Burning the Candle at Both Ends Burns Me Out

Enjoying Time with Friends Around a Fire

Life is catching up with me. Medical issues have arisen, including the need for cataract surgery at the end of the month and the beginning of next month. That means pre-op and post-op appointments filling the calendar and some recovery time during which I may not be able to get to the computer. We also need to  go  out of town for a couple of days to attend an important reunion before that.


I don't want to get too stressed and burn out trying to keep my current blogging schedule while I  have these extra real life commitments, I have decided to take a mini-blogging break. That will mean for an indefinite time period I will actually treat this blog the way I intended when I started it. I will keep my commitment to the City Daily Photo Blog international network by posting one photo a day I have taken in my local area with some words to describe it. I will observe theme day. But I will not be writing long posts until  I have more time.

This will enable me to schedule ahead for days I'm not sure I'll be able to post. I appreciate your understanding during this time, and hope you will still stop by to see the daily photo. In the meantime, enjoy this poster available at Zazzle. Here's the quote you see on it.

My candle burns at both ends

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-- 

It gives a lovely light. 

Edna St. Vincent Millay

My Candle Burns at Both Ends--Millay 24W x 36H Poster

Gardens in Harmony, California

Harmony Gardens are Full of Bromeliads

Harmony, California isn't a very big town. It really is more like a small neighborhood. There was, however a garden or two near the pottery shop. One of the most interesting sights for me there was that of bromeliads growing in trees. In this photo you can see a group of them on a host tree.

Bromeliad Growing in Tree, © B. Radisavljevic

Most of the plants I saw in the gardens were bromeliads - stemless perennial plants with leaves springing up from the center. Some of these were epiphytes, also known as air plants. Those are the ones you see in the trees. They  were also growing on the ground under the trees. Most weren't blooming, but this one was.

Bromeliad in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

Some of the other flowers I could not identify were also in bloom. You can see them below.  The one with light purple flowers looks very much like a sage variety to me, or something in the mint family.

I have no idea what this bright yellow and orange one is. If you recognize it, I'd love to have you identify it in a comment below.

This rock garden was next to a metal wall. It consisted of a raised bed with another garden bed under it.

Harmony Garden Beds, © B. Radisavljevic

Gift Someone Special with One of These Bromeliads to Enjoy!

Bromeliads in bloom can be very beautiful. You can see some of them on these Zazzle products. They will keep blooming in the photos forever.

Bromeliad Canvas PrintEpiphyte Bromeliad in Florida Forest Jigsaw PuzzleBromeliads iPhone 8 Plus/7 Plus CaseGreen Blue Red Bromeliad Plant Image Canvas PrintBromeliads Poster

Autumn Brings Apples, Walnuts, and Quince

Quince Almost Ready to Pick

It's time for me to get serious about harvesting our fruit and walnuts this year. As you can see, the quince are getting ripe.

Apple Season

The apples are beginning to fall to the ground, and I've picked those I've found there. They are really small this year because they've had so little water. I keep hoping if I leave them on the tree longer they will get bigger.

Walnuts Need Harvesting

I've only begun to pick the walnuts off the ground. I'm grateful for the crop, but my back does not enjoy the harvesting. I hope to get what I can off the tree. The ones I can reach are easier to pick than the ones on the ground. I'm hoping to treat myself to one of these harvest helpers this year.

 Garden Weasel Gatherer Pro Nut Wizard - Large Good Cook Classic Nutcracker with Picks

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Ghosts of Paso Robles Halloweens Past

Yards Decorated for Halloween in Paso Robles

My neighbors in the Riverbank tract really like to decorate their yards for holidays. As I was looking at my picture files from past years, I came across these creatively decorated yards. I thought I'd share them with you.

Graveyards are a popular theme, as are jack-o-lanterns, of course. And it's hard to escape the ghosts.

There are also plenty of witches. I liked this one climbing a tree.

                                                 

Witch climbing tree. © B. Radisavljevic

 Halloween Porch Decorations for House Above, © B. Radisavljevic

One of my favorite ghosts is hiding in the flowers. This is one of my  favorite houses in the neighborhood all year round because of the wonderful flowers. Something is always in bloom. These are, of course, October flowers.

Ghost in Flowers, © B. Radisavljevic

There's still time to decorate your yard for Halloween. 

You Know It's Autumn When You Start Stepping on Acorns Everywhere

Although North San Luis Obispo County is best known for its wine grapes, the oak trees got here first. Now they are dropping acorns everywhere. The photo shows my neighbor's oak tree across the street in autumn.

A very long time ago,  that tree started like so many others - as an acorn that fell into the ground  and got

buried in dirt and watered by rain. After it sprouted and grew a few leaves it probably looked somewhat like this.

The trees grow very fast. It won't be long before this little tree is a foot or two off the ground. in a couple of years it might be over one's head. If they aren't growing where you want them, it's easy  to pull them   when   they are tiny, like the one in the photo or about three inches high. If they get much bigger they are harder to remove. If you wait too long, if they get too large, it might be against the law to remove them at all.

This is what the ground looks like under my neighbor's tree. The acorns and leaves fall fast at this time of year. Fortunately, my neighbor is very conscientious about removing the debris from his tree. It's easy to slip and fall on an acorn because it can roll.

Are there acorns on the ground where you  live? Have you seen any baby oaks where they don't belong?

Learn more about California oak trees.

 Oaks of California

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Side Trip to Harmony, California

Harmony: A Small Art Colony on the Central Coast of California

 I had lived on the Central Coast for over twenty years before I finally got around to investigating the tiny town of Harmony. It was started by Swiss Dairy Farmers in 1869, but it is no longer a dairy town. It's now more like a colony of people who make art objects. The only open businesses I saw the day I was there were the glass blower and the pottery shop. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you should be able to read the history. The Harmony Cellars Winery was at the top of the hill, but since I was there late in the afternoon, I didn't bother going up to see it. I'll do it on another day.

The Pottery Shop and the Well

The only shop I entered during my visit to Harmony was the Pottery Shop. The proprietor didn't want me to take pictures inside, so I didn't. I did think the outside was lovely. It appears that the raised beds and and other elements of the decor were made from materials recycled from previous structures.

Here is a closer look at that exterior wall of the pottery shop. I especially like the weeping willow tree.

Here is the well  at Harmony. It adds to the mood of the small town and may have historical value. It did not appear to be in use anymore and may be purely decorative. I can't find out much about it.

Frame Yourself in a Photo in Harmony!

Want to prove you've been to Harmony? Use the picture window to get your picture taken. Then go to Zazzle and make yourself some postcards to send to friends. Just follow the link and upload a photo you've edited to 1120 x 850 pixels with a resolution of 200 ppi and follow the simple instructions. A larger resolution is even better. You can actually play with the size on the Zazzle page to show your photo  to best advantage.

Of course, if you don't want to put yourself in the way of the scenery, you could just  shoot through the window yourself as I did here.

I also saw a number of interesting succulent plants in Harmony. You can see those succulent gardens here. 

Harmony is on the way to making a comeback and developers have plans. We will have to see if these plans will actually make Harmony a busy and thriving community again. Part of me hopes it stays a quiet oasis.

Beach Shelter in Summerland, California

Barbara Radisavlejvic, Paso Robles, CA, USA

Once again it's theme day at City Daily Photo Blogs. This month the theme is "Shelter." I thought this would be the perfect time to show you this photo of the beach shelter someone built on the Summerland beach.

Summerland is one of my favorite beaches. It's located in Santa Barbara County. The beach can be accessed from Lookout Park. It's right off Interstate 101 if you are coming from the north. It makes a wonderful rest stop near Santa Barbara, since it has restrooms, a picnic area, a place to wash your dog, a playground, and benches in a grassy area. There's even a hiking trail. Best of all, it's free, and that includes the parking.

Poster: Be Creative Poster

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