Quite the view...

We went to Chelan last weekend to celebrate our anniversary/Valentine's Day/Beth-needed-a-break and it was wonderful.  So we packed the 3 pooches up, bid adieu to Ella the cat and headed out for great adventures.  Apparently many other people had the same bright idea as all the wineries were packed.  So instead we went exploring, our specialty.  We stayed at a nice hotel in Manson and I had no idea I would wake up to this view the next day...

Okay, so this is a view on the way to another packed winery but you get the picture.  Gorgeous.  I highly recommend going in the winter but I also am more of a fan of going to places when tourists aren't there.  All the locals assured me this place (Lake Chelan) gets a bit crazy in the summer.  Not for me.

On another note, as promised, I would like to share another plant that I am finding quite sexy ;)  This would be Juniperus squamata 'Meyeri' or Meyeri juniper.  Check this out:

Juniperus squamata 'Meyeri'

This puppy is cool.  It can be pruned a bit more easily than many conifers which can be handy.  Mostly, I don't like junipers but this one has a great look.  I think I'm partial to things that look bonsai-ed and this definitely has that look.  Just a stunning specimen.

Dear Mom & Dad:  This is one bush I would love to put in your yard as it is likes the heat and sun and can tolerate cold which is pretty much what you need.

Now to leave you... one last picture from our Chelan adventure, enjoy!

Ah, water so calm, great reflection on Lake Chelan.

Amateur Photography... at your service

So, as you may or may not know, I have dabbled in one of my loves, photography, for a long time now. Here are some examples of pictures I have taken that have been my favorites over the years...

Hobuck beach in Neah Bay, Washington

My lovely sister on the south side of Maui on our way back from Hana.

Lovely beach near Lahaina

I have also managed to do some photo shoots for some people over the years... weddings and pregnancy photos.  Over the years, I have shot a few weddings and here are some of my favorites pictures...

 

And most recently, it was my pleasure to do a session for my friend who's about to have a baby...

So now, I must embark on a journey where no full-time worker/mostly-full-time-student dare go... an amateur photography business! If anyone in the Seattle area would like cheap wedding or maternity photography, I am here to help!  My services are completely negotiable.  So, just on a whim to see if this could actually help out my pitiful student pocket book, feel free to contact me if you are interested!

Fountain of Cool... Stomatal Bands

As I've been a horticulture student for some time now, you'd think the excitement would have died down but alas, I'm still loving it.  From the first day, I was hooked.  Last December I shared my favorite plant from my Broadleaf Evergreen Identification class.  Now that it's winter quarter, I have embarked on Conifer Identification, a subject I originally thought would be fairly boring.  But of course, it never ceases to impress!  So now, I think I might have to periodically share some highlights and favorite plants as the learning journey continues.  To my dismay, I actually have more favorite plants this quarter as opposed to last quarter!

But before I introduce one, let's take a moment and get educated...

Most conifers have what is called stomatal banding.  It's typically found on the underside of needles. Here's a good example:

Eastern hemlock stomatal bands

You can see a few leaves turned over showing the green topside of the leaves.  Often these bands appear as thin white lines that follow the shape of the needle/awl.  Here's another version of stomatal bands:

Chamaecyparis obtusa

Now onto the good stuff.  Today, we were introduced to another conifer tree that seemed fairly ordinary - Thujopsis dolabrata or false Hiba cedar.  Here's what it looks like.

And then cuttings were passed around to the class (don't worry, the tree is still very much intact).  The topside of the branchlets were fairly normal looking, nothing to write home about.  This is a variegated cultivar so you can see a little yellow (variegation) in some of the needles.  

But when we turned the cuttings over, we found something truly cool...

 This is the stomatal bands on the underside, so very cool.

So that's it, just had to share my newest discovery.  I'll leave you with this ultra-cool photo some amazing photographer took (aka me).