Boxcar Willie Experiment Update

Cindy's experiment with grafting a Boxcar Willie tomato plant onto some disease-resistant tomato root stock is still proceeding, and we're now able to see some significant differences between the grafted Boxcar Willie and the ungrafted plant.  (For a description of the experiment, see http://plantagarden-itllgrowonyou.blogspot.com/2014/04/box-car-willie-tomato-experiment.html).

Two Boxcar Willie Plants, Grafted on the Left, Ungrafted on Right--July 1, 2014

Both plants are showing signs of serious stress; this has been a crappy year for tomatoes all the way around, not just for us but for most of the other vegetable gardeners Cindy knows, but the grafted plant is the clear winner of this experiment.

Both Boxcars on July 20, 2014

These two pictures show the progress of the disease on the ungrafted Boxcar Willie plant on the right; in three weeks the ungrafted plant has wilted considerably, while the grafted plant on the left is still putting out flowers and producing tomatoes.

Fortunately, we have had big, juicy tomatoes from both plants, but it's clear the ungrafted plant is now done.

Boxcar  Willie Tomatoes

Somebody's Thirsty

We woke up the other morning to find that our birdbath in the back yard had been tipped over again.

It's a metal birdbath, about three feet tall; it's not the heaviest thing in the world, but it does take some effort to turn it over.  To my mind, that means it would take a fairly sizable critter to turn it over.  I don't think the skunks or opossums that frequent the neighborhood could have done it.  The Gray Fox or a large raccoon might have been tall enough to do it, but I'm thinking it was probably a Coyote.

The last time the birdbath was tipped over, Cindy saw a Coyote running down the edge of our canyon a few days later.  They seem to have discovered that our bird feeder attracts birds and Ground Squirrels and it looks like they may also have decided it's a good place to get a drink, too.  

Mama Bird and Junior

We've been watching some birds at our backyard feeder today.  The one that caught our attention was a plump little fledgling House Finch that appeared to have just recently left the nest.  We spotted this little guy sitting on one of the metal branches of our feeder continually fluffing his wings.  He had most of his big bird feathers and could fly, but still had some downy feathers on his wings and on top of his head.

Junior House Finch

With him was another House Finch that we thought might be his mother.  Mama Bird seemed to be trying to show Baby how to use the feeder, hopping up on the perch and inserting her head into the holes of the feeder, but Baby was having none of it; he followed her onto the feeder perch occasionally, but never seemed to figure out what he was supposed to do there.  Instead, he sat on the metal branch and chirped at her to come feed him.  When she flew up onto the garage roof or into the Chinaberry tree, he followed her and then followed her back to the feeder.

"MaaaaMa...MaaaaMaaaa, Come Feed Me"

Mama Bird finally gave up and did feed him, but it's pretty clear that she thinks it's time for Junior to get out and fend for himself.

Welcome to the world, little bird.

Back At Home

The problem with going on vacation is that you're continually wondering what's going on at home while you're away.

The pet sitter kept us informed about what the four cats were doing (mostly eating and sleeping), the news media assured us that no meteorites had obliterated San Diego and that the Padres were as pathetic as usual, but there was no way to know what was going on with the garden in our absence.

That leaves the gardener free to imagine that the tomatoes are all dying, the varmints are running rampant and somewhere there's a zucchini rapidly approaching the size of a Shetland pony.

Tomatoes Not Looking Good

When we came home, we found that some of those fears were unfortunately well founded:  the tomatoes really were dying, the artichoke we had recently planted was dead, the back flow valve on part of the irrigation system was leaking, and the radishes had bolted.  Too bad, Cindy really loves her radish sandwiches in the summer.

On the other hand, the green beans were reaching for the sky, producing another bountiful crop, and the squash were looking good.  Cindy picked a couple of the Clarimore zucchini (smaller than Shetland ponies, fortunately) and a handful of tender green beans and they were delicious.

Green Beans Rising

So, back to normal.

And, Of Course....

We couldn't go to Northern California without visiting several wineries in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County.  You can still find the small family wineries we prefer in the Anderson Valley without having to put up with the glitz and crowds of Napa.

One of our favorite wineries, Esterlina Vineyards, was in the process of moving its tasting room from a mountain top in the Anderson Valley with a spectacular view to a more accessible location further south in Healdsburg, so we didn't get a chance to visit them this time.  To get to their former tasting room, you had to drive several miles up a twisting, mostly dirt road with the increasing belief that you surely must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and you'll probably end up in Canada, before you finally arrived at their tasting room, only to find that their wines, and the view, were definitely worth all that a effort.

However, their move did give us the opportunity to explore two new, at least new to us, Anderson Valley wineries.

Handley Cellars

First up was Handley Cellars, a few miles west of Philo on Highway 128.  We felt right at home before we got in the door, with their terrace of drought tolerant lavenders and grasses.  We loved their Pinot Noir, too, and signed up for their wine club, so we should be able to enjoy more of their wines over the next year without having to lug it all home in our suitcases, although, of course we did lug a few bottles home with us.

The next stop, recommended by our friends in Mendocino, was Lula Cellars, currently located in a shop in Philo.  Lula Cellars is a new winery, established in 2010, but the wines are definitely the work of an experienced and highly skilled winemaker.  While we were tasting their wonderful wines, we heard all about their plans to establish their tasting room a few miles to the west.  So we bought a few bottles of their wine and joined their wine club, too.

A wonderful trip, and so much to look forward to, as well.

Alegria--Always Good

After the shock and disappointment of the closure of the Greenwood Pier Inn, we quickly called our friends at Alegria in Mendocino, where we had planned to stay later in our trip and found that they had space for us for the two nights we had planned to stay at Elk.

The Garden at Alegria

It was just what we needed:  quiet, comfortable and comforting.

We spent relaxing days walking in the Mendocino mist, casually poking through the shops and bookstore in Mendocino and Ft. Bragg, exploring the wineries in the Anderson Valley, or picnicking at MacKerricher State Park north of Ft. Bragg.   

If you go to the Mendocino area, you can't do better than to stay with our friends Eric and Elaine Hillesland at Alegria.

Glass Beach

Another location we wanted to visit on our trip up the Northern California coast was Glass Beach at Fort Bragg.

I've collected small amounts of sea glass over the years, but became much more interested in it a few years ago when I started making flame-worked glass beads.  Most of the beads we flame-workers make have a glossy, glassy surface, but it is possible to create a more matte surface, either by using a chemical etching agent, or by tumbling the glass in a rock tumbler with silicon carbide grit, which is the method I prefer.  If you etch or tumble glass beads made with a transparent glass, the matte surface resembles that of sea glass.

The sea glass at Glass Beach at Fort Bragg was the product of a former city dump; the glass dumped there was eventually eroded by the action of the ocean and created a beach that was largely glass.

However, when we mentioned to local people that we were going to Glass Beach, they told us that it had been pretty well picked over, and that there wasn't much glass left there.  It turned out that they were right about that.  The few pieces of glass we saw were very small.  The glass may have been broken down and eroded by the ocean, but more likely it was just carried off by people who ignored the city's warnings to leave the glass for others to enjoy.  The quantity of sea glass in many places has been declining in recent years, mostly due to the fact that less glass is being used in soft drink bottles, and thus less dumped into the oceans.

We didn't come away empty-handed from the beach, though.  We found one trophy that we carried away with us, only to deposit it into the nearest recycle bin.

Plastic Bottle "Trophy"

Muir Woods

At the top of our list for our vacation trip to Northern California was a visit to the Coastal Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) at Muir Woods.

There is something incredibly peaceful and calming about being among the giant trees in a Redwood forest, and there's absolutely no aroma on earth like Redwoods, especially early in the morning.

Also, fortunately, not too many creatures on earth like the 8 inch Banana Slug we saw crawling over debris on the forest floor.

We spent several hours walking through along the forest trail, through the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.

The water in the creek beside the trail was low, as California's drought continues, but these trees are amazing survivors, many showing evidence of damage from and regeneration in previous forest fires.

It's always a special place.  Even a short visit to it is, in John Muir's words, "the best gift any tree lover can have."

Elk and The Greenwood Pier Inn

Probably the biggest, and least pleasant, surprise that we had on our vacation trip up the Northern California coast was when we went to check into our bed-and-breakfast inn, the Greenwood Pier Inn at the small village of Elk, a place we have stayed at many times in the past, only to find the parking lot empty and the buildings apparently deserted.

View From the Cliff House Deck

We finally located the caretaker, who told us the place was in foreclosure, the inn and cafe closed and the staff laid off.  We quickly made arrangements to stay elsewhere, but found it tremendously shocking that such a lovely place could have come to that.

The cottage we had planned to stay in, the Cliff House, is truly right on the edge of the cliff above the ocean about a hundred feet below; you can hear the surf crashing on the rocks below all night long.  The view is spectacular; the sea has carved large openings in the rocks just off shore and the tide flows back and forth through them.

Rocks At Elk

The Greenwood Pier was a pier at the small town of Elk where timber was loaded aboard steamers bound for San Francisco in the later part of the 19th century.  Timber and fishing made many thriving communities in this part of the California for many years.

But eventually most of the timber was cut and the fisheries depleted by over fishing; now the chief source of income for people living here is:  tourists.  That makes the decline of the Greenwood Pier Inn at Elk all the more tragic, as the inn, with its restaurant, garden shop and boutique was probably one of the largest employers in what is a relatively poor area.  Its closure, even temporarily, has to be a tremendous blow to the economy of the area.

We have many happy memories from previous stays at this beautiful place; we can only hope that future owners will restore it to its prior glory.

Meanwhile, if you've got $4 million to spend, it could be yours: http://www.showcase.com/property/5926-Hwy-1/Elk/California/9044617 .

Sourdough Bread

On our recent vacation in Northern California, we ate at several wonderful restaurants, but the highlight for me was the Tadich Grill at 240 California Street in San Francisco.  Although it has changed locations several times over the years, this restaurant has the distinction of being the oldest restaurant in California in continuous operation.

Since it's only a couple of blocks away from the building where I used to work, I have some vague recollection of having eaten there once before, but didn't remember much about the food.  Silly me.

As an old-style restaurant in the City by the Bay, they do seafood.  Oh, yes, they do seafood.  I love Dungeness Crab, so of course I had to have the sautéed Dungeness Crab legs, and it was perfectly done.   Cindy finally decided on the sea bass after she heard the people at the next table raving over it, and hers was wonderful, too.

And the sourdough bread--I could have eaten a whole meal of it.  I've had bread that was alleged to be sourdough bread in many other locations in the world, but there is nothing, NOTHING that even comes close to true San Francisco sourdough bread.  Nothing.

Dungeness Crab and sourdough bread.  Sigh.  We'll just have to go back.

California Academy of Sciences

On our vacation last week, we stayed in San Francisco for a few nights and then went up the coast to Mendocino.  We ate at a lot of nice restaurants and visited the many food-related shops in the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero, which is always fun.

But, of course, Cindy can't just relax on a vacation, there has to be some activity related to gardening or plants, so while we were in San Francisco, she wanted to visit the California Academy of Sciences, located in Golden Gate Park.  The building is the largest public building to be rated at the platinum level for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).  It has a 2.5 acre living roof with 1.7 million native California plants and a four story high rainforest.  See "About the Building" for more information.

Well, it certainly sounded worthy of a visit, but thanks to a screw-up with our rental car, we never actually got there.  Who knew Fiat made cars with transmissions that were both manual and automatic?  We didn't-- we couldn't figure out how to shift it out of second gear, making a really interesting adventure driving on the Bay Area freeways, and it sounded like a truck, so we went back over the Bay Bridge and returned it, and by the time we got a different car it was too late to get to the museum.

So we'll save the museum for a future trip.

And just say "no" to anything Fiat makes.