Oh What A Night.... Great Name For A Song!
Hint: Turn up your audio
JR and Karen suggest "Il Garage" at Park Avenue.... Sounded good to us after all what could be wrong with a sick garage???
It was a fantastic evening! The setting was incredible... We were in a four tractor garage! The service was outstanding and the dining partners made for a fun filled evening!
First We Must Find The Garage!
A long block south of Katella on Beach.... Hidden well!
Now We Are On Our Way!
We were met by the manager and invited into the bar to await JR and Karen...
We took his recommendation and happy we did!
A beautiful bar with black and white photos of famous people on the walls...
The bartender was very nice and teased us right back!
When JR and Karen arrived, we were escorted through Park Avenue and out
the back door... We thought we did something wrong
In the distance we spotted the gate.... Now we are worried... But alas, all is well
Delightful setting... Adjacent to the garden!
We had a perfect table...
We visited for a while then Sue had to visit the garden!
Raised planters save the knees!
Big enough for small trees!
Did You Know? - Raised-bed gardening is a form of gardening in which the soil is formed in 3 – 4 foot (1.0–1.2 m) wide beds, which can be of any length or shape.
The soil is raised above the surrounding soil (approximately 6 inches to waist-high), is sometimes enclosed by a frame generally made of wood, rock, or concrete blocks, and may be enriched with compost.
The vegetable plants are spaced in geometric patterns, much closer together than conventional row gardening.
The spacing is such that when the vegetables are fully grown, their leaves just barely touch each other, creating a microclimate in which weed growth is suppressed and moisture is conserved.
Raised beds produce a variety of benefits: they extend the planting season, they can reduce weeds if designed and planted properly and reduce the need to use poor native soil. Since the gardener does not walk on the raised beds, the soil is not compacted and the roots have an easier time growing.
The close plant spacing and the use of compost generally result in higher yields with raised beds in comparison to conventional row gardening. Waist-high raised beds enable the elderly and physically disabled to grow vegetables without having to bend over to tend them.
At 6:30 the sun was playing tricks on the camera...
The tomatoes are really green!
Mint and artichokes... Interesting combination
Yes... A basil tree in the background
He lowered his head as we passed by.... NOT!
Actually he was peeping over the wall
Letting the flowers dry so they can use the sunflower seeds
Did You Know? - For commercial purposes, sunflower seeds are usually classified by the pattern on their husks. If the husk is solid black, the seeds are called black oil sunflower seeds. The crops may be referred to as oilseed sunflower crops. These seeds are usually pressed to extract their oil. Striped sunflower seeds are primarily used for food; as a result, they may be called confectionery sunflower seeds.
JR came out to visit... Very scary!
Did You Know? - Modern scarecrows, though still essentially decoys, seldom take a human shape. On California farmland, highly reflective aluminized PET film ribbons are tied to the plants to create shimmers from the sun.
Another approach is automatic noise guns powered by propane gas. One winery in New York uses inflatable tube men or airdancers to scare away birds.
The eggplant was high as Sue's eye
Did You Know? - Some 18th-century European cultivars were yellow or white and resembled goose or hen's eggs, hence the name "eggplant".
Il Garage is powered solely by this windmill.... Make sure you have candles!
They really work the garden as the normally dead leaves have been
removed as the plant produces tomatoes
The garden is right next to the garage
Ah ah.... The size of the windmill is now known
We found fuzzy wuzzy!
Back to our table... Had to make sure JR was not getting in trouble!
Neat signage in the garden
Fresh figs anyone???
"Hey JR.... Is that what I think it is???"
"Keep it under 60 inside!"
The "Farm Boy" kicked in after three laps around the garage!
This was the menu of the day...
We shared squash blossoms and Parmigiano and other goodies
Then we got down to serious ordering!
Once the girls got us off the tractors, we had a delightful dinner!
And we did severe damage to their supply of wine!
Things got a little fuzzy after that!
From whence we came...
A wonder evening with friends.... Makes the worries of the world go away!
Sue taught Paul to wave "Bye Bye" years ago!
By the time we departed it was Oh-Dark-Thirty
More About il garage.. Note: From July 2009!.
