my walk before it turned nasty in my area.  How is your weather holding up?


16 thoughtful remarks:

Judys Lace Creations said...

I've enjoyed walking along with you .Your neighbourhood is very sweet.i love the older homes.The big trees add character don't they?

dawn said...

I loved taking a walk with you, so many pretty things to see. Glad there was some Halloween decorations too. It's fun to see the different houses and landscapes, definitely easier to see when walking.
WOW, I'm tired from this walk so this must have been quite a walk for you. The weather sure does change suddenly, has done that here too. We were so cold yesterday and tempted to turn the heat on. Lots of layers and slippers came out instead. It poured all day yesterday and looks like it will for several days. Hoping there is some weeds left to make a mandala with.
Thanks so much for the lovely walk, read thru both parts and loved it.
Happy Sunday!!

Rebeca Trevino said...

very nice walking with you around the 'hood'. you live in a lovely, established neighborhood. everybody seems to take really good care of their homes and yards.
i especially liked the 2 story house that was condemned that has been brought back to life. love the columns. glad someone took on the task or redo it instead of tearing it down.
have a happy sunday E!

Nan G said...

I enjoyed our(your) walk. Lovely neighborhood so well kept. The pics of these yards were great. Love all of the bushes n trees. Hope you didn't overdo with the long walk and the chore of replanting the sage. I think your arrangement is great. Mexy sage does as it pleases. Ooh no not the S word already! We've been in the low 90s past two days. Have a lovely Sunday, Elizabeth. Thanks for sharing. Hugs

elle said...

I enjoyed accompanying you on your walk, Elizabeth!

Halle said...

That house the architect purchased it so cool!! Love the tower and garage doors as well as the landscaping.
Your Mexican sage is beautiful!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the continued tour. The architect's house is pretty amazing, can't believe no one has lived in it. Loved the antique lovers house. That's my favorite style of house, the older cottage.....Love older neighborhoods and the houses were much better built then, they stick around, which is so nice. Thanks for the great views. xox

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your walk with us! Beautiful neighborhood; lots to see! xxoo

Craftymoose Crafts said...

That was quite a walk, and I'm glad we got back before the snow! There are certainly beautiful homes in your area--I love those wooden doors on the home you said has been empty but worked on. I hope your sage survives to grow again next year.

Yvonne said...

Nice walk. I will be planting sage too most likely. Making a list of herbs now.

dawn said...

Hello again! I forgot to mention how pretty your flowers are on the porch. LOVE IT!!

Hoping you will be joining in for Mandala Monday but know it's getting harder to make them due to weather. I was lucky today to make mine and it's a fall one. Come by and see it when you can.
The rain finally stopped and today was a beautiful crisp cool windy fall day!!
I also wanted to ask what that project was you mentioned awhile back?? Something in November?? I'm getting ready for my Thankful Leaves and posts in November but want to see what your project is. Thanks!

Dianne said...

your bouquet is beautiful...too bad you had so much wrangling to do with the plant! that was quite a walk...SNOW! really?! dear me, I'm not ready for that yet! stay warm and dry my dear...

Janet said...

I am really enjoying seeing around your neighbourhood. Such a good idea, and such a variety of house styles. You live in a very nice place.

Janet xx

Darla said...

Ahh, the second half. My favorite house is the one with the hay bales. Well kept house and delightful decorations. I think walking with a camera makes you notice things differently don't you?

Darla

Spyder said...

fabulous walk around your place! It's the numbers that get me!! So many houses in one road! The lowest number I've ever lived in was Number 1 and the highest was 64
(LYN)

~*~Patty S said...

Fun taking a nice long walk with you through your nice and eclectic neighborhood E (both posts!)
Your front porch Mexican Sage arrangement is beautiful! The scene you've set looks like a greeting card (speaking of! the mail lady delivered a fun surprise yesterday = Thank you SO much oxoxo)