Sunday Sightings

 Photographs of things around the Retreat this Sunday.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.

Fall leaves

Hyacinth Bean Vine

Plumbago

Frog

Closeup of Frog

Really closeup of Frog

Maya

Charcoal on the grill

Steak (Before)

Steak (After) Mmmmm....

Asparagus

It was a good day.

Wildlife at the Retreat

I was doing my usual sitting outside sipping my coffee on a Saturday morning when I noticed an abundance of butterflies flitting around the cape honeysuckle and salvia.  I rushed inside to get my camera to capture the beauty.  While tyring to get photos of the butterflies a hummingbird moth flew right in front of the lens.  I was able to get a few photos of the hummingbird moth that weren't totally blurry. 

After trying my hand at the fast flying creatures, I noticed a pretty little green bug on the yellow dandelion.  I went back to sitting and sipping my coffee when I then saw a lizard in my staghorn fern.  He was the best model of them all...nice and still.

Wordless Wednesday

Fall Color

Rebecca's Retreat agrees with the cooler weather we are having here in the Austin area.  Here are a few photos of what is blooming today in the backyard.  The Knockout Rose just keeps going, and going.  I think I need to invest in a few more of these proliferous bloomers.

Knockout Rose

Morning Glory

Rose

Mixture of Salvia and Cape Honeysuckle.

I don't remember the name of this plant.  I almost lost it and have beenn pampering it for a couple of months.  The blooms are my reward.

Squirrel

This little guy was hanging out in the oak tree in the front yard so I ran inside and grabbed my camera for the photo opportunity.  He was a good model for a bit, but then got angry at me and Maya (the cat) invading his space.

Garage Sale Garden

I went to garage sales this morning and found some great stuff for the garden and house.  I love garage sales.  You can buy things at a garage sale for the fraction of the cost of retail or new.  I also will buy things aat garage sales that I would never buy full price.

Here are some of the bargains I found this morning for the garden.

I certainly didn't need another buddha, since I have about five already, but I couldn't pass up this lovely turquoise one for $2.00.  Not sure where this one will go yet..inside or outside.

Who doesn't need a colander full of rocks?  I couldn't pass this up for $1.00.  I will use them as a decorative feature in the garden...maybe in the new pathway.

I paid $4.00 for this potted creation.  There are about four plants in here..I think one is a rubber plant and not sure what the rest are.  It now resides on my front porch.

These cinder blocks were free.  I am going to use some of them as a stand for the rain barrel and use a few more as legs for a bench. 

The boots will not be going in the garden but I couldn't help but post the great bargain I got on these.  These boots are a size 13 and I bought them for my big footed son.  It is quite difficutlt to find size 13 shoes or boots in a shoe store let alone at a garage sale.  The boots are Justin lizard skin.  We looked them up on the internet and found them for a little over $300.  I got them for $5.  All we need to do now is take them to the liittle shoe repair place on Oltorf and get them shined up for about $10.
.

And let's throw in some photos of Maya while we are here.

Maya's sophisticated nonchalent look.

She's so ferocious...or is she just yawing?

She's tired of blogging...

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The Pathway

 My first pathway.  I love it. 

My friend, two boys, and I put in this pathway in a couple of days.   Now I want pathways all around the backyard.  That gets kind of expensive when you have about an acre.  We used metal edging and decomposed granite.

I found the arbor at lowes for half price.  I want to get a New Dawn rose bush to climb on it but am not able to find one at the moment in Austin.  So, I planted some hyacinth bean vines to get some temporary foilage to give it that cottage feel before we get a cold snap. 

This is Maya.  She is the newest addition to the family.  I got her at animal shelter for free with all shots and a microchip during kttypalooza this summer.  She keeps me entertained and is company.