Summer Harvest

We have shared a garden with our next door neighbors for the past 3 summers in the grass (now dirt) strip that divides our two driveways...it's the perfect use of space and gives us some super yummy summer-time food. I am still wondering if we will be daring enough to try some winter crops this year as well.




Picture of the garden...a great use of virtually unusable space

Our first large crop of the summer includes:

• walla walla onion (a left-over from last year, funny being that none of the onions grew lat year-this one was supper tasty)
• lettuce (we just planted the 2nd crop)
• green beans
• zucchinis
• cucumbers-they are amazing and super easy to grow
• tomatoes, all varieties, probably ready to start picking next week
  
• carrots-they are only a couple inches long right now
• cilantro-it died, I did not cut it fast enough
  
• mint
• basil
• blueberries, these we just planted on the north side of the backyard so we'll see if they survive the 107 degree heat we have today! A Portland tie record
  

How did it stay tall?

Amazing that our house is still standing after finding what we found underneath the column boxes. One 2x4 literally suspended in space and just hanging, one just there and another bowed, split and half there. I guess that we hired help none too soon. While we were going to just have him do the columns, we decided to spoil ourselves (or save a couple fights and some heat exhaustion) and hire him to do the railing boxes and two sets of stairs as well. Contractor Ben you are our savior!

Hard to tell, but the columns were crocked and misshapen long
before we found out what was really wrong with them


Can you find where there is only half of the 2x4?

half a 2x4 that is bowing is holding up our house....sweet! What else will we find?


New Posts...and done in one day-magic!!!!
Maybe hiring a contractor is worthwhile????

Fireplace Before and after!

how it looked on inspection day...leaving a lot to be desired. Fake brick tiles and all.

There is nothing like a warm fire on a 90 degree day! ...but we are so proud that we had to show it in it's full glory