Rays of Light

Which one of the following pics doesn't belong...?

Ray of sunshine on late autumn dahlias and Penstemon barbatus in Sue and Hugh's garden...

Ray of sunshine on Aster frikartii 'Monch' and Chinese lanterns (Physalis alkekengi) and Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy' in Anne and Peter's garden...

Ray of sunshine on Salish Sea from Jim and Wren's garden...



Ray of sunshine on a lavish border of Autumn Crocus (Colchicum) at Sue and Hugh's...

(I had to work in the freighter shot somehow. Very cool. A reminder to look up (way up) ever once in a while, whilst gardening!)

Only the Lonely (Nicotiana sylvestris)

No, this isn't a singles ad for tall, lanky, late-blooming, possibly socially-awkward annuals.

Just recording the bloom of Nicotiana 'Only the Lonely' for future reference.

Above: a broom, for scale. Below, me, for scale. Very pleased with these--we finally found something white n' showy for this section of the pool deck that is too shady for the white roses growing everywhere else.

Spidey Senses

September is Spider Month.

If anyone sees me out in the garden, apparently playing with an invisible marionette, I'm just trying to relocate a swinging spidey whose handiwork I just walked through. Feel bad about that.

I wonder if they start building a new one right away, or if they just take the day off, head down to the pub, make a claim at the Web-Compensation Board. Something like that.

Speaking of spidey senses, I think I'm losing mine--I mean, the ones required to ride a bicycle in traffic. All this scootering has eroded my cycling Spidey Senses. I assume I'm honing my scootering Spidey Senses, which is a good thing, but when I went on a long bicycle-ride last weekend, I got honked at twice. Both times, I was following the trajectory of a bicycle-lane that suddenly ended and I failed to vaporize at the same time. Before the Scooter (BS) I guess I never felt entitled to space on the road and obligingly vaporized, because I rarely got honked at.

I am therefore mystified by the behaviour of traffic on Marine Drive in West Van. How many times have I seen spandex-clad road-racing cyclists obliviously holding up a long line of cars as they spin around the winding one-lane coastline. I actually don't think those cyclists are oblivious--they just feel entitled to the road, even though common courtesy would beg they pull over for the parade behind them. Even more surprising, no one honks. I suspect the drivers are afraid the cyclist might be their boss, or someone they don't want to offend.

I guess I don't look like a high-powered cyclist, since the closest thing to spandex I wear is socks (they're tight, and sometimes have a small logo). I am therefore honk-at-able. But now I know what it feels like to Take the Lane. Oh, the power. I have tasted it. Who needs Spidey Senses when you can lead the parade...

Opposites Attract??

This is actually an old pic I just found in my archives.

Is this a case of His and Hers? A case of 1 Hummer + 1 Smart Car is equivalent to 2 Normal Family Vehicles?

I thought that if a Smart Car and a Hummer parked in the same driveway, they would trigger some law of physics that automatically converts them both into anti-matter.

They are so totally pretending not to know one another.

Parking for Self-Propelled People

Need a stick? Take a stick. Have a stick? Leave a stick.