Theme Day: One Color - Ivory

Ivory Dominates in This Theme Day Cat Photo

The challenge for this theme is to post a photo where just one color dominates. I could have easily gone with green, but then I discovered this photo I took Friday afternoon which is mostly ivory.

Siamese Cat by Ivory Color Garage Door, © B. Radisavljevic

The Siamese cat caught my attention as she wandered around this xeriscaped yard. She finally wandered over to pose in front of the ivory garage door beside this tall shrub. So I decided to use this as the theme photo. The next one is a variation.  I allowed a few more of the colors into this one.

Siamese Cat by Ivory Color Garage Door Sniffing Shrub, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty sat for a while near the middle of the yard.

Siamese Cat on Rock Mulch, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty Leads us away from the Theme to More Colorful Surroundings

Siamese Cat beside Bed of Jupiter's Beard, © B. Radisavljevic

This clump of Jupiter's Beard adds some needed color to this yard. Like the other plants, it doesn't need much water to look lovely. It's a very popular plant in my neighborhood, and I finally got some it it planted in my yard. I'm waiting for it to bloom.

The most colorful thing in this garden is this colorful sculpted snail -- definitely a bright piece of yard art. It appears to be a planter, but I couldn't get close enough to see if anything was planted there yet. Time will tell.

Siamese Cat beside Colorful Snail Planter, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty seems to prefer to look back at me than face the snail, even though I was much less colorful. Do you think that the snail fits well within this garden? Contrast it with the rest of the garden art and meet the other cat that lives here, in this post: Cat on the Rocks in a Xeriscaped Yard

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers treated the One Color theme here.

Cat on the Rocks in a Xeriscaped Yard

The Cat on The Rocks

As I was walking around my neighborhood this afternoon, I almost missed this very still cat crouching in the rocks in this xeriscaped yard. She appeared to be hunting and waiting patiently for some prey to come out. I'm guessing she may have been waiting for a lizard, since I've seen a lot of cats hunt them, but she also may have heard a rodent.

Cat waiting for prey in xeriscaped yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The cat was alert, not asleep. She was very patient. She didn't move during the ten-fifteen minutes I was taking photos of the yard.

Cat waiting for prey in xeriscaped yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The Xeriscaping and Yard Art

Xeriscaping is landscaping that is designed to use very little water. It depends upon drought-resistant plants, drip irrigation, mulch, and decorative art to make it beautiful. You can see all these things in this yard. The cat I introduced above lives here, and if you look very carefully, you might see her lurking behind the rocks. But you need very sharp eyes.

Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

Notice the rock mulch, drip irrigation, and drought-resistant plants used in the design. The benches are there so the owners can enjoy the garden. The cats also seem to enjoy roaming here. Below is a closer look at the plants around the tabby cat. 

Cat  in Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The  homeowner next door also made good use of yard art. I thought his cactus sculpture was clever. The tortoises, ant and bunny also caught my attention. 

Yard Art in Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a closer look at the ant and the tortoises. 

Close look at Ant and Tortoise Sculptures in Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The sculptures above matched the coloring of the rocks pretty well and blended nicely with the plants. They didn't try to steal the show. The art below grabs a bit more attention. 

Colorful Snail Yard Art in Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The snail is brightly colored. It appears to be a planter. I will show you a closer look at it tomorrow. That Siamese cat you see on the walkway in the background will star in tomorrow's post.  Stay tuned. 

This last photo shows the edge of the property near the sidewalk. You can see how the branches of a tree which I'm assuming the homeowner removed or trimmed features prominently as a border. 

Did you get any xeriscaping ideas from these photos?

Get more ideas from my gardening blog, Barb's Garden Observations.  

• Yarrow is Ideal for Xeriscaping
• Xeriscaping is Essential in Dry Areas

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. 

Q is for Quiet

As I thought about what "Q" would stand for tonight, my first thought was "quack." My neighbor has a pet duck (pictured here) and I hear it quacking quietly whenever it's near me. It's actually a pleasant sound. Certainly not like the annoying cuckoo I hear from morning till night when I'm living in Paso Robles. (You can make any photo larger by clicking it.)

There are many sounds when I live even in this small city, compared to when I'm home in Templeton surrounded by my neighbors' vines. There are loud cars coming and going even in the middle of the night. Noisy trucks park right under my window. We won't even mention the gardeners who seem to sync their schedules to make sure at least one of them is operating something noisy in a neighboring house daily. And then there is that cuckoo.

When I thought about that, I remembered why we moved to a rural area in the first place. It isn't always quiet. There is an occasional tractor or chain saw. But at dusk, when the workers have quit for the day, it becomes quiet. It becomes so quiet you can hear the quiet. Quiet is a rare sound in our world where we seem to be constantly bombarded by radios, TV, traffic sounds, piped in music in waiting rooms, and human cries and shouts.

When I'm surrounded with the cacophony of life, I love to retreat to a vineyard to walk where I can feel the peace that comes with quiet again. I usually  go to Doce Robles, Zenaida, or Peachy Canyon vineyards because they are close.  I like to walk there in the late afternoon as the sun is going down. That gives me added beauty in the sky.


On the particular day this was taken I was attending a meeting at the Steinbeck Vineyards, and I took advantage of the opportunity to grab this photo. It was quiet except for the song birds, whose music just seemed appropriate to the scene.

When I went out to photograph the truck beside my house, its engine was quiet. In fact the neighborhood itself was quiet on this Sunday evening as I said goodbye to the sun.  Only the distant noise of freeway traffic on the hill broke the silence. That quiet very much suited the peace of this sunset.

Related articles

• C is for Croad Vineyards and Tasting Room
• Art and Wine Merge at Sculptera
• The Survivor Tree in the Vineyard
• Quacking duck ringtone helps firefighter rescue ducklings
• What I'd Miss Most If I Ever Had to Leave Paso Robles Forever

Two Very Different Cats: One Shy, the Other Sociable

The Shy Little Kitty

It was cold and windy today, but I went to Larry Moore Park to walk in spite of the weather. The wind tried to blow my hat off but it was tied to my neck. It blew off my head anyway, so it hung around my neck. I decided to turn back. It just wasn't fun anymore, and it was hard to take pictures of the plants when the wind kept moving them.

Because my knee is still giving me trouble I had driven to the park instead of walking. I took the way home past my mailbox with the intent of picking up my mail. As I parked, I saw a kitty perched between the slats of this broken fence. It would have made an ideal  shot, but as I expected,  the cat went back  behind the fence when I opened the car door.

I know that although kitties are shy, they are also curious. I was relying on that when I looked through the slats at an angle. It's not exactly the picture I was hoping for, but I'm happy with it. I'm glad the cat stayed close to the fence instead of running out of sight to hide.

Logan Is Not So Shy

I have a lot of cats in my neighborhood. Some are more friendly than others. I got acquainted with this cat when he came to visit me every night while I worked in the garden. He enjoyed getting drunk on my cat mint. This is my favorite photo of Logan, who loves to pose for me.

He is looking intently at a hornworm on that borage plant in front of him.  He loves to patrol my garden, but, unfortunately, he also tries to do other business where he shouldn't, so I don't encourage him to linger anymore.

Do you have neighbor cats who visit you?

Related articles

• Sleeping Cat at Jack Creek Farms in Templeton
• Review of Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta: A Midnight Louie Mystery
• Two Unique Tasting Room Sights at Peachy Canyon

Enjoying Larry Moore Park the First Friday of March

It struck me last night while I was on a walk around my Paso Robles neighborhood that I was seeing what many of my online friends in other parts of the country and the world are longing to see. Sometimes we California Central Coast residents take our lovely weather for granted. For example, these two were out playing basketball at Larry Moore Park while some people in other states are shoveling snow for exercise.

 A short distance away, this father was helping his son learn to bat. Please notice the father and both sons are wearing shorts. Why not? It was in the eighties. That's also why the one of the ladies in the next photo is wearing a sleeveless shirt as she walks to the car. Our weather was beautiful while friends in Canada were still complaining of the snow and posting photos of icicles.

Should I mention that I started my walk about 5:45 in the evening? So these ladies below were walking to their car about 6 PM and it was beginning to get dark. Today was also warm and sunny, and it appears spring is very near.

Shopping Centers are a Short Walk from the Wilderness or the Farms in Paso Robles

Urban East Paso Robles

Paso Robles is a diverse city of 30,000 people who like a small town atmosphere in or near an incorporated city. Some prefer to be inside the city limits with city services. Others prefer a more rural life. These two lifestyles are often lived very close together.

In this photo you see the sign welcoming people taking the first freeway exit into Paso Robles from the north onto Spring Street or Niblick Road. To get to the shopping centers with Albertsons or Walmart as anchors, one turns right at the end of the ramp onto Niblick Road. To go downtown to the smaller businesses and civic center, one goes straight onto Spring Street from the light.

My Paso Robles home is in the housing tract of Riverbank which you see between the two green areas. It is right behind the Walmart center. The green area in the foreground is Larry Moore Park, our little bit of wilderness in the city by the Salinas River. From the park you can access the river or hike along the Salinas River Trail that is wild on one side and developed on the other.

If one continues east on Niblick road past the shopping centers and the high school one will reach Creston Road with yet another grocery shopping complex on one corner. But if one continues to go straight and around the curve to continue east, one will be in wine country with some small farms in a flash. I took the photo for the poster below at a sheep farm in that area. Please click the photo for purchase information.

 Sheep Grazing in Green Pasture Near Pond Poster

Pigs in the City -- Almost!

As a resident, I can walk in any neighborhood I choose with just about any kind of scenery I want  by driving no more than ten or fifteen minutes from home. So I have the best of all worlds, as much as anyone can in a city.

If you keep following this blog you will soon see some  fabulous scenery as we explore wine country, downtown, and some of the small farm areas. One of those areas is a short walk from my Riverbank home. In about six blocks I can be in the country watching horses, goats, sheep, and even pigs.

A Pig on a Small Oak Lane Farm  in Paso Robles

I took this picture on a walk over the weekend to that rural area on Oak Lane.
From where I live, only a few blocks away, you'd never know this area of small farms was there. You have to leave the tract to find it.

Here's another photo from Oak Lane. This home had chickens among its animals.

***