Boys...

Yesterday the Phil was out washing the Fat Boy.  The name comes from the structure of the front forks, but never mind that.  So I grabbed the camera and headed outside to sweat with him.  It was a cool 94 this evening instead of our usual 100.  The following random assortment of pictures is just what I wanted to catch before the season moves on and the yard/garden looks different.  As always, click twice to zoom.

My featherless biped boy Phil and the Fatboy.  We live on 1.3 acres of pure sand that has gotten 1.5" of rain since last November.  It's a miracle there's green anywhere.  The giant pile of branches behind him is the "bird sanctuary".  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I think I'll marry him again.

This is our featherless quadruped boy...Schultz.  He's hoping I'll give him a tomato.  Peppers (left) are struggling...waiting for cooler weather.

Baby banana trees and Schultz and a conch shell by the irises.  Banana trees are always boys, and conch shells are always girls.  I realize that's illogical, but ever since I read Tom Robbin's "Skinny Legs and All", that's just how it is.

Baby gourds.  Gourd plants have heart-shaped leaves, and both boy AND girl flowers on each plant.  How romantic is that?  Sadly, the boy flowers die after their job is done, and the girl flowers go on without them.  Phil says it's like that with featherless bipeds, just takes them longer.

 

This is a crepe myrtle I grew from a leafless 5" twig sent from the National Arbor Day Foundation.  He's only two years old now, but he was sprawling all over the path from the gate so the cage is to teach him to grow upright.  It's tempting to think of flowering plants as girls, but this one is a boy, and so are the Trumpet Vines and most of our Canna lilies.  Oh, and in the background is the back end of the featherless quadruped boy. 

These are weeds growing by the gourd plants in the garden bed.  I don't know their gender.

This is an Izzy boy I finished painting.  Long way to go, but I'm encouraged by him, despite his pensive little face.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, filled with whatever makes you (and all the boys and girls you love) happy this summer.  :~)