The Unveiling - The Garden Gazebo, That Is!

The cast-stone pillars loaded and ready in Asheville for the long drive home.

Home (Blooming Hill) at last!

You can tell it's early.  Even the dog is yawning!

Well, if you read last week's blog entry about our journey down to Asheville, North Carolina and beyond to collect our new (old/antique) garden gazebo reminiscent of a structure straight out of a Jane Austin novel or, perhaps, that great American  saga by Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind, then you're in the right place to witness it's unveiling right here at Blooming Hill.  The truck trundled back north into Virginia last Tuesday evening.  Bright and early Wednesday morning, true to form, Peter was out working on rebuilding the structure on top of a sunny slope and flanked by lavender beds.  A firm believer in "no rest for the weary," Peter had Kevin up and out of bed bright and early, too while, Kevin, nobody's fool himself, called for more reinforcement, his friend Micheal, to come over and join in the "rebuilding" games.

Measuring and leveling.

Placing it just so...

Enough posing for pictures...Back to work!

I think I heard both the truck and trailer release a collective sigh of relief when the Peter, Kevin and Micheal finally pulled the heavy cast-stone columns and scrolled wrought iron cap out of each and back into sunlight and stable ground.  Then, the real fun began as the early morning temperatures were mobilizing to rise into the mid 90's by 12 noon.  They worked fast in order to get
the columns set and the filigreed cap in place.

How come this doesn't fit?

A few minor adjustments...

So, now, I'll let the pictures tell the story, from here, as P.Lorenz and company put their noses to the grindstone and finished the job bringing Peter's vision to a close.  I'm sure that Jane Austin and Margaret Mitchell would be proud.

A few more minor adjustments...

Just one more inch...

Toasting the gazebo with cold bottles of water, now that the hard part is done, and before the hot, hot heat of the day settled in.

 The structure was up in less time than it took to come down but just as sturdy, thanks to the project manager and lead designer, P. Lorenz (a.k.a. Peter) and his assistants, Micheal and Kevin.  It was a job well done...Wait a minute!  There are still a few more things to be done--finishing touches, that is.  Two days later, after Kevin and Micheal were long gone, Peter added pea gravel to the floor of the gazebo which added definition to the entire structure.  He also filled in and repaired several cracks and divots that had occurred throughout the years as well as from the journey to Blooming Hill.

That poor truck never catches a break .   Peter unloading pea gravel from it and onto the floor of the gazebo.

Details...Details!

Nothing major left to do at this point, however P.Lorenz likes things as close to perfect as he can get...you know those artistic designer types! You can't live with them and you can't live without them. Yet, all of his efforts and hard work were worth it and shows in the small details.

The pea gravel floor in the gazebo.

Looking up through the wrought iron cap of the gazebo. "Nothing but blue skies, do I see!"

Are we done yet?!?

This beautiful fox statue is proving more effective in scaring off the devil deer than Tucker!

Elaborate, intricate and sturdy.

"Le Pie'ce de re'sitance!"

And VIOLA!  Blooming Hill's newest addition, a centerpiece of quiet beauty and vintage charm that will grace the gardens here for years to come.  It wasn't easy.  In fact, at times it seemed as though it was a perfect war of wills between the garden gazebo and Peter.  However, in spite of everything, it turned out beautifully!  Finally, we can enjoy it's arrival home.  And, yes--I really do think that Jane Austin and Margaret Mitchell would like it very much.  What do you think?  Drop by and see it for yourself.  It's even prettier in person.

Antique Garden Arbor

Garden gate into the yard where our new/old garden arbor was originally placed in Ashville, N.C.

Looking up, inside the garden arbor.

This is a tale of mystery, intrigue, action and even some melodrama...that's right, I said melodrama!  Maybe we were inspired by the Olympic games in Great Britain or maybe we were just gluttons for punishment in this hot, hot summer but I think Pride and Prejudice's Lizzy and her Mr. Darcy would have understood completely.

Two large lavender beds in the back of the yard being enlarged to frame  the arbor better.  That merans more lavender to  plant!  Sighhhh!

It all started one evening while walking through the gardens and casually talking about what was next on the projects list.  Yes, there is certainly enough pruning and weeding to be done but something was missing in the serenity of the the summer evening here at Blooming Hill and it was a garden arbor that could grace two well-healed lavender beds  positioned atop a small bluff in the back yard.  I wanted something to encourage sitting a spell while savoring the delights of nature right here in our own backyard on a warm summer evening, clear spring day or one of those golden-crisp fall afternoons.  So, Peter being Peter, went on an intense search to find just the perfect garden arbor, and find just the perfect garden arbor, he did--on Craig's list and located 9 hours away in yet another beautiful place--Ashville, North Caroline.   Where?!?  I said Ashville, North Carolina.

Finishing touches on the beds before we leave on our trip to pick the arbor up.

 A detailed end cap to one of the pillars.

Then came the wheeling and dealing with the owners of this lovely antique English-Romanesque inspired piece of garden art that would surely be a crowning specimen here at Blooming Hill--a wrought iron filigreed cap resting on six cast stone pillars with intricate detailing of cherubs, harps and acanthus leaves.  All we had to do was plan and time our entire vacation exactly around the persnickety seller's whims in order to obtain it. Of course, they were sure in the beginning, that we were not the right buyers for their arbor which, I shall remind you again, they were selling on Craig's list.  It took some complicated and convoluted dickering to reach an agreement.

Peter with Tucker supervising more digging at Blooming Hill before we leave.

In the end, Peter's tenacity wore them down and we were on our way to Asheville to pick up the garden arbor, still not sure it was ours, but positive thinking brings positive results--of sorts.   And, Peter promised me a tour of the Biltmore Mansion and Gardens since we were going to be in Asheville anyway...uh, huh.  In any case, Peter started measuring and redesigning lavender beds before we even were assured the arbor would be ours.  I tried to talk him into another arbor we had seen closer to home and definitely a sure bet, but he would not change his mind, having his morale boosted by Tucker and dreams of an antique garden arbor set among the garden beds.

A glimpse of the arbor in it's old home with the Blooming Hill crew beginning the dismantling process.

Bringing out the big guns to detach very stubborn pillars and wrought iron canopy all soddered.

Kevin and Peter putting a lot of muscle into it while former owner David, with a broken collarbone, looks on.

We arrived exactly at the appointed time and were greeted by Sammie and David who were only too gracious and very helpful since they had come to terms with parting with their beloved arbor, telling us a bigger, more ornate one was on it's way and would be taking the old arbor's place.  And, of course, Peter assured Kevin and I that we would be in and out of there in 1/2 hour and on our way to enjoy a perfectly lovely afternoon in the Biltmore Estate Gardens...easy peasy, lemon squeezy...uh-huh.  With each tug and pull, it became increasingly clear that this was not going to be easy or fast.

Not an easy job!

The pillars were set in two feet concrete footings with re-bar running through them from top to bottom...phew!

Getting the pillars and bases into the truck and trailer, unbroken, was another heavy, hard thing, entirely!

That one half hour turned into 5 hours and counting as the dismantling process was quite a bit more than any of us, even the owners themselves, expected.  Forget screwdrivers and pliers!  Out came saws and sanders, crowbars and sledgehammers and the sparks flew! By the time we were done taking apart the garden arbor, the place looked like a demolition zone and now all we had to do was wrestle it into the truck!

Former garden arbor owners, David and Sammie, very happy, I think, to see us go!

 Keeping our fingers crossed that our faithful red steed would take us through  both North and South Carolina and then finally home to Virginia.

Finally we were done dismantling, moving and packing our garden find into the truck and trailer, thanked Sammie and David and got back into a very loaded down truck for the next two legs of our vacation through Charlotte, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina (of course, we have to do everything the hard way, including vacations) before returning home.

The story is only half finished but the arbor was finally ours and we were on our way!

Stay tuned for Chapter Two of the continuing saga of  Lizzy and Mr. Darcy's return home with a little piece of Scarlotte and Rhett's Tara Plantation in tow. Oh! That's right, Lizzy and Mr. Darcy are in England and  Scarlotte, Rhett and Tara are in Georgia and everybody here is fictitious--except for Peter, Kevin, me and the garden arbor.   That is definitely real life and how we live it here at Blooming Hill!

Lavender-Honey Ice Cream...mmmm...mmm...Good!

Finally, a good rain hath cometh here to Blooming Hill, this past weekend!  We received over an inch between Friday and Saturday.  Then, Saturday was cool, cloudy and drizzly giving July a nice little break here in the middle of this hot, and humid month when you can practically cut the air with an ice cream scoop.  In fact, the break in the weather, though brief, urged me on to make some lavender-honey ice cream, as sweet and laid back as this July is turning out to be.  And, who doesn't love a little homemade ice cream while relaxing in the gardens or on the covered porch, after church, on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon?  Sounds positively Mayberry RFDish, don't you think?!

So, Saturday morning, out came the lavender, of course! I use the Lavandula angustifolia varieties of pink 'Melissa', 'Royal Purple' and 'Royal Velvet' as well as 'Maillette' all mixed together and all grown here at Blooming Hill.  These varieties are some of the ones touted as culinary (eventhough all lavenders are edible) and I grow these varieties in quantity, mainly for their beauty but I bottle them up for recipes as well.  Along with the lavender, I reached for eggs, honey, heavy cream, whole milk and a little bit of sugar, my mixer, pots and bowls and then, of course, my new ice cream maker.

Lavender mixed with honey and milk.

The finished product...delicious, indeed!

The lavender, steeped in milk and honey and mixed with the cream, went from this (left) in the pot on the stove to this (right) in the ice cream maker just before being squirreled away in my kitchen freezer to be thouroughly enjoyed on Sunday afternoon.  All we needed was Aunt Bea's stamp of approval on the ice cream and Andy and Opie to show up and share in the sweet treat.  Oh heck--let's just call this "Philomont RFD--The Lost Episodes of Cyndie, Peter and Kevin!"

Blooming Hill's Lavender-honey ice cream all set up and ready for a tasting!

Kevin (a.k.a. Opie) and Peter (a.k.a. Andy).

I've made this recipe for lavender-honey ice cream about 5 times now for garden groups and visitors who have come to Blooming Hill in the last several weeks and I've only been able to have a small taste myself, so this weekend, this batch of lavender-honey ice cream was all for me. Okayyy--maybe a little was also for the two interlopers who found a nicely set table, to their surprise, in the cafe garden.  Well, my philosophy is that if you are going to eat lavender-honey ice cream, you might as well eat it in style!

Lavender-honey ice cream with a sprig of lavender on top!

The strong and sharp tasting lavender, on it's own, is swirled in and softened by the smooth flavor of honey, whole milk and heavy cream.  Then all of their essences are entwined together to make this dessert extra smooth and thick, yet soft with sweet and citrusy, minty and licorice-like undertones.  Finally, a lovely respite for a quiet afternoon just before the dog days of high summer reclaim their stake on July. Mmmm...mmmm...mmmm!...Good!

High Summer Garden Party

The Herb Garden rich with scents, flavors and textures.

The Cafe Garden full of fancy and colorful cutting flowers all set for the party.

A quiet and shady place to sit a spell.

As the dog days of summer set in and High Summer settles herself smack-dab in the very middle of the gardens with an attitude, no less,  I thought I should try to soften the blow of her hot and humid breath and invite High Summer to a garden party, of sorts!  Okay--we have had a lot of garden parties here this season, at Blooming Hill, where the flowers were the entertainment, not the various garden club guests and High Summer kept making her presence known by sending her high temperature messengers to remind me that she was not included on the list of invitees.  High summer can be pushy!

Pink petunias, coleus and brugmansias arriving just in time for the party.

Sleepy garden cherub supposedly keeping a lookout for the nosy devil deer.

To quote Winnie the Pooh, "You can never tell about bees!"

So today, this impromptu garden party is for Blooming Hill's guest of honor, High Summer, and the flowers, along with their cousins, aunts and uncles, will be her party companions. The busy bees, chirping birds, fluttery butterflies, crafty spiders and the regal praying mantis's will supply the entertainment while, I'm sure, those sneaky devil deer will show up, uninvited as usual as the garden fairies and angels doze in the shade. However, Rain will remain elusive as ever and may come and go unannounced.  But, I won't count on Rain because his presence, although much desired, can put a damper on things as only Rain can and his cohort in crime, Wind, the diva that she is, can be down right rude and try to grab all of the attention for herself, as we have experienced her shenanigans lately!

Lavender refreshments fit for the "High Summer Princess."

Shy pumpkin blossoms peeking though the leaves.

You are welcome to stop by and say hello to High Summer, too!

A garden party it is, right here on my porch, to honor the season's most demanding princess, High Summer, in all of her glory. Bring on the heat, the sun, the rain, the humidity, the bugs and most of all the colorful fruit, delicious vegetables and wonderful flowers that hang around with her almost exclusively.  I shall raise a glass of lavender lemonade, dip a cookie dusted with lavender sugar and toast her Highness by officially welcoming High Summer and find the joys and blessings she so freely offers during these doggiest of days.