At last...HOT WEATHER!

Finally - some summerlike weather this week. It has been quite warm all week, and most of the azalea blossoms have fallen in the garden. So many shades of green filled the garden, and all the plants were patiently soaking in the sun and holding out for rain. We talked to an 87-year old man who lived in Japan for 40 years, starting in 1949. He was visiting the garden from Portland, with his wife and extended family, some of whom live in Seattle and all of whom have spent time in Japan. The Haiku Society Northwest was hosting a Haiku Day in the garden, and were just finishing sharing and discussing the haiku they composed today when we arrived. It was the hottest it has been this year, and we are so glad we have a shaded area to play under.

The haiku group was reading and discussing haiku when we arrived.

The willow branches reach into the pond  for a drink....

Two turtles, one wet and one dry, enjoy the sun and water.

The lilypads are plentiful in the pond, and a few irises are still in bloom.

Shady steps, near the teahouse.

The edge of the bridge, and the pond and trees....everywhere you look in this garden, the colors, forms, and textures delight.

Jesse pulled the cart today....as he says, "One hundred and forty-two pounds of PURE MUSCLE."

Brian carried the koto. 

So nice to have helpers.

Clouds turn to sun!

When we arrived around noon it was in the mid-50's and the sky was so cloudy that the path lantern was still lit (see below). In the next hour, it got wamer and warmer, until - as you can see in the bottom pictutes below - we had a warm sunny day, complete with blue sky and enough light to see shadows. The garden became filled with families, couples, and single strollers, everyone happy to finally see the sun.
We talked to a family from Iran that we met last year, who brought their friends from New York, and met an eldery gentleman who plans to come next week to share his haiku. He and his wife and daughter sat under a cherry tree and listened to the music for about an hour. His daughter later commented on how the scenery seemed to connect to the music; fish jumping, ducks flying, and the wind playing across the water. Obviously a very literary family.
Our spirits lifted throughout the afternoon, as we took off our sweaters and enjoyed the wonderful feeling of playing outside in the very special setting of the garden.

It hardly seemed like midday under the dark clouds when we arrived.


The area where the trees were blessed in the groundbreaking ceremony which took place on June 16th.

Gleaming petals, and blossoms have bloomed on a dogwood tree along the path.



A goldfish makes his way amongst the waterlilies.

I noticed this for bush for the first time near the pond -- it seems like it is a variety of rhodedendron, but the flowers are very delicate, reminiscent of a plumeria.

John got a picture during my solo, with listeners relaxing in the grass.

Our instruments on the platform with the lilypads on the pond beyond.

The lilypads make a wonderful, carefree covering on the pond.

Irises along the pond...

3:00...YES, YES, THAT IS BLUE SKY!

A SHADOW.......really, we hope the upcoming summer is full of them!

SUNNY SKIES ON FATHER'S DAY!

We were so happy to be greeted with sunshine today.  The warmth brought out smiles all around, and we really enjoyed playing for so many people who were appreciating being outside in the sun.  Lots of folks lay down on the grass -- dry at last - and listened and relaxed in a horizontal position.  We talked to a saxophone player from Chicago who hopes to make his own recording soon, and a Korean family who listened to us playing our own arrangement of "Arirang." 

The three fantastic BULL FROG great pictures below were sent to us by our friend Bruce, who artfully captured the frog...perhaps the very one who sits under the dock and croaks on occasion. Thank you Bruce!

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Today's garden theme is PURPLE.  PURPLE irises, next to the stream and near the pond...so refreshing and elegant. 

The paulownia tree is done blooming -- the end of just a short few weeks of blossoms.

The turtles enjoyed the warmth of the sun, and watched the carp from their rocks.

The waterlilies furthest out in the pond bloom first, it looks like.....

The reflection of the pine tree, in the pond near our platform....

John, heading out with our gear. IT IS SO GREAT TO BE WEARING T-SHIRTS INSTEAD OF WOOL COATS!

June 8th...

JUNEUARY!! That's what someone called this chilly weather....we looked at the ready-to-rain sky and saw that the temperature was in the 40's and decided to not even attempt to play outside today.  Not  like us to wimp out....but this cold weather is just so hard to make your fingers move and the wind blows in the mics and we get chilled to the bone.  Maybe we're getting old??...NO! We'll play next week no matter what!

THE AMAZING SKY PICTURE BELOW was taken at 8:30 in the evening from our house: the weather cleared up around 5:00 -- leaving us hopeful about the upcoming week.

A chilly June First....

The temperature is right around 50 degrees -- with the wind keeping a chill in the air.  The garden was understandably quiet. When they stopped to listen, one of the guides pointed out to her tour group that a small maple tree next to the pond is called a "Koto no Ito"  - "Koto String Tree" -- which we hadn't noticed before.  A picture of the tree is below.  Regular visitors Bruce, with his friend Rebecca, and Tim, stopped by to listen. Such sturdy souls!  

The rhodedendrons are in full bloom. some reaching high into the sky.
Bamboo stalks at the entryway.
More irises in bloom along the pond.  
Tim, Bruce and Rebecca stopped by to enjoy the garden and listened to our music.
The "Koto to Ito" (Koto String Tree) near the pond.  The leaves are very narrow - like the strings of a koto.
The blossoms reflect the pond....the pond reflects the blossoms....which is which? Something to reflect upon....

The water lilies are beginning to bloom....