Between Thunderstorms: HEAT!

We had a huge thunderstorm on Saturday night, then it cleared for the afternoon.....later Sunday night, we had rain and thunder again. The mugginess of the weather is much more like a midwest summer than a Seattle weekend!

There were quite a few visitors to the garden, and many of them enjoyed our music sitting under trees or laying on the goza mats on the ground.  We talked to a gentleman who has an old koto in his home in Holland, and a family who was based in northern Japan for three years. The garden is beginning to take on fall colors in the trees, while there are some bright spring-like lilypads in the pond.

A striking dandelion was one of the first things that caught my eye... 

Layering of changing leaves above the pond and teahouse....

John snapped a couple of pictures from the platform while I played...

Listeners,  blissed out....and a very curious young listener who sat for a long time.

Reeds near the pond have an autumn look....

....while the waterlilies offer a refreshing pink. 

The late afternoon sky shows the mugginess.

The moss on the rock reminded me of a river.

Back at the garden!

The biggest change in the garden is the NEW, TEMPORARY ENTRY.  It is being used while a new gatehouse is being built.  It is actually an older, unused entryway that faces Lake Washington Blvd, located about 500 feet from the parking lot.  Unless you are trying to load in lots of equipment such as a quick shade and speaker system (like we are) it doesn 't present any problem at all.  We had trouble navigating, first through the narrow doorway and then finding a trail that we could use. It made us realize how convenient our nice, wide trail along the back of the garden from the past entryway had been!  This week we are trying to think creatively about how we can better pack and load our things into the garden. 

The weather was in the 50's in the morning, and warmed a bit in the afternoon. But perhap because of the chilly air and the start of the summer Olympics there were not very many visitors.  We did talk to an acupuncturist that we've met in the past and his extended family, who were greatly enjoying the music and garden. Several people commented that they could hear the music as they walked in the new entrance.

The temporary entrance is very authentic...like being in Japan.

Because of our chilly weather that keeps coming back every few days, the edges of the leaves are already starting to turn....

The shapes of the trees, lilypads,and the pond seem to complement each other.....

The cloudy sky of the early afternoon made thoughtful reflections in the pond.

A turtle enjoys his rock.

Two stout figures, the tree and the stone lantern.

Our son Brian helped with the moving of equipment.

Right outside the gate, this hydrangea. 

We'll see what next week's weather brings.....

Happy Birthday to Me!

Here it is, another birthday already! Hint to my (Elizabeth's) age: I turned 13 the day we landed on the moon.  YIKES!  It was a wonderful afternoon in the garden: we visited with Bob and Jan Scott from Bend (and Tuscon, depending on the season), who we met last year at the garden. Jan plays koto and Bob loves music...they sat under the tree for our whole two-hour set.  A lot of people sat and sprawled on the grass to soak up the wonderuful sun; it was mid-70's so the weather was very comfortable. We also talked to some visitors from California.  The most noticeable difference from last week was the number of dragonflies; they were everywhere, flitting across the pond and through the air. Other than the lilypads,  most of the blooms are gone, leaving the garden in shades of green. 

NOTE: NEXT WEEK WE WILL BE GONE. NO MUSIC AT THE GARDEN.

A froggy enjoys the concert from his refreshing spot amist the lilypads.....

The paulownia tree offers a roof of large green leaves now.

The creek near the entrance...

Running water is very refreshing today.....

A touch of purple among the many ferns that line the pathways.

A dragonfly lands on the pathway rope....

Bob and Jan enjoy the music in the shade of the cherry tree.

Looking up, the blue sky and the maple leaves...

Overhead,  planes like to remind us of modern life, deadlines, and NOISY technology.

 (ah, well.....)

Our first evening show.....

The weather was so lovely this evening - after a warm day, a cool breeze welcomed us at the garden. We talked to a couple from Gig Harbor and saw our friend Deborah who had come to hear us.  The fish were more active than in the daytime....and a Great Blue Heron was present for the whole two hours, patiently, patiently looking for an evening meal.  We didn't see him catch anything, as he flew on silent wings and stared at the water in different parts of the pond. It was refreshing to play on the platform without the quick shade overhead; the garden had a different feel than the daytime, with the twilight adding a noticeable end-of-the-day, serene atmosphere.

A Great Blue Heron waits so patiently for dinner, motionlessly studying the water.

The bird flew silently above the pond to try a different spot...

And stood some more in the water.....

And stood on a rock....

A loyal fan, Deborah, meditates as she listens under the cherry trees. 

John plays "Call of the Cranes".

Carp were jumping and splashing, looking for bugs in the evening....

The lilypads all closed up in the evening light.

On the way home, the nearly full moon was beautiful.

TANABATA - Star Festival Celebration at the Garden

The Tanabata festival (the seventh day of the seventh month) is a romantic festival, with wishes tied to tree branches and love poems written and read...all in the hopes that the star lovers will have clear skies and be able to meet in the sky tonight.  Visitors wrote poems and wishes and painted sumie-pictures of bamboo, and Duo En played with poet Michael Welch's presentation of his translations of love tanka. It was a wonderful day, with the sun breaking through periodically from between the clouds....which might break up just in time tomorrow evening so that the two sky lovers can meet.

This is one of the last days the garden entryway will look like this, because it is going to be rebuilt this summer.... 

Tanabata poems hang from branches near the front of the garden....
Wishes blow in the breeze...

Visitors of all ages wrote tanabta poems....

Thomas Hargrave, from Seattle Parks and Recreation, talks with haiku poet Michael Welch. 

Midori Kono Thiel shows guests the fine art of Japanese sumie painting techniqes.

The teahouse garden is starting to take on an autumn tinge....

A lilypad bud floats among leaves in the pond.

Reflectons of trees in the lilypad-full pond.

A turtle enjoys the summery tanabata afternoon.

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.