Dug's Dive on Lake Erie

Hidey-Ho....I am way behind in posting summer blogs...

so behind that I'm giving myself MAJOR permission to use the upcoming series of blogs as journal entries...

simple, surfing-style snippets...hidey ho!

Yesterday, we headed out Route 5 to Dug's Dive that is located 

on the Outer Harbor just outside of Buffalo.  

Once we arrived, Jack met his new "little buddy" -- Dug! :-)  

Check 'em out.

We ate on the back porch that allowed a view of the harbor and Lake Erie.

Then we headed down the Outer Harbor a bit to Gallagher Beach 

to watch some of the wind surfers...

zip across the bay area...

and take advantage of "gale-like" winds that were blowing ashore.  

HIDEY-HO...away we did go!  

Garden Walk...

Summer is definitely in full bloom in our neck of the country.  Everywhere you look, gardens abound with rainbows of color...reds and yellows and purples and pinks and whites and oranges--all such a treat for the soul.

And so, I wanted to record a little "garden walk" of my own by capturing the flowers that greet us every day as we walk outside our side entry door to be greeted by our frog bird bath standing guard over our home and the basket of lobelia and geraniums and thousand bell petunias...

down two short steps onto the driveway and stroll alongside our home (facing east)...



stop at the front northeast corner of the house...

turn left and walk up two flagstone steps onto our front walk that parallels our home...

and onto our front patio where we sit at the black wrought iron table under the red umbrella to find ourselves embraced by little gardens brimming with gerber daisies, coreopsis, salvia, black-eyed susans, sweet allysum, poppies, verbena, pincushions...

A slice of heaven for sure.  

Hosta La Vista...Baby

After moving to Tonawanda, NY, I began a whole new adventure in gardening…and one of my favorite plants that I mixed into our front rose bed was a hosta…what specific type of hosta I don’t recall…but it has grown into a gorgeous and huge treasure with leaves that are “dimpled with ripples” and blooms that are as "fragrant as sweet gardenias".

In doing a bit of research, I found that these unique shade-to-sun loving perennials—with foliage ranging in color from green to blue to yellow and all combinations and sizes from dwarf 3” tall specimens to large 3’ tall monsters—are easy to grow in this region.

As luck would have it, my neighbor, Sarah, invited me to join her on a little excursion to the “hosta farm” run by Jerry Murray http://www.murray-bros.com. We hopped in her SUV and headed to Orchard Park.  Little did I know what lay ahead.

When we turned into the winding drive that led to the “viewing area” it looked pretty much like any other country garden nursery, but as we drove around the slight bend in the road there were hostas everywhere—to the right, to the left, up ahead…OH MY!  We were promptly greeted by the owner’s grandson, who handed us a three-page document that listed about 350 varieties of hosta (with details for each plant) that they had for sale.

We began walking about the “viewing area” that meandered throughout the grounds—which allowed us to see each different type of hosta in its mature size!  Fabulous.  While there are far too many specific hostas to write about in this brief blog…here are a few snapshots to whet your appetite.   

I left with six new hosta treasures: three Blue Mammoths and three August Moons.  They have now found a spot in our gardens. 

Hidey-Ho...Hosta La Vista, Baby!

RED, RED, RED: There's Something About...

...a vase of red gladiolas in front of a sunlit window

(our home in Tonawanda, NY)

...a red bench atop aged, old bricks lining a park path

(community park in Lewiston, NY)

...a solitary red rose in front of sweet lavender

(community park in Lewiston, NY)

...a red fire hydrant on a steamy, 96-degree day

(Cobblestone District in Buffalo, NY)

... red gerber daisies against a backdrop of yellow coreopsis and purple salvia

(our garden in Tonawanda, NY)

...red petunias under a canopy of pink spirea

(our garden in Tonawanda, NY)

La Dolce Vita

La Dolce Vita...La Dolce Vita...La Dolce Vita....mmmmmmm

Indeed....it IS the "Sweet Life" at La Dolce Vita, (www.iloveladolcevita.com) 

located on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, NY.  

This well-appointed and inviting restaurant is on our "go-to" list of favorite spots for relaxing and enjoying a fantastic meal and a glass or two of vino--all while enjoying the bustling sidewalk activity.  

Recently, on a pleasant June day, Judy D. and I spent a lingering 

3 hour+-lunch visit on the front patio--

and not ONCE did we feel as though we had to hurry and finish 

so another customer could be seated.  

SWEET! 

We ordered a Runfolo Salad (absolutely delicious!) 

and bruschetta (tastefully divine!)...

We arrived under sunny skies...

watched from under the canopy as those skies darkened and the rain came...

and then left when the sun re-appeared.   

Yowza! Life IS Sweet at La Dolce Vita  

Red Tulips....

oh, me; oh, my...there is "Something About Red Tulips" 

that sends my spirits soaring... 

I cannot recall ever planting bulbs in Texas (while many other gardeners did, I just never attempted it).  It was during my first spring in WNY that I discovered the sheer thrill that the "bloomin' bulbs" brought me while on walks about the neighborhood. As I'd take in the splendor of the blooms, my subconscious noted them as harbingers of sunnier and warmer days to come.  Everywhere I'd look...there would be these gorgeous blooming peepers...a brilliant oil painting against the dark green lawns...delicate yet stately flowers painted the landscape with hues of yellows and reds and pinks and purples and even more colors of the rainbow.  YOWZA!  

So...off to Home Depot I went (hidey-ho)...bought me a bulb shovel/planter (whatever it is called) and some packages of daffodils and tulips...(check out my daffodil blog from months past to find out the type of tulip...for the life of me, I can't remember the name right now...oohahhhhh)...

Take a "peek" at the glory our red tulips in the front flower bed brought us each day.....la la la la la, life IS good....