Ecstatic

Many years ago I saw my very first Desert Willow tree growing out of a large crack in an old swimming pool. I immediately fell in love with the gracefulness of the branches and the stunning flowers. Luckily living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I could purchase one which I did from Plants of the Southwest.

Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis)

And now I have one planted on the West side of my house near the steps coming into the back addition. I purchased it from California Flora Nursery in a gallon plastic pot in early November, 2021. It has grown to well over 6' tall with an abundance of buds and slowly opening to gorgeous flowers. I am so ecstatic to have this beautiful tree where I can watch the buds open into flowers.

Scarlet Runners beans

Along the left side of the swing a wire has
been fastened for the vines to climb.

I primarily grow this plant for the flowers. When I grew them in my garden at MuRefuge they would died back to the ground in the winter. Once the weather warmed they would send up green foliage then beautiful flowers and eventually the pods with seeds would appear. As I read more on line about this vine I see that it is labeled as an annual vine. So replanting seeds each early spring will happen here at PageRefuge.

Infrequently dragonflies visit PageRefuge.
This one was perched atop the 
stake for a Silvery Fir Tree tomato plant.

 Chocolate flower (Berlandiera lyrata)

While living in Santa Fe, New Mexico I was introduced to the Chocolate flower. The flower actually does have a slight chocolate smell. It also lasts for quite a long while before fading away. Unfortunately my success rate of growing an abundance of this plant is very, very, very low. I am ecstatic it is a perennial even here where the winter temperatures were way below freezing. The two I have been successful at starting from seed thrive near the north end of the patio.

This was Shasta's very first 
trip to Santa Barbara with us. We are on the
beach walking south towards Butterfly Beach.

Santa Barbara was a frequent destination for Dwight and I + whatever dog or dogs were living with us. We loved this city and considering buying a house there when we moved from MuRefuge. Prices were pretty steep, and remain so. Santa Fe, NM, was where we purchased our home, a Stamm home built in the early 1950’s, for an incredibly reasonable price.

 

Thank you for participating in this mini garden tour. Today the air is filled with smoke from wildfires burning in the northern part of California. Rather than BEing in my garden I am sharing pictures I have previously taken and ecstatic to share with you.

Hopefully we all can share a belly

 

Plethora, Part 2

"We should not fritter our efforts away . . . we should concentrate on endeavor most important to us."

                                          Deng Ming-Dao

Dwight, once he "retired" as president of
Protected Investors of America, did indeed
"concentrate on endeavor most important to" him.

Once the previous post of Plethora was complete I walked about the inside of the house. What I observed was more . . . many more of Dwight's creations. Some of the most treasured are those he pit fired the beach with a gaggle of others. Some camped for two nights but Dwight always came home to sleep in our bed. Whatever dog or dogs we had at the time and I would drive down to see the pit opened. WOW the pieces were always breathe taking.

 

This is the cabinet in which the TV and other
devices call home. The top is a perfect
AND safe place to display
these priceless pit fired creations of Dwight's.

"Pit firing is a primitive, low-tech method of firing pots. Traditionally a pit was dug into the earth, and pots were fired in this pit with wood and other organic materials, such as dried dung, used as fuel."  Below are a series of pictures taken at Dillon Beach when Dwight participated in a pit firing. 

When we moved from MuRefuge,
this piece was shipped to Dwight's daughter in Seattle.
It sits on her deck she and husband walk out onto.

I loved this arrangement in the front yard of MuRefuge:
the 4 directions were depicted
by a different nationality.

This has been used at Halloween.

Some of Dwight's work he used Raku firing as opposed to pit firing. Looking at all these I have a difficult time knowing if they were pit fired or a Raku firing was used?? Can you?

Some pieces are just displayed for their beauty . . .

Other pieces fill an utilitarian purpose . . .

                                                                                

I love using this "sign" for the dishwasher. Dwight's clever double sided clay piece reminds whether the dishes are clean or dirty.

The piece in the back is filled
with salt we use in a neti pot
to clear the nose during allergy season.

After the previous
post where I featured
Dwight's pots for 
houseplants,
I realized this one was not included.

This is my all time very favorite
creation of Dwight's.

                                                                                       

Well, I discovered, when dining out recently with friends,  my posts are actually read. So in response to her inquiry about clay pots I shared that I always found them rather boring . . . useful but unattractive.

One of my favorite pictures of Dwight
taken during a morning walk in Bridgeport, California.
The Sawtooth mountains are in the background.

As I write this post and see pictures of the many impressive, creations in clay that Dwight has left me with, I 

                                         

Plethora

"Be careful what you asked for" is a frequent admonition. And I certainly have an excellent example of asking and receiving. Early on in my single life after finishing a three year nursing school in Omaha, Nebraska I thought it would be wonderful to be involved with a man who could provide me "free" and "handmade flower pots". Seems I have always thought the clay pots sold everywhere were boring.

Well, I had to wait some time before meeting someone who would fulfill my request. When I met my late husband Dwight, he was just embarking on his exploration with clay. He truly enjoyed live models and created wonderful sculptures . . . not so much making flower pots.

Because he loved me and wanted to make me happy he did create some "flower pots" for my houseplants. Some have been broken while others survived our moves. However, I still possess a plethora of flower pots for house plants. Some made by Dwight, others by my deceased uncle Bill Gardner of Carlsbad, California and Chris Boyd.

Each week he would pick fresh California Pipevine leaves before leaving for the studio in Sebastopol where he did his clay work. I was curious so would ask him why he was picking these leaves? His cryptic reply was  that eventually I would know.

This was my birthday gift from Dwight.
Please notice the detailed leaves.
She is nestled in front of the
Aristolochia californica (Dutchman’s pipevine) 
which is trellising onto three metal supports.

 

Buddha

One of the first sculptures he did from a picture has always sat near our front door whether in Sebastopol, California or Santa Fe, New Mexico or Cotati, California. To me it is such a peace filled sculpture. What better  way to welcome visitors to our (now my) home?

And this one usually hung by our front door. Here in Cotati it is hanging on the North most fence in the back yard. It is placed so I can see it when I do my daily morning qi gong practice.

Dwight's pots grew larger.

His sculptures became more innovative featuring new and original ideas. In Santa Fe the clay available to him was drastically different from what he used in the Sonoma County studio. This seemed to be just one of the adjustments living in Santa Fe. Also the clay, he reported to me, dried out much faster at the 8000' elevation than at sea level. Luckily he used a studio own by a man who had work in clay for many, many, many years. It was his livelihood. Dwight gleaned all he could from him.

Some of the members of 19 Pueblos tribes of New Mexico believe their ancestors came from the depths of the Earth onto the surface. This sculpture honors the "spot" from which they emerged.

The Navajo Peoples have a bit different view of their creation. And to anyone interested I highly recommend this Douglas Preston's book. I so wish Dwight and I had had this book when we spent a week at  Goulding's Lodge in Monument Valley.

Read in Talking to the Ground by Douglas Preston who 

quoted from Leland C. Wyman’s Blessingway: Three Versions

Myth. 

“A song taught to the Navajo Peoples:

I am indeed its child.

Absolutely I am Earth’s child.

Now I am the child of long life, of happiness,

I am the child of the sky,

I am the child of the mountains, of the waters,

I am the child of the darkness, of the dawn,

I am the child of the twilight of evening,

I am the child of the Sun,

I am the child of white corn, of yellow corn

Now I am the child of long life, of happiness.”

Dwight created these male and female heads in the Baca Street Studio.

This particular sculpture was created to sit near a rock filled waterway in the front yard of our Santa Fe home. To me it is just so New Mexico. Not surprising since it was created in Baca Street Studio where Dwight spent all morning one day a week.  

When I began clearing out Dwight's sculpture supplies, I found some what I call "fun" objects. I am unclear whether he created them in Sonoma County or Santa Fe. No matter their origins I am so happy to have them in the garden.

The heavy looking water container was
also a birthday present. I had seen online
but due to the weight it would have been
many $$$ to ship. Dwight called the person
who made them. He so happened to live in
Albuquerque and was driving through
Santa Fe. He drove right into our driveway
and set this wonderful bird bath on the cement.

And then Dwight created these for the downspouts on the house.

Beneath the downspout
in the front corner where the garage is
attached to the house.

Beneath the downspout 
on the North end of the house.
The butterfly rain chain
hangs from the spout.
This chain was purchased 
by Dwight for me as
a Christmas gift
while living in Santa Fe.

Here is the rain chain frozen
during a winter in Santa Fe.
I loved experiencing four seasons!

This bird bath Dwight created. 
It has two pieces: the open base on which the bowl sets.

During this past May Water Wise garden tour a young (well young to me!) mother asked me where she could purchase one of these. Unfortunately I had to deliver the message that it is "one of a kind" made my late husband.

  

This is the last work of Dwight's.
I have it leaning against the fence
 with comfrey growing nearby.
His intention was to create this 
Green Man* to hang from our
fence. Unfortunately he was 
unable to finish this last endeavor.
When it was fired some pieces
came loose as you can notice.
No matter the condition
it is priceless to me!

*"a sort of forest-god,

and emblem of the

birth-death-rebirth

cycle of the natural year"

I feel so fortunate to have all of these works of clay that Dwight did over his time living with me. It is as if there is an "essential" piece of Dwight still here with me. And as I delight in what he created I am able to