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 ~

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