Sometimes reality photobombs your perfect pictures. This is what happened as I was trying to capture all the musicians in this mural of country music legends.
I saw the man in the white shirt enter my frame and lean in a trashcan. I waited. I thought he was barfing up beer at first, but then he moved to the next can and reached in.
Legends Corner
I think the city is attempting to keep a balance between tourist traffic and a homeless population.
There were homeless mixed in with the crowds on the sidewalks. Many were carrying bags and folded cardboard signs under their arms. They would come in the souvenier stores to buy drinks and snacks with cash. I observed some homeless drama out the window of the hopping Luke Bryan bar one hot night.
I have admitted staging photos in previous posts, but I have never been this guilty before. In nature photography it is taboo to augment reality. Man-made subjects do not have such rules.
Flower art at a park.
I took pictures of what I wanted to remember. I am haunted by scenes I cannot forget.
Man going through the trash. Mural behind and rooftop bar above.
I will share more of this fascinating mural in a later post.
A week in Nashville had many beautiful sights, but there was ugliness everywhere. I did not photograph the problems of this bustling city, but I have been taking lots of notes.
Tootsies was a favorite in 2014.
Nashville has laws to keep the homeless out of sight. No set-ups or sleeping in public spaces.
This fountain had a person asleep on the edge later that night.
We were rarely approached by these desperate folks. They held up cardboard signs like in Portland and San Diego. Their voices scribbled with markers.
The best shows are on the riverboats. The performers are amazing.Talented performers on the General Jackson
I sketched some scenes and gave each character a name based on my observations. Yes…there’s a story coming!
The sidewalks were steamy and the smelly trashcans had grates across the tops.
I am sensitive to sounds and it was difficult to find quiet spaces anywhere. I keep Loops earplugs in my purse. I used these numerous times because the noise from bars and traffic was loud.
Talent on stage at Luke Bryan
I need to go through all my notes and sketches and see what rings true about Nashville.
Nashville Music City Center had a guitar and grass on the roof.
I was last there in 2014. It has changed since then and so have I.
Deer do not like the scent of lavender. I decided to plant lavender in my flower beds to deter deer snacking. I wanted to see which lavender hybrids did best here in Zone 7.
The experimental row of lavender.
I purchased seven different varieties. Here is the list in order of best to worst performance. All of these have survived two years of neglect (except Superblue which died). Keep in mind I only used one of each variety instead of many test plants per hybrid for more data.
1. LLOYD TRAVEN #pp24193( Lavendula x Phenomenal) great form, many flower stalks
LLOYD TRAVEN PP#24193 lavender
2. PROVENCE: nice mound, long stalks, light purple
Provence lavender
3. HIDCOTE: smaller mound, deep purple, chunky blooms
Hidcote lavender
4. PHENOMENAL: tall stalks, survived traffic, lovely green
Phenomenal lavender
5. MUNSTEAD: small mound, lovely gray tint on short stalks, chunky blooms, good size for a pot
I get a picture of something in my mind and then tenaciously try to bring it to fruition. I have tried several types of vines on our high posts on the front of the deck. The poles are tall and plain.
My first fiasco was planting wisteria all along the front. I even installed wires to support the vines between posts. I spent hours on a ladder installing eye hooks and stringing wires. When the vines grew rapidly, I spent more hours on the ladder training the vines to the wires. If I was not diligent with my training and trimming the vines would grow through the railing and take over the deck. I now put wisteria on the “never ever” list with ivy and crownvetch.
I fought that wisteria for seven years waiting for its pendulent, purple blooms. Never a purple bud emerged. I ripped up the vines the eighth spring. The wires are still there.
I have planted several other annual vines to climb the posts. Those looked beautiful but had to be removed and replanted each year.
Vine growing fine without me.
My present choice is Confederate Jasmine. It has done well. I have not given it the necessary training, but it is thriving on the highest post beside a bench.
The flowers are sweet little whorls of white with a delicate scent.
Confederate jasmine
This vine is the closest to my vision so far. Confederate jasmine twines itself around anything within its reach, so I do not need to climb on a ladder each spring. I will take that as a win.
Swirls with fragrance
It has taken decades to get this close to my vision, but I think it’ll do.
This is a first for me. I have used apps to identify plants for years.
Mystery Mushroom
I found this mushroom in the blueberry patch on top of the mulch.
I dissected it because the gills were covered. The stem is very stout and fibrous.
Dissected mushroom
AI says it is a wine cap mushroom.
Covered gillsUncovered gills
I NEVER EAT mushrooms I find. I like my liver too much. I think AI did a good job of using the photos I provided to identify this mushroom.
If I had not uncovered the gills, would it have said it was a King Boletto? I may try it again with another speciman and see if it comes up with the same results.
I cannot possibly do this marvelous place justice with words nor photos. It is a famous garden and former home of Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The conference center and grounds opened in 1966. It has been used by many presidents and famous leaders from all over the world. It was the site of many events of international diplomacy. Queen Elizabeth visited the center in 1983.
There is a famous bench where President Obama sat with China’s president Xi Jinping for a photo during their conference in 2013.
We meant to sit on it for a group photo.
I have never been to such a garden. The beds were arranged in geometric patterns with only one type of plant per bed. They referred to these as ‘specimen gardens.’ I was fascinated by these because you see the same type of plant growing side-by-side with dozens of its clones, but no two are exactly identical. I had to pause and study these groups over and over again.
The shade was greatly appreciated.
The brochure links to a website that describes the trial and error methods used to come up with the best cultivars for each location. It has been like a giant horticultural experiment.
Mix of forms
The history of Sunnylands is covered in a short film. It showed how this gorgeous site was envisioned and created by the Annenbergs. The film also shared how diplomacy used to be.
I particularly loved this canal of river rock.
Soothing sight on a hot afternoon.
This place is worthy of numerous visits. It is an amazing place with a fascinating history.
There has been drought in many places in North Carolina. Water restrictions are in place in cities. We notice the dryness. We pray for rain. We carefully water our plants in distress. But most of us do not really feel desperate like nature does.
There’s been some shaming here on the mountain. Not by words, but by the actions of my wild neighbors. I must be a better community member to them.
I set up a water bowl with a solar powered fountain. It is pretty and the splashing sounds are soothing. On sunny days its water spout gets high enough to send water outside the rim. To stop this, I just flip the solar pad upside down and leave it in place.
It seems that this caused a new problem. The floating device got in the way of the thirsty wildlife. I know this because two of the arms that keep the floating fountain centered were chewed off. The teeth markers indicate deer.
My friend, Lucy, and I were discussing whether birds need a bath or just like a bath. I said they probably enjoyed a bath but bathing was not as necessary as drinking. Should I apply this belief to my own needs during droughts?
Little bird baths
Soon after this conversation, I spotted little birds taking baths in a waxy box top that held baby plants on the picnic table. They did look like they were enjoying their time splashing around in the box. There was a little line of waiting birds. Waiting in line to enjoy the little bit of available water.
There is an actual birdbath here that got moved under the deck and never put back out in the yard. Mama used to clean it carefully with a brush and refill it every time we came up the mountain.
The dry, unused birdbath
I have not been as thoughtful as she. I will get Mr. Flower to help me move it back out. I plan to keep it cleaned and filled with water for my wild friends, like a good neighbor should.
floweralley 