Exploring Gantz Park

 It was a perfect day for an adventure, so we headed out to Gantz to do some exploring. First thing out of the car, we searched for and found a letterbox. After adding our stamp and replacing it safely, we headed down the path toward the gardens. The kids said hi to the reading girl statue, visited with a cat that was lounging closeby, then ran off to walk the labyrinth.

Don't forget to stand in the center to hear the echos!

 

Callicarpa japonica

 We found this shrub, which caught our attention with it's striking lustrous purple berry. It's not one we were familiar with, so we made sure to look for the sign. It's called Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica), and seems to be related to Verbena. 

 While we were there, a bride and bridesmaids arrived to take photos. The kids were quite curious about them.
After a walk around the park and some squirrel watching, we explored the creek a bit. There were quite a few fish, and H and I surprised a small water snake while walking across some partially submerged rocks.
To finish off our adventure, we hopped back into the car and drove a few miles away to find our first geocashe!

Worms, Sempervivum tectorum, and Baby whales

 Worm bin maintenance is fun for all. Especially the girl, she loves holding crawlies.
We have some really happy ones, with brand new digs to explore.

I believe this is a Sempervivum tectorum. I've had it for about 4 years, and it's just now starting to make babies. We'll be watching them to see how they grow. They are quite cute.

H&J are making sure their baby whales are happy. They've been tending them for a few days now. Today they needed to dump and refill the water, as there were some mosquito larvae in there. They have also discovered that black walnuts don't make good whales, since they sink to the bottom.

More garden

I love our garden.

Get ready, lots of photos coming soon!

Post-Vacation Harvest

Too shy for pictures;
1 1/2 dozen eggs
3 yellow summer squash
1 huge bag overflowing with basil

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Today's tiny harvest

 Green beans, beats, a potato. It won't go far, but it will be tasty!
The potatoes don't seem to be doing very well. Probably due to the giant hornworms that tried to take them out. We'll have to try again next year with row covers.

I think we'll put in another round of beets in a few weeks for a second harvest before winter. There are still a bunch out there, and now that they have been thinned I hope they'll be doing some good growing.

H&J love to help harvest and clean our veggies. They do a really good job, too.