Quonset Hut Update 2

Readers of The Blog will remember that around the corner on East K Street, there is construction going on!  This is our gorgeous, historic City Hall building.  There used to be two quonset huts in front, so you couldn't even appreciate this architecture.  They have been torn down and the parking lot is being rebuilt (see original post here ).  Solar panels are also in the works.  It will be a definite improvement.

It already is.  Because look!  Those are the new steps coming up from East K Street.  It used to be when you walked along East K street you had to move as quickly as possible so as not to be buried under ruble created by the collapse of the damaged retaining walls.  I would say this is way better.

And you can appreciate how gorgeous the old Benicia High School (now our City Hall) truly is!

Autumn Trees

The trees in this post are from my Mom and Sister's house.  I love autumn and I love trees, so it stands to reason that I love autumn trees.  The one above is an elm.  It's at least 40 years old.  Mom has been told it's the oldest elm in the county!

Here are a couple of birch trees.  My sister's favorite.

A Japanese Maple.  They have a lot of these.  One of them I grew from a little baby seed.  It's now six feet tall!  (It's in the back.)

I have no idea what this one is.  There are four in their driveway.  Update:  It's a Chinese Elm.

Here is a view up the street.  Is this so gorgeous?  The tree to the left is a fig tree.  My mom was just telling me that she had recently seen some wild turkeys IN the tree, eating the late-season figs. . .

. . . when suddenly, the turkeys came around the corner! 

It was a beautiful day.

Morning Geese and Scotch Pines

I've always loved the honking of geese.  Even in the place we lived right before moving to Wellington, where I was unhappy, I remember a wintry morning huddled in bed, trying to keep warm.  I could hear the honking through the thin aluminum-framed window, wet with condensation (I know the object is lost in this sentence, but you can apply it to me or the window - it doesn't matter which.).  Outside was icy and grey.  The flock of geese flew low, in and out of clouds.  It was beautiful.

But today!  It's barely cool.  The sun is shining.  I'm living in WELLINGTON.  I was on my front porch admiring my Halloween decorations and taking pictures to show The Little Boy who's still at sleep-away school.  I heard the geese, as I often do.  We are a waterfront community, after all.  I snapped a pic just as they were leaving.

This poor little Christmas tree.  What Christmas tree, you ask?  It's hidden in this pot.  I've written before about the flock that covered it last Christmas.  How it has been trying for almost a year to slough off that flock.  Here he is, almost ready for his season, and this MUM that was only a snippet from my neighbor-friend's garden is positively DWARFING. him.  It's trying to steal the spotlight!  How did it get so huge?  It's a mum, for crying out loud.  If it wasn't about to bloom I would cut off its head.  But it better get around to it soon because Christmas is right around the corner and I'm not letting any old mum steal my poor little scotch pine's glory.

$7 Magnolia and Arbor Walk Update 4

Loyal readers of The Blog will remember this magnolia we bought for $7 this summer because it only had four leaves and needed us.  Look at it now!  It's positively blooming!

And this is what the Arbor Walk looks like now.  I just love this peaceful area any time of day.

The guara that my Master Gardener friend said we would regret planting is looking beautiful.  It was salvaged from what little landscape was in the front under the waist-high crab grass when we moved in.  We just couldn't throw it away.  I figure if it gets out of hand we can always dig it up later.  It's not brain surgery.

Speaking of things that aren't brain surgery, many of you will recall the Hibiscus Quest when the new turtle came to live at Wellington.  A nice new friend across town let me clip off a long stalk of her hibiscus so that we could get that poor little turtle to eat something.  She never did (don't worry, she's alive but we sent her back to the breeder who treated her ailments and sent us a healthy turtle who's name is Pica because she won't STOP eating).  But that hibiscus twig started to root in its glass of water, so I shoved it in this little pot.  Actually, he just got planted today.  I'll keep you posted.

Andy's Nut

Outide my office window I have a perfect view of this telephone wire that serves as a highway for a little squirrel called Andy.  Every autumn (this is our second autumn at Wellington!) he spends the entire day shuffling along this wire.  He heads toward the right nutless,

and comes back nutfull!  There is a large walnut tree two doors up, and I'm inclined to think that is where he harvests his yearly stash.  He's very cute!  Sometimes there are two Andys on the same wire, which is very confusing.  Also for the squirrels.

Quonset Hut Demolition - East K Street

Here is the update on the quonset hut demolition that is underway at Benicia City Hall parking lot on East K Street.  The plan is to tear down the quonset huts and repair the parking lot, then add solar panels as a means of revenue, energy and shade.
photo above courtesy of benicia history preservation and review committee

These Google Map photos show the quonset huts prior to demolition.

It's not going to look bad.  I saw the artist's rendering, and it will be a definite improvement.  Although I could appreciate the history and quaintness of the quonset huts, let's face it.  They were ugly.  In the above photo, you can really see that precarious retaining wall.  Below is a photo taken September 19.  I was almost run over by a dump truck while I was taking this photo.

It's a shame they had to chop down so many sycamore trees.

For a more comprehensive overview of the project, go here. (I'm too lazy.)

Dinner Time!

My favorite magazine (Real Simple) has a great article this month.  It's called "A Month of Easy Dinners."  I generally cook dinner at least five times a week (only because I like to) and like most people who do the same, I often get stuck in a rut.  I have a lot meals I rotate in, but it seems like we're eating the same meals more often than I like.  So this idea really appealed to me.

Somehow I'm really good at timing.  More often than not I get dinner on the table at six o'clock on the dot.  I guess because I've been doing it so long.  That's one reason why I love the way they have organized this plan.  There is a pull-out grocery list for everything you need week-by-week.   Meals are organized so that you use the most perishable items earlier in the week and the total prep time is given for each night. 

So far we have had Monday and Tuesday's dinners of week one.  Monday was salmon with green beans, carrots and baby bok choy.  There was an Asian Chili sauce on the side.  I am trying not to substitute if I can help it.  This way I will expand my culinary experience.  I already know how to cook like me.  The salmon was cooked on a skillet (I ususally broil) with kosher salt and pretty much nothing else.  I never would have tried baby bok choy.  And the Asian Chili sauce was a great accompaniment.  Four stars!

Tuesday was supposed to be roast beef panini with tomato soup.  Since it was in the 90s at Wellington today, I substituted a cole slaw for the soup.  But since I'm trying to use their recipes, I used a cole slaw from week four which was completely different from my own.  I'm hoping when it comes time to make the cole slaw from week four we will either feel like it again, or I can shove in the tomato soup.  The panini had freshly sliced roast beef, which I don't normally buy, baby arugala and a condiment of sour cream (I did substisute Greek yogurt) and horse radish.  The cole slaw had no sugar (I always use sugar) and was made with Napa cabbage, mint, fresh ginger, sesames and olive oil.  Four stars again!

Isn't this fun?  YES!