A whirlwind snowy adventure

Not exactly what one expects at the end of March…I guess it’s the “Out like a Lion” thing…but as I recall March came in like a Lion as well.  I think we’ve been had!

It’s good to get out; I call it “looking up”.  You know,  get out from behind the laptop, out in the world and see what others are up to.  Debra Prinzing coming to the Northwest for a couple of garden talks was a wonderful excuse to for me to “look up,” make myself useful and spend some quality time with this dear friend who lives out of state.  Our best talks generally involve an interstate, so I offered to drive her to Yakima for her speaking engagement with the Yakima master gardeners.

Any time with Debra generally turns out to involve an adventure, beautiful gardens and some lovely accommodations.  See here for just one example.  This week was no exception.  We left Tuesday morning amidst apocalyptic weather conditions; rain, wind and snow in the mountains…LOTS of snow in the mountains.  I meant to take some photos of the blizzard conditions we were passing through to get east of the mountains but I couldn’t unclench my white knuckles from the steering wheel long enough to get a shot in.

We arrived in Yakima only an hour or so behind schedule.  Can I just say that I love the rolling sagebrush-covered hills and big sky of Eastern Washington.  We came down out of the pass into a beautiful, if somewhat harsh landscape beneath blue skies.  Debra said it was like taking a deep breath.  Not only is the sense of limitless space impressive but I’m certain we’d been holding our breath on our harrowing drive over.

Our afternoon was filled with a lovely lunch and a quick winter tour of a garden I’d only seen in late summer; I like to take any chance I can get to look at gardens in more than one season.  After all, I believe gardening is every bit as much about time as it is about space.  The wind was whipping and it was COLD but the crocus were up and the witch hazels shown.

Signing Stylish Sheds...

Debra spoke that evening at the Yakima Area Arboretum to an enthusiastic group of knowledgeable gardeners.  I got a chance to poke about the natural history displays while she signed copies of her Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways Book.  Debra is all about encouraging one to think about creating a space to calm, quiet and escape to.  Her talk “The Ultimate Sanctuary” discussed and illustrated ways in which a humble…or not so humble…backyard shed, hut, pavilion, or POD (Personal Outdoor Dwelling) can become a place of peace for its inhabitants.  Her message appeals to gardeners and non-gardeners alike; who among us couldn’t use a little more peace?  Read here for a review I wrote of Debra’s book last spring.

Chickens and snow!

After the talk and book signing we had a wonderful meal with our Yakima hosts.  We trundled off to bed much later than usual and prepared to drive home the next morning.  We woke to grey skies but at least the wind had died down.  I amused myself watching the Guinea hens running back and forth screaming their fool heads off while the far more deep-thinking hens and rooster strutted around pecking and scratching at the ground.  Within a very short time the snow began in earnest.  Beautiful yes, but such a cruel joke for April 1st – Ack!!!

So we’d covered the garden and cushy accommodations that make up an outing with Debra, and I thought we’d count the snowy pass as the adventuresome element but an April fool had other ideas.  It would seem that Debra’s camera had fallen out of her bag the previous night at the restaurant and she woke to find several messages from the good (?) soul who had found it and was trying to return it.  What ensued over the next few hours defies description as we attempted to track down the good Samaritan at an obscure address and no phone; a truly questionable trailer with a horrific and debasing soundtrack was involved.  We persevered for a while – and I’ve got the pictures to prove it this time – but then we skedaddled out of there, sans camera but with our lives intact and another adventure under our belt.  It remains to be seen if the heart of Trailer Man is indeed good and true…or if that camera is loooong gone!

Scary Trailer

We got back over the pass in sloppy snow and rain and home in record time.  Debra had another engagement that evening to prepare for – I don’t know how she does it.  I went home and took a nap.  But let me tell you, life is never boring on a junket with Debra!  Follow her adventure on her blog at Shed Style.com

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