part of my legacy from my grandmother [affectionately nicknamed Gigi when she became a great grandmother] was this great ink sketch of her high school in Covington, Kentucky. the sketch was in a very thin and plain black frame so i've been on the hunt for a frame that is a little dark but also has a little shine. i think this one does the trick, and even has some rustic scratches so it matches a lot of what i already have.
the building was called Holmes Castle and it was a private residence before being sold to the school district in 1915. however, in their infinite stupidity, the district tore this beautiful building down right after Gigi graduated in 1936 and put up a typical sanitary school building. Gigi shared a lot of her fond memories of growing up in northern Kentucky, crossing the Ohio River on a sternwheeler to visit Cincinnati, and attending this beautiful school. i am grateful that she willed this sketch to me.
we recently installed a simple gravel path in the backyard ['cause I like the crunch underfoot]. just 20 ft from patio to gate was 3 years in the making...geez.
it's not that it was difficult, far from it. just that I kept putting it on the back burner. but I'm so glad to have it because it's not only beautiful but functional as well.
the cats are less enthusiastic. they try their best to walk along the bordering rocks, with varying degrees of success :-)
I love how the path twists and turns, and really sets off the plants along it's edge. oh, did you notice those golden ferns? I bet you thought, hey this picture is clearly from summer, why are those ferns showing fall color?
I'm glad you asked! These magical plants are called Autumn Fern, so named because the new fronds emerge as a coppery-pink, then slowly turn green over time:
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| [autumn fern] |
Here's a view of the path facing the other way, toward our teeny tiny back porch:
I have some secret sneaky plans to put in another gravel path in the front yard this year.
If you've created your own garden path, I'd love to see it!
As always, thanks for reading,
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