Backyard Landscaping Progress

Sherry has made serious progress on our back yard landscaping project (with some help from  Hollie's Farm and Garden ).  We want a small patch of this thirsty St. Augustine grass.

Hollie's will be back this week with more sod.  It should extend to the right edge of this picture.  (Click on the pictures to get much better resolution.)

Hollie's built these planters.  They will get more plants over time.

Sherry put in these plants by herself (above and below.)

Hollie's put in these.

It's still a work in progress, but it's getting closer.

Blessing of the Fleet - 2014

Saturday, April 12, 2014.  Sherry and I watched the Blessing of the Fleet of the Boca Ciega Yacht Club in Gulfport (Florida), by Rev. Andy Bell.  We were members of the club for about ten years, and often brought our boat to this annual event.

 Club Boat 4

Rev. Andy Bell blesses Club Boat 4.

Club Boat 5

Club Boat 3

Knot So Fast

Stardust

Stardust Photographing Us Photographing Them

Annie B.

Sanity Clause

Flight Risk

Black Pearl

Celebration

Island Time

Omega

Invictus

Sailing Away

The Pavers are done

As planned, we hired a contractor to replace the pavers that I dug up while building the catch basin and to fill in a block connecting two existing patios.  It took almost two months to get the new pavers.  Then T & J Pavers, of Dunedin, did the work in only two days.

I was pleased with the work.  This was the same outfit that built the original patios for us five or six years ago.  Here is how this area looked upon completion of the catch basin:  http://rollinsturner.blogspot.com/2014/02/finishing-up.html

I had installed the electric pump from the old drainage system in the new catch basin, but had never tested it.  The catch basin had accumulated about ten inches of water since completion, not enough to activate the pump.  Today I tested the pump by manually lifting the float that controls the pump. Amazingly, it worked.  It pumped the water down to the level of the pump intake in just a few minutes.

I tried to finish pumping out the last few inches with the gasoline powered pump that I bought during the construction project.  Unfortunately, it didn't work.  The gasoline engine ran, but the pump didn't pump.  I will have to take it in to the dealer for repair.  The gasoline powered pump is important, because we will depend on it as backup for the electric pump during a hurricane in case of a power outage.

Patio furniture back in place:

Tonight we had dinner on the patio for the first time since completion of the project.

Next in line: landscaping the back yard.

Florida Strawberry Festival 2014

Saturday, March 1, 2014

This morning Sherry and I drove to Plant City to the Florida Strawberry Festival.  Met up with the end of a parade.

We followed the parade to the festival grounds.  These little girls were the last group in the parade.

Our number one priority was the Quilting exhibit, where Sherry had two quilts on display.

Both of Sherry's entries got blue ribbons!

Second priority was strawberries with cake and whipped cream.

Then on to the other exhibits.

Black smithing and chair caning.

I always like to see the farm animals.  But they have taken most of the fun out of the animal exhibits by putting the animals behind fences and not allowing us to pet them.  Even the strawberry festival has lawyers now.

These cows were tied up by mistake where visitors could get to them.  We heard an announcement later telling the exhibitors to move their cows.

I think this little girl was lucky not to get stepped on.

 Judging dairy cows in the arena.

There were plants as well as animals.

Nonmetal chickens.  Wish I could have recorded the crowing.  It was almost deafening.

Here's what I needed when I was working on the hole.

There were a lot of cool rides ...

 but I couldn't get Sherry to go on them.

Waning Gibbous Moon

Setting in the west, Tampa, FL, 6:28 AM 2/16/2014

The Chicken Comes Home

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014

As planned, Sherry and I rented a truck today and drove to Circus City Architectural Salvage in Sarasota to pick up her giant metal chicken.

This is the place to go if you are looking for funky decorations for your house.

An employee helped me load the chicken into our truck.

Back at home, Sherry and I unloaded the chicken and positioned it in front of the house.

The neighbor's dog was not amused.

Sherry and the chicken.  Compare heights.

We had to get a big truck in order to have enough headroom for the chicken to stand up.

The new view from our bedroom.

Unplanned selfie on right edge of the picture.  Fortunately I was fully dressed.