Thursday, September 2, 2010

Fall Color

We had fall for about two days. Now it's summer again. Today we expect triple digit temperatures.

I like it hot.

Yesterday I dug a hole in the back yard because I intend to plant a tree. I'm no fool; I like it hot but I wouldn't dig a hole today. I wouldn't plant a tree today, either. I want to give the poor thing a chance.

I don't know what kind of tree it'll be. It should be no more than about 25 feet tall because of electrical wires it must avoid as well as hide. And it should be a good shade tree that doesn't need to be watered too much once it's established. It could be a fruit tree. It could be deciduous. It should be an interesting tree. I don't ask much.

None of this has anything to do with the photo. What can you say about a couple of garage doors?

24 comments:

Gunn said...

Simple. nice, bright, I could have parked my Saab there. I like the lines..... Perhaps not many other people on the planet who have stopped and taken a photo just there. But WHY NOT! Enjoy the last bit of summer!:)

this too will pass said...

love it

Jean Spitzer said...

Door One and Door Two -- a very Cat in the Hat thing.

Shell Sherree said...

I'm quietly confident that door colour is not called Shrinking Violet. Here's to a few more hot days for you, but not too hot as to impede your tree progress, whatever that tree might happen to be. {How about a tree in honour of the poor mown-down Last Day Tree?}

Katie said...

Nice that Arbor Day is a moveable feast. Just don't plant a redwood! Love these doors. Does Monty Hall live here?

Sahildeki Ev said...

It came so quickly isnt it..Its the same here. here we entered September just yesterday, and we started to sit insides at nights..

John Sandel said...

Ah, the changing colors of the San Gabriel valley. In summer, these doors are a beautiful green. Now, they're in their autumn tones … soon to fall with a gentle CLANG, reminding us all of the eternal seasons.

Petrea Burchard said...

Good morning, all.

Gunn, I like to find the places that haven't been photographed much so yes, WHY NOT? I like your attitude.

Hello, this too will pass, and welcome. Thanks for stopping by.

Jean, did you move? I just noticed. Duh. How's it going? Austin is a great place.

I like your idea, Shell. We'll honor the Last Day tree and it won't be a shrinking anything.

Katie, believe it or not there are two redwoods in my neighborhood. I don't know how they've managed to grow in our dry weather over the years, but they're proud and beautiful.

Aysegul, it's as if the weather reads the calendar and not the other way around.

J: as long as we don't paint our house this color.

Kat said...

You're like a blog magician -- misdirection is your stock in trade! Now-- about the tree... ever thought about a native Western Redbud? :)

TheChieftess said...

I love that it might be a replacement for the lonely, small tree that was so brusquely mowed down!

J.J. in L.A. said...

Told you! ; ) (re: the heat). lol!

There's a tree across the street tht I absolutely love! I prefer the mountains over the beach or desert strictly for the trees.

Margaret said...

Think roots: Do they spread or go down? And then think about how close the tree will go to the foundation of your house. Hard learned wisdom that I give you for free.

pasadenapio said...

The lady or the tiger?

Petrea Burchard said...

Kat, I looked up that Redbud and it's pretty! How does it do for shade?

Chieftess, it would be a replacement only in my heart, as that tree was at Hahamongna and this one would be in my yard.

J.J., must you always be right? (Not that I mind.) Do you know what kind of tree it is across the street?

Good thoughts, Margaret. This one will be behind the garage, which doesn't have a foundation but does have plumbing.

PIO, are those our choices behind the doors?

Anonymous said...

I don't get real chatty about garage doors, but I'll talk your ear off when the subject is plants.

WV: Refir. No, no conifers.

TheChieftess said...

I should have said a figurative replacement for the little tree...it is definitely Hahamonga's loss, but the replacement for in your heart is every bit as important...

Greg Sweet said...

How about Acer negundo 'Flamingo'?

Petrea Burchard said...

Hiker, let's talk.

Thanks, Chieftess.

Greg, that looks like a possibility. I put it on my list.

Pasadena Adjacent said...

Would you like to give my tree a home? It's a misquite tree. Small yellow flowers, pretty leaf, not to big, drought tolerant. It's been sitting in a ten gallon container for nearly a year. I bought it out in the desert, confused with another tree.

Ms M said...

Reminds me of an outdoor version of Let's Make a Deal. Will you choose Door #1 or Door #2? Which has the grand prize (a trip to Paris) and which has a gazillion bags of charcoal briquettes?
I'm glad you didn't plant a tree today in that heat. Let us know what kind of tree you choose :)

Petrea Burchard said...

PA, that's very thoughtful of you. Is it the one with the beans on it? I'll send an email.

Ms. M, although it didn't get as hot today as I feared it would, it was toasty enough. Makes for a lovely evening, though.

Jean Spitzer said...

Camphor trees are pretty and they give a lot of shade. As long as it doesn't grow too fast, it should be okay about height because Pasadena is eventually moving all electrical underground.

(And yes, I moved, and while I miss home, I love Austin.)

Petrea Burchard said...

Hi Jean,
We have a lot of camphor trees in our neighborhood and a couple in our yard. They're beautiful, yet I wonder if Pasadena's moving fast enough on this underground wire thing. Those trees get very tall! But you have me hoping that our view of Mt. Wilson will soon be unobstructed.

Kat said...

I didn't know that all of Pasadena's electrical is moving underground! When we moved into our house 10 years ago, the previous owner (an engineer) had all the electrical from the poles running underground to the house. When we needed to upgrade, the City insisted that we had to change it all to above ground, so for the first time since the house was built in 1949, there were visible wires running to it. It's always bugged me...

As for the Redbud -- if you mean, "do they do well IN shade" -- I think they need sun. If you meant "do they provide shade" yes, they do. Although they are deciduous, so they drop their leaves in the winter -- even in Pasadena-- and so raking becomes involved...