Diner Tabletop in Morning Light

Mixed Greens

In the Frank R. Howard Foundation garden.

Onions at Their Peak

In the Frank R. Howard Foundation garden.

Pumpkins on Their Way

… growing in the Frank R. Howard Foundation garden.

Purple Cabbage

Near the site of the new hospital under construction, the Frank R. Howard Foundation oversees a beautiful garden, formed with the work and vision of volunteers and now partly staffed by the hospital itself. Most of the vegetables go to the hospital. Additional photos to come…

Walnut Fall

Floral Confetti at the Diner

Comfort Food

Towering Artichokes

These are over on the Navarro Ridge. I love their shapes.

Patrona in Ukiah

The beauty of Patrona restaurant is how it relies heavily on the local products of Mendocino. I stopped in on a late Monday afternoon, so only a few of us were there, and discovered the opportunity to try the locally made, world-class Craft Method Brandy of Germain Robin distillers. All in all, a beautiful experience.

Pain with a Purpose

Tomato Season

Ectiv… Ency

I committed no malic, or other dama … this property. But I did eat the ripe blackberries.

Nearly Ripe Oregano and Tomatoes

Summer Market Colors

Smart Cookie

In a canny tactical move, this little business woman sets up her artisanal food outlet at the farmers' market in the park.

Market Spots and Dots

Spot the kitty?

A Walk in the Woods

 In her younger days, my mom hiked down Ray Gulch from above, something I've never done. This time, we went in to it from the highway, just to stretch our legs for a few yards.

The redwoods here are stained with silt, left by regular winter flooding of the Navarro River on the other side of the highway. The rhizomes of sword ferns and redwood sorrel survive the inundations to emerge and flourish in the spring. In the middle of this picture, multiple trunks of relatively young redwoods sprout from the charred remains of one of the original giants, long ago cut, milled, and sent to San Francisco for building (most likely). River flats like these are prime locations for growing the largest possible coast redwoods. All it takes is a thousand years of being left alone.

Salmonberries are already ripening, near the edge of the forest. Yes, I ate the best one before I thought to take a picture. Sweet and golden.

Scarlet Carpet

We really should shovel these old apples out of the yard, I suppose, but we more or less let them compost in place. The orchards up here have fed all sorts of creatures, from bears and boars to tiny hummingbirds. Winter carbohydrates are hard to come by, so we clear a path and carry on.

Golden Delicious In-Waiting

A month and a half later, a golden delicious apple remains in place, caught up in its tree (as seen December 1st, below). It will be useful food for birds or animals as winter continues.