Clogtown: The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum - A Place For All Seasons

Can you imagine that in all my years of being born and raised in, and visiting Minnesota all the time, that I had never been to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum?! That's embarrassing. What a treasure!

A gigantic agricultural lab is really what it is, with flowers and plants all labeled, even in the deepest of woods. It's a thoroughly educational experience, while also being fully breathtakingly beautiful.

I'm bound and determined for my Mom to not be bored in her assisted living place as she's adjusting to things, and am constantly pushing the limits on where I can take her with a wheelchair/walker ... The Arboretum was perfect for a field trip on a lovely autumn day.

You certainly are aware of the seasons at the Arboretum, as they deck the place out for whatever time of the year we're in. Right now it's a Scarecrow/Harvest festival theme, and it instantly put us even more in the mood for all things apple and pumpkin.

There's a scarecrow contest going on now, actually, and for me it was a toss-up between the Miss Oktoberfest (as I want her outfit) and Paul Bunyan and Babe, of course.

A super cool sculpture (or witch house?!) made of willow sticks was called You Betcha, (you can't get more Minnesota than that), and was created by Patrick Dougherty. It was super cool and kind of horror movie at the same time.

There is a Three Mile Hike or Drive that circles the Arboretum property, so that made it easy to roll around, and let Mom see everything without a hassle. She's a wonderful artist, so the idea was to give her inspiration to paint the beautiful nature and give her something to feel great about. She was pointing out things for me to photograph all day long, so hopefully you'll see some lovely work coming soon!

There is a super peaceful Japanese garden with a pond full of koi fish that we took a break next to. It reminded me of our friends, the Kusunokis, who I grew up next door to, and whose patriarch we lost this summer. We love you, Jim and Pearl!

There was also a Chinese garden, with a big wall that made you feel like you were in China - in Minnesota. That's a pretty cool feat.

Minnesota has been giving me a lot of cool sculptures, and between Franconia Sculpture Park, the Walker Sculpture Garden, and now the Sculpture Garden at the Arboretum ...

 I'd have to say this is a destination place for all things sculpture. I'm super impressed.

There were a lot of really great works, but I think my favorite was the Stone Harp, as it made you feel transported into a kind of fairy land maybe in Ireland. There's been so much rain lately, that you really could think you were over there ... plus I hear we are the place that drinks Jameson the most. So there.

There are so many different vibes to the Arboretum, from serene and tranquil to whimsical and fun, like the big maze they have. There's a lookout you can climb up to look down on it and maybe help someone out who is lost. We were on a bit of a time frame, so I didn't take the risk, but it looked cool!

There were some dahlias that took my breath away with their elegant geometry, and roses so gorgeous and fragrant you could only swoon. The flowers weren't as happening as I'm sure they are in the height of spring and summer, but all the more reason to return. We're probably gonna have to become members of the Arboretum, as I got a glimpse of what they deck the halls like for Christmas, so we're for sure going to have to hit it up again then. What an exceptional showcase of all the stunning nature Minnesota has to offer!

About a mile up the road from the Arboretum proper is their Apple House, which they proudly proclaim is the "Home of the Honeycrisp"! I don't know if you've had the pleasure of a freshly picked Honeycrisp, but there's a reason this one is all the rage. DELICIOUS. And it was created right here, by the University of Minnesota. Enjoy!

I don't really tire of apple things, so we got some more, and I even ran into a Spartan alumni, Tami Anderson! Rounded out by a burger at the Lion's Tap, and this was about as perfect of a fall day as one could have here in Minnesota. Thanks, Arboretum!

And now ... a little break back to Dogtown for Blogtown! CANNOT WAIT. Love.

A Living Wall

This weekend was so gorgeous, it was pretty unbelievable. Everything felt Summery and festive, the beaches were packed, and the winds were tropical. I felt happy just looking out the window. On the way to the beach, I took a new route just for fun, and passed by this incredible living wall surrounding a home on Olive Street.

What a great idea, to cover your walls with living plants! The house it surrounds is actually pretty dark and severe looking (and big), but this wall livens up the whole thing, with the added bonus of being natural! I think it's great.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, wherever you are, and that this new week shows you something surprising and beautiful and inspiring as well. Or even a few somethings! Good luck!

New Life For A Venice Cactus

The other day my friend Mario posted a picture of a big 80 year old cactus on Vernon Avenue that was scheduled to be torn out today to make way for another BUB (Big Ugly Box, as Mario calls them), asking if anyone could rescue it. They didn't care that this plant had made its home here for going on a century, because you gotta max out that property line, right?

Well ... Venice responded. In no time flat, friends and friends of friends chimed in to say they'd take it ... or some of it, as it was so big no one person could really move it all. Apparently, with a cactus you can just take a piece off and replant it and it will become its own new big cactus. As you can tell, folks have been showing up and taking their special pieces. My heart is full, knowing that this stately queen of a cactus will live on in yards all over Venice (and further afield, as some friends in the desert, Topanga, and other friendly climes have all staked their own claims to share), and that all these lovely people not only cared, but took action - just like that. It's a beautiful thing.

Today was the day. Mario went to check it out and found out that whatever had remained was relocated to a nursery - that the RENTER paid to do. It's still sad to see, but at least we know that new life will grow all over town. Note the previous renters tagged the house, saying, "GOODBYE HOUSE! See you, Casa. You've been awesome. Xo, Keith" "Say it isn't so" "Thanks for keeping Tiger and Jen" - all just bittersweet. So now away goes the little awesome house ...

                         

Thank you to Mario for putting out the call, and to the real deal people of Venice, who have given new life to this majestic beauty that was almost destroyed in the name of "progress". Well done, everyone! 

*Photos by Mario Signore

Venice Home and Garden Tour 2013 - Simply Lovely

The 2013 Venice Home and Garden Tour lucked out and got one of the most gorgeous days ever to strut its stuff. This was the 20th Anniversary of the day that for many is a highlight of the entire year, and this year's tour focused on the Abbot Kinney (and adjacent) to celebrate.

There were only a few stops actually ON Abbot Kinney, but they were pretty cool. One house had a bamboo garden in back that was so serene and calming (due to the "water features") that you would never know all the AKB hubbub was going on right on the other side of the house. A real retreat.

There's always a lot of ground to cover on Garden Tour day, so you gotta move if you want to see it all. It's also wise to ride your bikes, way speedier and stealthier. I can't imagine driving from place to place, you'd waste half your time looking for parking. Some stops were way over on Vernon and others way over on Rialto, so you hoped the folks wore their comfy shoes too.

A cool thing about the Tour is that many of these places you fly by all the time, having no idea that these wonder spaces exist within. One sort of regular looking house on the outside might have an absolute dream garden behind it, and you'd never know from going by it every day. Unless you make friends with them - the best idea - or have that green Tour wristband once a year.

The highest rated green LEED house on Brooks was impressive in its use of recycled water with a mill wheel and gutter system going on, and lush vegetation all over. It drew crowds.

The rooftops were often as dramatic as the gardens below, and showed how to be very green -living again.

One house/artists' studio was right next door to where I just lived for a year. I never knew all this creation went on inside those walls. I'd almost never seen the owners, save for a quick "Good morning," as we came or went sometimes. Cool place, guys! Good art!

I liked that the Venice Heritage Museum had place markers along the Tour route, so that you could understand a little bit about the place you were traipsing around, if you were a new visitor, or a local that doesn't get out much. I was happy to see one honoring my friend, Bobby Brown. He would have loved this, saying he was "Jam packed and jelly tight!" (Whatever that meant). RIP, Friend.

I'm just touching on my favorites, because otherwise this would be five years long to read, and you should maintain your own sense of wonder until you get to discover some of these places for yourselves. I had a nice moment with a couple of strangers - to where I said, "I'm glad we had this moment" and they said, "Me too" - when the sun shone in just perfectly on us in this little hot tub nook in a gorgeous orange-hued cottage on Altair, and it was so beautiful when we all looked up, away from the throngs of people queuing through the homes, that it prompted that grateful, acknowledged moment. Sweet.

I love color.

There is a lot to look at over at Robin's Sculpture Garden, back on Abbot Kinney. There were photos and projects and camel topiary prototypes and mosaics and a spinning fortune wheel and all sorts of good stuff. Robin Murez told me how she'd recently been arrested for painting little waves on the streets that used to be canals around Venice. Arrested?! Yes, art is a crime still sometimes here. In this case, a felony. Dumb. I need to hear more, but we had an important engagement to get to ... called watching The Kentucky Derby.

"The most exciting two minutes in sports" always happens the same day as the Garden Tour, so the tradition tends to be stopping in at Hal's for a respite (Mint Julep, of course) in the middle of the Tour to watch the race. Someone at NBC must have been fired this year as there were no graphics on the screen down the home stretch, and in the loud bar, no one had any idea who won. National Buzzkill.

The Tour must go on, and after visiting a few cold and sterile bachelor-looking pads/boxes, we were treated to what wound up being my absolute favorites. Again, just cruising down Rialto, you would have no idea that behind the astro-turf looking fence walls would be a lush, resort-like paradise of a backyard.

You just wanted to sit here and relax all day ... and I could have, because my dear and darling friends, Harry and Russ, live here! Their place is so great, a renovated four-plex Craftsman that Russ surrounded with his own epic landscape work (Russ Cletta Design Studio).

We had some good laughs/Modelos here, (A lady who lunches type told Harry that she could tell it was a man's kitchen. He said, "Well, a gay man's, so I guess it's for both." I'm still laughing. With her.) and then zipped off to try and beat the clock to cram in as much as we could.

I think Harry and Russ's place was tied for my favorite with the one on Santa Clara listed as "Quirky Venice." It's so beautiful, with interesting things to look at at every turn. Artist Simon Maltby designed his own home and studio, and the creativity is everywhere, both in function and beauty. Like his swinging fireplace!

I love this place for its color and art and total uniqueness. It's all very airy and open, with a courtyard between front and back structures.

A sun room must be so pleasant to have breakfast in, with the plants under the glass floor at your very feet.

A door had palm leaves embedded in its panes of glass, making the whole place feel organic to and in its surroundings.

Inside the house, it was ultra-cinematic, with a hacienda feel that was both homey and deluxe at once. Of all the places we'd seen that day, this was the one I'd most want to actually LIVE in.

Maltby was kept very busy answering the many questions the Garden tourists had, as most, I'm sure, had never seen anything else like it. A true highlight.

There is a trend these days with stones and gravel for landscaping, and I'm not that into it. It feels cold and uncomfortable to me, even when you throw some color at it. I like to be barefoot outside, and these kinds of spaces aren't inviting for that. To me.

The clock was ticking, and we made it to Tour co-founder Jay Griffith's impressive gardens on California - another total retreat you had no idea was there -  and then sped on ...

... Alas, to no avail, as when the stroke of 5:00 pm hit, it was done. I saw a lady come out of a Tour stop on 6th and take down the sign. No nonsense, no begging. It was over. The house next door was a stop as well, but the sign was still up, so I poked my head inside. I saw this -

- and that's it, as a Docent on his bike was packing up and riding away. Wow. This stunning get-away behind a fence I've walked by hundreds of times! That is the magic of this wonderful every year day. You make discoveries each time that refill your gratitude and make you so happy to call Venice home. Now it's just up to me to go make friends with the folks behind the ones I missed ...

Congratulations to Barbara Bauman, the Garden Tour's indefatigable motor running it all, the Founders, Co-Chairs, Commmittee and Volunteers ... It was another smashing success, and an absolutely lovely day for everyone who partook in this important fundraiser for the Neighborhood Youth Association.

THANK YOU so very much for again showcasing the beauty of our community's places and people!