Monthly Archives: October 2023

My Never Ending Journey

Path of Knowledge
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

I love to learn about life and the world around me. I constantly search out new things, ideas, and endeavors. My overall life’s theme is a never ending journey of acquiring an understanding of what surrounds me.

Japanese gardens are characterized by the placement of rocks and plants to symbolize a theme or an idea. As we designed our Heatherwood Japanese garden area, I attempted to create a few life themes. The one depicted above attempts to represent my overall theme of a path to a never ending journey of knowledge. The rock in the lower right corner represents a student just starting the journey. The additional four large rocks represent steps on the path. They curve up and lead up to the ridge above, and then up to the sky. I am a practical person, so I built a simple path paralleling the rock steps which is much easier for me to traverse.

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Garden Design In Progress

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Stream & Pond Edge
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

We continually add young plants to our Heatherwood garden. A year ago, we planted two Japanese maples next to our stream and pond area. The one on the right side of the image is a Ryu Sei. It will grow about 4-6 ft. tall then weep down onto the stream’s edge. The one on the top left of the image is a Scolopendrifolium, commonly called a Fingerleaf Japanese maple. It will grow to about 5 feet tall and form an umbrella over the Yukimi Japanese lantern. Our design intent is to create a naturalistic environment where plants, rocks, water, and structures all blend together to develop a peaceful feeling.

Each year we watch how the plants mature as well as add a few new plants to fill in some of the bare areas. Slowly and patiently we enjoy how the garden gets closer and closer to our vision. Now, we will grab our morning coffee and sit by the stream.

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Exploring

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Old Farm
Eastern Washington State

When I get a chance, I like to get off the main roads and explore from time to time with no set purpose. This day I was on my way back home from South Dakota and was tired of driving along I-90 in Eastern Washington. I decided to turn off toward the town of Odessa. Driving along a dirt road, I came across this lonesome old homestead. The old farm was still inhabited. It had a small farm house nestled in the trees behind the barn. The buildings were old and unpainted, but well kept up. The grounds were clean and neat. There were no signs of active farming. A white pickup was parked just out of sight behind the barn.

Before getting out to photograph, I sat in my Jeep and wondered what the people living here were doing. It looked like they occasionally had some animals in the fenced areas and barn. But I could not see any other evidence of active farming. All around the area were large active farms of wheat, hay, and other grains. Here was just sage brush and one or two old abandoned farm implements. I imagine the owners are people who love the rural life and have day jobs in other areas.

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A Little Rain Drizzle Pops Out the Color

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‘Selah Ridge Bluff’
Heatherwood, Early Fall

When I walk out to our driveway to get into my car, I look up and see this stately bluff looking over me. A little rain drizzle perks up the colors in our Heatherwood garden. Soon the dogwood will brighten up with its reddish purple leaves and bright red berries. Behind, the large maple tree will turn to a brilliant red.

P.S. The little black spec in the upper right corner of the sky (if you can see it) is one of our neighborhood red-tail hawks.

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Early Fall Color

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‘Early Fall Color in the Meadow’
Heatherwood Meadow

As summer ends, fall colors start to take over our Heatherwood meadow. The flowing grasses introduce various shades of pink, white, green, yellow, and red. The asters pop out in their different hues of purple while the yarrow hang on to their yellow flower heads. The spirea are just starting to change into their multi-color yellow, green, orange, and red fall display. And this is just one small section of the meadow.

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Moving From the Badlands

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‘Late Afternoon Sunlight’
Heatherwood, Early Fall

Today, I’m moving from the Badlands of South Dakota to the Good Lands of our Heatherwood Eastern Washington garden. The hills and terrain of the Badlands are beautiful, so are the hills of Eastern Washington. Fall has definitely started. Our oak leaf hydrangeas, viburnums, spirea, and red/yellow-twig dogwood shrubs are starting to display their bright fall colors. Something different is starting to change each day. It is difficult to keep up photographing all the changes.