GLAMMING-UP AN OLD STEELCASE CHAIR

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by backyardnotes in Art, Creative, Fun in the Garden, Serendipity

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art chair, creative, garden chair, garden project, metal chair, Steelcase chair

The finished chair

MY LATE FATHER-IN-LAW probably bought this (and at least one other) chair surplus some 40-50 years ago for his office. A no frills chair, perfect for a cement mason or laborer to sit on when waiting for a paycheck. Somehow, the groundskeeper managed to hang on to two of them after he took over the business and now one has a new life.

One of these chairs made its way to our house years ago and has been hanging out with the potting bench. As a testament to the quality of its overall construction, the chair has rusted only slightly and the seat and seat back material has held up well too, in the elements. Three months ago we found a second chair in a storage room where the office used to be and I decided to bring it home and dress it up for the garden rather than scrap it to the metal guy who parks just outside the transfer station.

1950’s (?) era Steelcase chair

I sanded the frame to get rid of the rust, removed the seat and seat back and then gave the chair 1 1⁄2 cans worth of Rustoleum’s 2X Ultra Cover spray paint; they have some great, vibrant, colors for outdoor use.

In the “spray booth”

I found some great oil cloth prints at Pacific Fabrics, wrapped the new fabric around the old and I have a great chair in the garden. This so much fun that I am going to do the second chair; I found a ladybug print vinyl that called out to me!

PART TWO: A LUCKY WEATHER WINDOW AT RED ROCK CANYON

26 Saturday Feb 2011

Posted by backyardnotes in Desert, Serendipity, Travel, Wildflowers

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desert, serendipity, Travel, wildflowers

Sunrise reflecting on canyon walls in the campgroud.

HAPPENSTANCE AND SPONTANEITY ARE WONDERFUL TRAVEL COMPANIONS. It was nothing more than happenstance that we found Red Rock Canyon State Park (check the video with the link) in California on our way to Death Valley last year, so having no formal plans or time frame, we stopped for a few days before going on to Death Valley. Again this year we had warm, clear weather during the day (and 30’s overnight) and on a Wednesday, only two other campsites were occupied. As it turns out, the warm weather we experienced both trips was an anomaly. Normal temperature range for this time of year according to the park ranger, is usually is high of around 40° and low 15°! But luck was with us so we had two good days for hiking in the park.

This year we hiked over the ridge at the south end of the C.G. and west up the main wash behind the campground to its end (the cliffs just right of center in the photo above) in a box canyon. As we began our walk at the bottom of the wash we were treated to rivulets of running water that fell over a series of small falls before falling a hundred feet to a larger wash below.

Lots of colorful, sandy, eroded cliffs line the wash to the north and south. I named this area the toadstools for the way the rock has eroded. The ‘toadstools’ are more than ten feet tall.

The end of the wash or is it the beginning?

As we wandered back down the wash we did some detouring to see if we could find another way back to the campground and up and over some of the ridges. As we climbed up one small rise, Tom spotted a piece of paper rolled up and tied with ribbon snagged in a shrub. At the other end of the ribbon was torn and deflated balloon from a Red Robin restaurant (who knows where). We unrolled it to see the note:

Could it have been written around Christmas time? Sweet. Too bad Gian Marco did not include his address; we could have written to tell him where we found it. Kind of like a message in a bottle.

There were several tiny plants in bloom along the wash edges. This one I think, is mohave brevifolia, the flowers no more than three-sixteenths of an inch across.

A view to the northeast, the big wash below (where the water was headed) and amazing color and variation in the landscape beyond. Next trip we’ll hike this area. There is no end of opportunity for hiking and exploring here and this is one reason we are drawn to Red Rock Canyon. If our luck holds, next year we’ll encounter good weather too.

THE BEAUTY IN SERENDIPITY & LILIES

27 Tuesday Jul 2010

Posted by backyardnotes in Jellies & Preserves, Lilies, Serendipity

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SERENDIPITY: the faculty for making desirable discoveries by accident.

Sister Renée found these glass jar lids somewhere near Cathlamet. Her husband spotted a sign for an estate sale and they went for a look. There she found a box full of the lids that I have been looking for. I had mentioned that I have a number of old wire bale type canning jars without lids when we were in an antique shop at Klipsan Beach. She paid five dollars (!) for the lot of them and they became a treasured and appreciated birthday gift. For the time being, I have laid them out in a display table in the living room to admire them for awhile before putting them to use. Aren’t they beautiful?

CROW UPDATE: So far, nine days after crafting and planting plant tags to thwart removal by crows, the new tag holders are successful! Only one pulled out of the ground. Hurray!

Last Wednesday was strawberry day. I had purchased a flat of Skagit Valley grown strawberries from Sakuma Brothers Farm on Tuesday Last year and this, West Seattle Thriftway has carried their beautiful fruit at a reasonable cost. I made Strawberry Preserves with balsamic vinegar. Last year the few half-pints that I put up went quickly. This year I canned ten half-pints. We’ll see how far they go.

I LOVE LILIES. And I have lots of them planted around the yard. They smell divine and look elegant swaying in a little breeze. This is Golden Eagle, about five feet tall.

Dainty Martagon lily.

Combined with hazy blue eryngium alpinum. These lilies with recurved petals remind me of fluttering ballet skirts.

These beautiful lilies are Orienpet ‘Red Hot’.

Tomorrow we are off to Lake Chelan to visit a friend for a few days and maybe get in a couple of hikes in the Icicle Creek area near Leavenworth on our way.