She Jumps!

WL has been teaching Banco to leap through a hoop.  An older brother told me he's been doing the same for years and to get some pointers.....I think the solution to happy hoop jumping is a treat afterwards.

Banco in Situ

It's so nice not having to crop out the back wall anymore.

The Back Slope

 With the new wall gate, we are becoming more interested in the steep slope at the back of the property. To help with any erosion and to add stability, we've added a Catalina Cherry tree, a Grey pine tree and some red flowered Jubilee Crown from Australia.

Morning Sun

After a few days of rain, everything out front is enjoying some sun and growing fast.

Jungle

After a quick trip to NYC, I came home to a jungle in the front yard.  A little rain and sun has everything in overdrive.

Armory

 We were working in NYC's massive armory last week. Martina was shooting for a singer/ song writer.  I am menacing her with a 4' fluorescent tube. The rooms are amazing and old there.  1880's. Some are used for offices while some remain in a deserted state.

Smoke Signs

Was working in Hollywood recently on a rebranding effort that included a lot of smoke and a lot of projections. It made for a dramatic week.

Banco In Situ

Micro Mantis

On the Pride of Madeira out back, I spied a tiny baby Praying Mantis.  Less than 1/2" long.  At the bottom of the top pic is a lady bug larva.  A legion of lady bugs are munching away on aphids on the back slope

Easter and Concrete

The guys from Flores Landscaping came over this morning and laid down the new concrete pad in back.  They were able to rise the corner support 2", making that roof a bit more level.

New Pad

The guys came today to score the part of the pad out back that's going to be replaced. They will cut out the offending section and give the deteriorating plate and proper footing.

Front Garden

 Nearly everything is in full bloom.  Just waiting on the Pride of Madeira to explode.

Wretched

This local winery's products are barely drinkable so I was amused when the local grocery store listed it's marsala as "cooking wine".

Backyard at Sunset

Ulcer

Dr. Kase has wrapped up the 4th toe rather well.  Seems that now that 1-3 are doing great, the 4th member of the quintet is suffering.  We'll see how things progress after 2 weeks.

Flip Fail pt.3

The poor house next door has endured so  many indignities. Originally built in 1910, not a iota of original detail exists inside or out. For the past 3 days, workers have been installing split duct AC/Heat pumps in the back. Everywhere else in the world, there would be brackets and the unit would be attached to the wall. Here, they have put the bottom unit outside the kitchen window. What an amazing eyesore to sit down to everyday.  I looked online and this model is over twice as noisy as ours...... so imagine having breakfast with that thing chugging away outside your window. Truly ugly.  As one potential buyer told me as he walked away, "We'd have to replace all the "improvements" that have been done."
Gaffer63: Flip Fail pt.2

Banco in the Garden