Chasing The Sun

I've been suffering from an acute case of Sunseekeritis - why else would I color coordinate my espadrilles and vintage jute handbag to the crystalline blue skies and sandy beaches of my longed for destination?
Photo: Chronica Domus

Whether or not Mark Twain really did utter those famous words about his coldest winter having been a summer in San Francisco, is neither here nor there when faced with the prospect of enduring yet another foggy and windy August in our fair city. Not that I'm complaining too much, mind you.  I very well appreciate our milder summer months, especially when compared to the steam bath endured throughout the rest of the country.

Every now and then however, an itch requires a good scratching.  The urge to don one's summery clothes and beachy espadrilles can no longer be suppressed.  That is why my family and I jetted off to sunnier climes earlier this month, where sparkling blue seas and fiery sunsets predominate, and everything else, happily, gets left in the dust.

Fasten your seat belts, now approaching blue skies and sandy beaches

Photo: Chronica Domus

A favorite holiday destination of ours, and one we return to time and again, Los Cabos is located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula.  It is always summer in Los Cabos with perpetual sunshine no matter the time of year.  Cooling breezes sweep in from the Sea of Cortez keeping the mercury in the comfortable zone - averaging between the upper 70 Fahrenheit range to the lower 90's at the extreme. Los Cabos has become the Acapulco of the 1950's attracting swells and A-listers in droves. And, who can blame them?

Whether it be the sandy beaches that appear like straw-colored ribbon along the coastline ...

Photo: Chronica Domus

... or, an infinity pool that keeps one lolling at the water's edge ...

Photo: Chronica Domus

... this truly is a blissfully relaxing and stunningly beautiful part of the world.  I always find it such a struggle to leave.

Photo: Chronica Domus

This is the view from the upstairs open air bar which affords excellent views of El Arco.  I could happily gaze upon this magnificent rock formation for eternity.

Photo: Chronica Domus

Of course, perfectly made margaritas only add to the enjoyment of the view.  In the land of tequila, our usual sauce takes a backseat.

Photo: Chronica Domus

Yes, it was difficult to tear ourselves away from a place that left us wanting for nothing, but we did muster up the energy to hire a car and explore a little further afield.  A drive to San Jose del Cabo, which is chock full of art galleries and silversmiths, housed in Spanish colonial buildings, is a pleasant diversion from beach and pool life.

Tiffany & Co., the world's premiere jeweler, well at least a Mexican doppleganger

Photo: Chronica Domus

The woven trunk of this clipped bougainvillea, which grows in front of the Mission of San Jose del Cabo Anuiti, is quite a horticultural achievement

Photo: Chronica Domus

For us, no trip to Los Cabos is complete without an excursion to the sleepy little town of Todos Santos, situated just a stone's throw from the Tropic of Cancer.  The town is located about an hour north of the resort area and is one of my favorite drives due to the spectacular scenery.  This is where the Pacific Ocean dramatically meets the desert in high-Mexican style.  Just look at the size of that cactus!

Just across the road from this enormous cactus - which we estimate to be about fifteen feet tall - is the Pacific Ocean

Photo: Chronica Domus

It has become a right of passage to drop into the Hotel California for lunch and to sip upon tequila sunrise cocktails in honor of The Eagles' namesake song.

"It's another tequila sunrise, starin' slowly 'cross the sky, said goodbye"
Photo: Chronica Domus

Photo: Chronica Domus

"Livin' it up at the Hotel California, what a nice surprise (what a nice surprise), bring your alibis"

Photo: Chronica Domus

Upon our return to Los Cabos, it was straight into the pool for more natatorial fun until the early hours of the evening.

A natatorial paradise

Photo: Chronica Domus

As I mentioned earlier, it is tough to willingly take one's leave of such a blissfully relaxing and beautiful part of the world, but leave we must.  Taking pleasure in one final picture-perfect sunset before bidding adiós to Los Cabos for another year was the icing on the cake.

Adiós, Los Cabos, until we meet again 

Photo: Chronica Domus 

Once home, the familiar welcoming committee of ever-present summer fog embraced us with open arms. Our sun umbrella, I'm afraid, will continue to remain firmly shut with little foreseeable action in its future. It's time too, I suppose, to reluctantly pack away summer's glad rags.

A view looking up towards our balcony on a typical foggy August morning

Photo: Chronica Domus

Regardless of the current misty conditions, there is really nothing quite like being back at home, and for that I am most grateful.  Home sweet home, indeed!

A Surprise In The Sweet Pea Patch

Photo: Chronica Domus

I've been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the sweet peas in the garden this year.  I planted them at the beginning of May, which is rather late in the season as far as these things go.  I'll admit, I was entirely bowled over by the charmingly old-fashioned illustration on the seed packet when I made my selection at The Seed Bank.  Here it is:

Photo: Chronica Domus

How exciting it would be, I thought, to grow a variety of colors from a single seed packet, and an heirloom variety at that.

As you can see, the results thus far have been rather surprising.  Pink, it seems, is the only color in sight, but what a glorious pink it is.

Early morning dew clings to a fragrant bloom

Photo: Chronica Domus

Yesterday morning I snipped all the blooms I could find to bring indoors.  I arranged them in an Anglo-Irish cut glass water jug which I placed in the drawing room, perched upon the edge of the secretary bookcase. I adore the delicate sugared almond pink hue of the blooms and, of course, their heavenly fragrance.  Nothing smells more like summer to me than sweet peas.

Photo: Chronica Domus

Perhaps the other colors which are illustrated on the seed package will rear their heads in the weeks to come but for now, I plan on enjoying these delicately hued and scrumptiously scented blooms for as long as I'm able to.  For that, I am most grateful.


Nota bene: I am neither paid nor do I receive recompense in exchange for applauding products or services within my blog.  I do so because I enjoy them.  If you are a kindred spirit, you too enjoy recommending nice things to fellow good eggs.

A Regency-Style Garden Bench for The Frankentrees

Our new old garden bench is in dire need of attention
Photo: Chronica Domus

High summer has arrived and the garden has become an absorbing outdoor playground as of late.  I am currently in the midst of a project that is focused around our Frankentrees, the very trees that were the subject of a post I published two years ago.

I have been patiently training these apple trees into an arch, dreaming that one day I might set a pretty garden seat beneath it.  It would, I imagined, be a place for this gentlewoman gardener to rest her weary body between the endless cycles of deadheading and weeding. 

Recently I happened across the garden bench of my dreams, an English Regency-style iron example. I believe it was made at the beginning of the twentieth century and was originally painted bronze green but has since been painted white.  Its sturdy construction is far superior in quality to anything available for sale today at mass-market garden centers and big-box chains. Besides, this is not a style which one typically sees for sale at such outlets or elsewhere, come to think of it. I am, to say the least, tickled pink to have found it.

A Regency iron garden bench, circa 1810, with characteristic serpentine back and curved arms - the diamond-shaped embellishments make this bench much fancier than was typical of the era

Source

Our Regency-style garden bench shares the same serpentine back and curved arms as the Regency example shown in the preceding photograph.  Notice, too, the similarities in the curlicues which decorate the top corners of both benches
Photo: Chronica Domus

The bench was perfect in every respect but one.  The painted surface was in such a state of degradation that it would literally fall away while being handled.  I spent the better part of two uncomfortably hot days with my face encased in a dust mask laboring and scraping - in between muttering words not fit for print - until, finally, the ghastly stuff had been eviscerated.

I had every intention of repainting the bench until discussing the matter with my husband who came up with an excellent suggestion.  The result, he promised, would provide a durable, long-lasting finish that would greatly delay the need for future maintenance.  Best of all, it would immediately relieve me of several more days of hard graft.  Now, how could I possibly argue with that logic? Thank you, dear!

Loading up the Volvo with our shabby-looking bench, we set off in search of West Coast Powder Coating, a small local workshop which performs minor miracles on all manner of metal objects, including this one:

A familiar item from the shores of the United Kingdom, a red K2 model telephone box
in the midst of receiving a facelift

Photo: Chronica Domus

We left our garden bench in the very capable hands of Chris and his team, having selected just the right shade of white and degree of gloss in the finish (70%).  By the way, Chris told me I need not have bothered scraping away the paint as the bench would be sandblasted prior to receiving its coat of primer and powder coating.

A week later, we returned to find this:

Chris rightly beams with pride and joy as he shows off the workmanship involved in resurrecting
our Regency-style garden seat

Photo: Chronica Domus  

We could not be more pleased with the skillful work Chris and his team performed, insuring our old garden bench will be enjoyed for many years to come.  The industrial-strength finish, he tells us, should last for many years.

The hard toil is certainly not over yet (is it ever "over" when it comes to the garden?).  Plans are afoot to complete the area around the Frankentrees and directly beneath the bench.  For now, I can at least rest my wicker basket upon our garden's newly restored installation while I gather the remainder of the apple harvest, which arrived rather early this year.    

Rosy-hued apples await picking

Photo: Chronica Domus

Finally! The perfect Regency-style garden bench to place beneath the apple arch
Photo: Chronica Domus

I do hope you enjoyed reading about the revival of this particular garden bench and that it might inspire you too to breath new life into a tired piece of outdoor furniture.


West Coast Powder Coating
165 Mitchell Ave, South San Francisco, CA
Tel: (650) 871-0400

Nota bene: I am neither paid nor do I receive recompense in exchange for applauding products or services within my blog.  I do so because I enjoy them.  If you are a kindred spirit, you too enjoy recommending nice things to fellow good eggs.