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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Winter Walk-Off 2015

This is the fifth year that Les at A Tidewater Gardener has hosted the Winter Walk-Off meme.  I'll let him explain, "For those of you who aren't familiar with my little challenge, this is a way to encourage all bloggers to rise from th couch, cast off that musty Afghan, grab a camra, and get out of the house to show the rst of us what their part of the planet looks like."  There are a few rules that can be found here. In past years, I've shared images of things that are uniquely Tacoma.  Today, I had a very short time to walk so I headed a different way from the house than I had in previous years.  In looking at what I saw, it could be just about any town U.S.A.


Of course, I was noticing all of the plants.


Magnolia stellata

 The interesting but unwelcome berries of Hedera helix which the birds eat and "plant" everywhere, including at the bases of trees where the ivy grows up and, if left unchecked, usually overtakes the tree, killing it.  Sometimes the additional foliage will bring down deciduous trees in winter wind storms when their own foliage is long gone.  It also creates great habitat for rats of which Western Washington has a huge population!  


Next on our tour of El Paso...  Oh wait, this is Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.


A glance down the street at Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound, assures us that we're indeed in the Pacific Northwest.

These are popping up everywhere these days.  I love the idea but have not used a Little Free Library yet.  Have you?


Nandina in glorious fruit.

A row of  houses in Tacoma's most common historic house style, the American Foursquare.  Popular from a the mid 1890's to the early 1930's this style of home is a common sight in many parts of the country.



The Church of Saint Patrick, Roman Catholic, has a gorgeous interior with a carved marble back altar and incredible stained glass.  (Happy Saint Patrick's Day, BTW)

Perhaps next year for winter walk-off, I'll see if I can walk inside and take photographs.  

It's all fun and games until someone has to clean up!

I rather enjoy the carpet of purple and white petals, it makes the garden look dressed up for a special event!  Once the petals turn brown, a quick once over with a mulching mower would take care of them in no time!

Old brick fire house turned into condos. 

Another fun old house on the street. 

So cheerful!
 Notice the tag on this yellow fungus.  I think it said something like Sphereiphyllum  wilsonii. 

I decided to walk back through an alley.  This Bergenia flower looked quite springy to me.  Also to the little green spider who seems to have taken up residence.  Do you see him?

What kinds of ladies ply their trade in back alleys?    As I spoke to the buff colored one, the other two came running.  I love chickens but don't want to give up the space it takes to keep them.

I love brick walkways but this one seems to be saying, "Get OUT!"  Maybe it was simply trying to tell me where to go.

 So, there it is, my ever so brief winter walk off post for this year.  Next year, I'll start earlier but the couch with the musty afghan was too tempting this time!  Happy almost spring!

28 comments:

  1. Thanks for showing us around Peter! Love the petal carpet!

    I'm afraid that if I participated in this it would result in one boring post at this time of year... but perhaps I should try anyway?

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    1. Yes you should! And hurry up, the deadline is fast approaching.

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    2. I'm with Loree! You can also drive to your walking destination so your first hike of the year post would have worked nicely. How about a walk around an historic neighborhood in St. Louis or Chicago?

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  2. Thanks for this look at some of the interesting parts of Tacoma. I enjoyed it!

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  3. O! Ho! Definitely not any town USA, Peter! But a place without earthquakes allowing old brick buildings, a place with lumber available for building, a place cold enough for tulips and a place with gorgeous views out over water. Wow! I think I would be happy there!

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    1. We do have earthquakes here and the occasional volcanic eruption as we're in the Pacific Rim of Fire. Somehow we also have a lot of brick buildings. Lumber is plentiful and was even more so in the 1800's when many of Tacoma's early fortunes were made in that industry. There are lots of water views in this area and some nice mountains to look at, too. Move on up, it's a gardener's paradise - cold enough in the winter for tulips and other things that need a bit of a chill yet mild enough for camellias and a host of other broad leafed evergreen plants. With the exception of the tropics, we can grow a wider variety of plants in our climate than anywhere else on the planet.

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  4. You live in an interesting neighborhood. Is that brick walk indicating 'one way' ? Maybe they go in the back door and out the front? It's pretty anyway.

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    1. It is a pretty walk and I don't think they were thinking about the arrow look of it as they were making it. It's just the way it meets the sidewalk.

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  5. I love walks around the neighborhood turned into blog posts. Just a great way to see how the others live (in really BIG houses evidently).

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    1. There are both big and small houses in that area but I just showed the larger ones. Back when they were built, people needed space for lots of children and also for the elderly family members who lived with them and maybe a domestic helper. Now our domestic helpers are all mechanical and we've outsourced child rearing and elder care to other facilities. Of course some were just built to be grand homes.

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  6. Did you show us only the charming parts, or do you really live in a fabulous neighborhood? And close to the water too?

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    1. Only showed the charming parts. This is a couple of streets down and 7 streets over from my hood. We're not quite as close to the water. I live in an historic urban neighborhood that comes with great old buildings as well as lots of other interesting things one finds in an urban environment. I sometimes dream of living in a nice rambler with a metal roof and vinyl siding in the middle of a few acres of garden. Most likely then I'd have deer to contend with. Every area has trade offs, right?

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  7. That yellow fungus looks dangerous. I'm thinking it might cause torn ligaments or sprained elbows. The church and the neighborhood sure do have a beautiful view of Puget Sound! Thanks for taking us along for your winter walk-off.

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    1. Thanks for walking with me! You are right about that fungus, it's dangerous as is any form of exercise. Best to stay safely on the couch at all times. Whoever heard of someone spraining a wrist using a remote control?

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  8. It's a very different scene than you'd see in my area of SoCal, Peter! Tulips and 2 churches within walking distance would be extraordinary.

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    1. I forgot about tulips needing a bit of cold in the winter. I take them for granted. In our older areas, there are neighborhood churches everywhere. I can see three from my living room. Unfortunately, some of the older churches get torn down as time goes on. Too bad as they make really interesting homes!

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  9. You live in a beautiful area. :o) Here's my winter walk off: a long row of nearly identical houses in the famous Suburban Clone architecture fronted with crappy landscaping. No chickens allowed.

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    1. My gracious, you make your neighborhood sound so inviting. I do love the quirky quality of our older neighborhood.

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    2. Funny, you don't strike me as a Stepford wife...

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  10. Tulips already? I was not ready to to see one. I always associate tulips with April or Easter, but then again, Easter is variable. I am familiar with that fungus in my own garden, and I think we have two vectors for it living in the house. Every time I toss it away from my garden, one of the vectors brings it back to me. Thanks for participating again, Peter!

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    1. The tulips in my garden aren't blooming yet but those I've had for years are up and some budded, the new ones I put in are just showing their noses above the soil. I was jealous seeing these so early but they are out in a parking strip that gets full sun. Interesting behavior of the vectors bringing the fungus back to your garden! Thanks for hosting this fun meme again, Les!

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  11. fun walk, Peter! I love your vintage neighborhood.

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  12. You came so close to my house. Two blocks up the hill from those pocket libraries. You could have seen my mess of a yard which is basically one big stock bed after salvaging all I could from my old garden during last years move. So excited to actually plant some plants this year and let them grow some roots.

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  13. Most excellent WWO! The Spanish Colonial Revival church is a bit of a head-scratcher--did Spain colonize Tacoma at one point--but really, you live in a lovely neighborhood, and with a view of the--whatever that bay-thingy-inlet is from the Pacific--you know, water.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.