One day turns into two.....................

A week melts into the next.........suddenly a month, then two have gone by. Summer brings friends and family - outdoor fun. The bathroom renovation has taken up more time than I could have imagined ..........and I'm not done yet! Right after I started the renovation, our shallow limestone well pump gave up the ghost. No big surprise as it had been giving us trouble for some time, usually turning off when a guest was in the shower. A nearby lightning strike and power surge finally did it in, along with the refrigerator and a few other things not plugged into a surge protectors. A friend of Jim's convinced him that we could replace the well pump ourselves, so we pulled the pump up 80 feet out of the ground and replaced it with a new one and new pipe. Back in the bathroom, I was able to resume the plastering and finished building the vanity base, mirror and stone countertop.

Here is a peek....................I built the vanity base and mirror out of odd bits of moulding and trim that I have been collecting. The moulding came from my Mom and the more ornate piece came from a shop on State Street in Santa Barbara.
A crystal chandelier and sconces were found in two different antique shops.
All of the plumbing had to be either redone or moved along with new electrical wiring, walls and Sheetrock. It is starting to take shape and actually look like a bathroom (it had been gutted for five years). Next on to the shower. Visiting friends haven't seemed to mind using the outdoor shower. They even seemed to delight in it. So do I, but summer will be over before I know it and even though this house is a weekend house - the shower needs to be finished!
All the rest of my spare time is spent in the vineyard coaxing the vines along.

The lavender was ready to be harvested last week. Now if I could just find a little time to catch up on all my favorite blog sites, answer all those emails and maybe even spend a little time at the beach.....................................................For all those fellow Foodies out there who have wondered if I've giving up cooking ...... Check out the new online magazine The Zenchilada (the first issue debuted yesterday) and you will see what I've been up to in the kitchen.

Cheers!

Photography By: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman

Sotto Il Monte Vineyards

FIRST MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day! A couple of months ago I had the pleasure to photograph my beautiful friend Anna just weeks before she gave birth to Gunner Jude. When Gunner was two weeks old, I followed up with some newborn shots.
Seems like only yesterday that I photographed Rob & Anna getting married in the Cayman Islands. Now they have gone full circle with the addition of their sweet little one.
Happy First Mother's Day Anna!

Photography By: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman

Sotto Il Monte Vineyards

THE SUNKEN GARDENS

Too much work and not enough play. I gave myself the day off and I went to check on the progress at the Japanese Tea Gardens in Brackenridge Park. The Tea Garden was developed in 1917 in an abandoned limestone quarry. Donicio Rodriquez, recognized as one of America's foremost Faux Bois sculptors, was commissioned to replicate a Japanese Torii gate. His work is featured throughout the park.
In 1926, the city of San Antonio invited Kimi Eizo Jingu, a Japanese-American artist, to help design and maintain the gardens. He and his wife Miyoshi opened the Bamboo Room, where light lunches and tea were served. Jingu was a representative of the Shizuoka Tea Association and was considered an expert in the tea business. He died in 1938. His wife and eight children continued to maintain the gardens and operate the Tea Room. In 1942, the family was evicted amid the rise of anti-Japanese sentiment of World War II. The name of the sunken garden was changed to the Chinese Tea Garden.

In 1984 it was returned to the original name of The Japanese Tea Garden in a ceremony attended by Jingu's children. I wonder if they will change the name back on the Torii gate?
Koi ponds lie at the bottom of the quarry.Over the years, the Tea Gardens were neglected and became a target for graffiti and vandalism. In 2005, the City began the restoration process that is underway.

A waterfall cascades sixty feet to the Koi ponds below.Scaffolding and metal fencing surround the original stone buildings. Perhaps by summer's end I'll be able to enjoy a Japanese Tea Ceremony and lunch at the gardens.



In the meantime, it's back to the pied-á-terre for a light lunch of European Smoked Salmon, cilantro and cream cheese finger sandwiches........................................................
Diane's Sugar Cookies (the only recipe I've found that works with my pineapple cookie stamp)

And tea - kept in a tea canister that my Mother gave me when I was 14....................
Served on a tray that my daughter made for me. Not a bad way to spend the day.

Photography By: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman

Sotto Il Monte Vineyards

Top Image: Unknown Artist - If anyone knows who this artist is - please let me know. I've had this image in my files for years .