Pinky is Back.

Mosaic Mom and I enjoy our blue and our white spiderworts. Years ago we also had a pink form but it got lost. Out of habit I always scan the populations of spiderworts that flower in the ditches along the highways in the spring. They are always blue (have never seen a white one either). But driving along highway 44 on the way to help move little MindEscape I thought I noticed a pink plant in the ditch along with several blues. It could have been a phlox since I was going 60.

Two weeks later on the same road and same mission, I stopped and looked and it was indeed a pink spiderwort. Later that day on trip 3 with shovel and pots in hand the plant was mine. We named it '44 Pink' but call it 'Pinky' for short. Pinky is happy in the backyard for now but will later be divided and spread around the yard. Once again the collection is complete.

'44 Pinky' up close. 

Here is '44 Pinky' our new pink Spiderwort. 

Take me back.....

At break time today I got to pick some greenbeans from a row that was about 100 yards long. It reminded me of being a kid and picking beans during the summer. The beans (bluelake) were perfect and need to be picked or they will be no good in a few days. Of course now, my back and hamstrings were crying after I picked about a pound. That did not happen back in 60's. Oh well, still good eating along with fresh corn, potatoes and eggplant. Did I say eggplant? --- guess my tastes have changed.

Expanding the role of the Z shop.

The Z shop is definitely multidimensional. It houses all the Z car mechanical and restoration activities as well as woodworking, tractor storage and now it is a gardening mecca. Cucumbers tomatoes and peppers border the south wall. They are very happy and producing more that enough food stuffs. We are stuffed period. But that is May in Florida. Yum............

Don't forget the jalapeno peppers. 

Happy cucumber and tomato plants now adorn the south wall of the Z shop. 

Back to the Sea

Finally went surf fishing last Friday. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and a cool breeze coming off the surf. The surf was clean and just right for pompano fishing. Ended up catching 8 pompano, five came home in the cooler along with 4 really large whiting. Finally have figured out how to fillet the fish and get most all of the meat. The fillets were seasoned with lemon pepper, covered in a mixture of bread crumbs and corn meal and fried in a thin layer of hot oil. That combined with a baked potato and fresh corn on the cob made for an outstanding dinner – both Friday and Saturday. Plus there is a vacuum sealed bag of pompano fillets in the freezer. Those were two of the best fish meals I have ever had.

My catching fish in the surf has improved dramatically since I started 3 years ago. Now a poor trip is the exception not the rule. Of course trips are not planned a random. It is a matter or weather, tides and moon phases combined with fish habits. Each trip has been logged into the computer in excessive detail which makes for great reading a year later. It is amazing what we do not remember.

Next the correct bait is critical and at least four different types are taken each trip. Freshly killed shrimp is the best bait along with sand fleas. The fleas have just started to show up now that the weather is warmer. I found the first ones right at high tide Friday and was able to catch enough in my “magnum flea rake” (photo is in my November 2004 blog) in two scoops to last the day. That coincided with a surge in the amount of strikes we were getting. Any unused fleas are tossed back rather than frozen since I have not had much luck fishing with frozen fleas.

If the weather is good there may be another surf fishing trip soon. Want to study more about catching the sand fleas. One thing about surf fishing, there is always something to do, and new data to record, to make the time fly by.

Now that there is a lull in flower sculpture activity I may make a couple more of my "magnum sand flea rakes" and see if I can sell them. Hey, there may be more than fish to skin on the beach.

This form of Crape Jasmine is really a nice plant.  

Real plants - one of our favorite adenium hybrids. 

Back to real plants continued. Here is one of our pet adenium hybrids. 

Back to real plants. No more steel flowers for awhile. My body must rest. 

'Hybrid Vigor II' is finally in its new home. 

Nothing beats a good mosaic facial by mosaic mom on Hybrid Vigor II. 

"Hybrid Vigor II" soon to be planted.

Mosaic mom has just finished giving Hybrid Vifor II a tile facial. Of course she did a terrific job that really shows now that the grout is drying (photo above). Tomorrow my version of a steel sunflower sculpture with a mosaic center will be set out in our yard where we hope it lives a happy life. This mixed medium stuff is quite interesting.

This is day three of working on steel sculpture in the Z shop. Ten feet away the 280Z is awaiting more loving work. However, this sculpturing is becoming more and more fun as the ideas are getting easier to come by. Cars will have to wait until the full Z crew is here. By the way the Z crew is now four since "Big Al" brought his newly found $400 280Z over for work. Happy to have Big Al as he is a good guy and lots of fun. Just hope he doesn't get in the way of my sculpture work.

Toting the huge sunflower around has been hard on my back and I will tone it down for awhile. However, those large sculptures sure are special compared to the tiny tots. And since the joy and excitment keeps growing, soon I must start on "Hybrid Vigor III with or without a happy backy.

"Hybird Vigor II" is getting a facial from mosiac mom and soon will be ready for the real world.