Friday, August 31, 2018

Dog Days of Summer ~ Garden Gates


According to ancient Rome,
Dog Days of Summer 
last from July 23 to August 24.

Well, I'm here to tell you that
with the Texas heat,
Dog Days
of lethargy and inactivity are still here.
Lack of rain is all too familiar in Austin, and summer 2018
is likely to be Austin's hottest summer on record.
This was one of the hotter days recently.  Today was 103.
That said, you can imagine that things in the gardens
around here are pretty stressed.
With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to share a few 
garden gates for The Garden Linky Party.
You enter our back garden 
through this stone arched gateway.

This garden gate off our back terrace
will lead you to steps that take you through 
the wild, natural part of our garden.
I pass by this stately gate on my daily walks.
You might be surprised to know that this rustic cedar gate
is right here in the central city, part of a historic property.
As is this long forgotten plot that sits close to a busy street.
I love the authentic feel and the patina of time.
 A local slogan is "Keep Austin Weird".
I'd say this colorful gate with hand knitted gate slats 
is doing its part to keep things weird.
Have to admit, it is pretty clever!
One of my favorite gates keeps these two sweet miniature
donkeys in their special arena at my friend's historic
property that was once a gristmill and which is 
located just south of downtown Austin.
This unusual gate leads to a secret garden
at a beautiful property in San Antonio.
With Texas' close proximity to Mexico,
it's not unusual to see a welcome in Spanish.
Not a garden gate, but the entrance to my friend's
beautiful horse ranch just outside of Austin.

 These star finials accent the top.
I'll leave you with one last gate that captured my 
imagination when visiting a plantation outside of Savannah.
I was taken with the mix of textures of the stone, brick, and iron
work among the overgrown plants and grasses.
~ The Dog Days of Summer ~ 
are definitely the season for leisure times, 
so I've made some refreshing treats.
How about an icy cold 
glass of lemonade.
Along with a slice of
 delicious Meyer Lemon cake.
~ Lorina ~
Delicious ~ Sparkling ~ Lemonade
Nothing better on a hot summer day
than citrus drinks to quench one's thirst.
And any way you slice it,
this lemon cake is full of goodness.
Tangy with a 
touch of sweetness.
Elegant and Light
An afternoon citrus refresher.
Sadie and I thank you for your visit.
This is the last Garden Linky Party of the season.
A Garden Party, the perfect distraction for
~ Dog Days of Summer ~

Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

15 comments:

  1. Sarah, what a lovely post. Love your post title. I got up after tossing and turning. Love your pretty gates. Your gardens and grounds are heavenly. Wow, it gets hot there. We are having a cooling effect here. The gates in Austin are wonderful. I can't get over that sock gate, too funny. Your lemon cake and beverage are the perfect solution to a hot dog day. Sadie is a cutie. Thanks for sharing your sweet post at our Garden party.

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  2. Perfect and very creative twist on the garden party theme. I love the gates! Meyer lemon cake, oh my! I like the sounds of that, and the details on the table look so refreshing. You'd never know just how very hot it is. Stay coolly weird. 😉

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  3. Sarah, this post is beautiful! I love that you found all of these gates around Austin! We think of garden gates around Savannah or Charleston but not Austin. You've opened my eyes. :)

    You and Sadie enjoy that lemon cake. It sounds fabulous.

    So glad you are linking up for the garden party today. :)

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  4. I fell in love with every one of the garden gates. They remind me of my favorite childhood story, The Secret Garden (strange for someone who doesn't enjoy gardening, huh?). Your dessert table looks so pretty all dressed in yellow and citrus treats!

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  5. Lovely pics this AM Sarah..your gardens are gorgeous..love the vignettes too:)

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  6. Such a lovely entrance through your gate to the back and the stone archway. The gate with the slat covers is interesting and fun, love that. My beds are so stressed from the heat and lack of rain. I am keeping everything watered but just not the same as Mother Nature. Everyone is complaining about the heat and mostly inside during these hot August days. Usually September is a repeat of August! I would love a piece of your cake and a glass of lemonade. I keep a bottle in the refrigerator all summer. The quilt is lovely.......Happy weekend Sarah.

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  7. A lovely post Sara, I love gates and entryways too - your own being so elegant and pretty.
    Yes, heatwaves never seem to stop around here also - I'm so looking forward to Autumn weather. Yesterday I worked on the wardrobe and dug out sweaters and jackets which I'm longing to wear! Edited somewhat - later today will be dropping off a couple of bags of clothes which someone else can perhaps wear. Will be off on a brief trip to the Pacific Northwest and Canada soon - hoping it will be 'sweater weather' up there!

    Stay cool - that lemonade and cake will definitely help - all so pretty.
    Sending hugs.
    Mary x

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  8. What a great post! Love the gates. Gates always make you feel like your entering something special. Your home's property is so lovely. The stonework is amazing and of course the gates are too. We had a pretty warm summer up here too at least by our standards. Too bad it's been so intense in Austin. I hope it cools down soon and you will enjoy more comfortable days. That cake looks so inviting and I love the beautiful embroidered napkins. Thanks again for joining the Garden Party!

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  9. I love the gates you shared Sarah! Our heat index yesterday was 101 with the humidity...to say it was pore-cleansing is an understatement! I'm beyond ready for fall but Mother Nature has a lot more 90+ degree days in store for us. I'd love to help myself to a slice of Meyer Lemon Cake and a refreshing glass of lemonade. Beautiful linens and quilt and I'm smitten with your knife. I always enjoy seeing sweet Sadie's face. Stay cool. ♥

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  10. Hello Sarah, A great collection of garden gates. Hope things cool off for you soon!

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  11. Hi Sarah, love your post! Each of the gates has a story of its own. How interesting that you selected gates to share with us. Happy you mentioned with each leads. Your property is beautiful. I am a quilter so enjoyed seeing the beautiful quilt.

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  12. Call me crazy but I love that knitted fence. It just makes me happy!

    Love the lemonade/lemon cake photos. What is not to love about lemon cake? One of the finest tastes in the world!

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  13. What a ton of eye candy, Sarah! These gates make you really curious about what's behind them!!!! And they are beautiful, yours especially.

    I love lemon anything. I have so many lemon cakes and cookies Pinned, maybe I need to get serious and make something! You did indeed have a refreshing setup!

    I hope the weather and temps get tolerable for you. We are very sticky here, but mild temps and a little breeze. :)

    Jane

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  14. Garden gates always catch my eye. You shared some beauties! Love the theme of Keeping Austin Weird. Thanks for sharing with the Garden Party.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  15. The sock idea is cute but wouldn't last here in our wet climate, summers maybe. - Margy

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