Burlap and such...

Photo updates on the Grack. We've downsized since the following picture was taken. I chopped the top shelf off of the planter to bring it a little more into proportion and still give us some room in front of the window. Below is a photo with the burlap I put in this morning. Things are moving along and in the next day or so I should be putting dirt into place and seeds into ground. Squee!!

[initial construction]

[with burlap in lower planter]

Quick Grack update!

30 pea seedlings are popping their little heads out of the dirt and quickly outgrowing their baby containers. As such, I continued putting together the sides of the Grack and should have it installed by early next week.

I've realized I won't have as much time with the seedlings in small pots as I first thought and will have to race to get the entire structure up and running so I can have room for all the plants as they sprout.

No signs yet of the tomatoes coming out of the dirt, so I'm a little worried, but giving them time, space, sun and water...

Garden Update #1

In the time since my last post, I succeeded in planting a total of 82 pea seeds, about twenty tomato plant seeds and about 30 bell pepper plant seeds. Each of these crops was a single packet of seeds from Botanical Interests)

With the peas, I soaked them in water for 24 hours before sowing as recommended by the packaging. After planting about ten of them, I quickly ran out of room. Thinking (foolishly) that I could just dry and re-bag the remaining 70+ seeds, I did. The next day, I had a bunch of quickly germinating seeds trying to escape the confines of their Ziploc. In a mad dash, I collected any available container, purchased some more terra cotta pots and placed a total of 82 pea seeds into the dirt. As of this morning, 14 have already come above the surface.

I don't count on all of the plants surviving, nor do I have space for 82 pea vines, so I will be on the lookout for folks who are in want of a pea plant. I hope to keep as many of them around as I complete construction of the Grack, so that they can climb its 6'4" height!

Also, I saw signs of the first germination of my bell pepper seeds (done in egg cartons) today and have picked out which seed will become the plant named Domino!

Exciting adventure here in Grackland as the sun is finally shining again (60 degrees and cloudy is NOT Los Angeles weather for July) and I'm glad to be seeing the seedlings moving forward. Check out the associated photos!

[the Grack, schematic]

[Grack lumber, pre-construction]

[Dot dreaming of lettuces and radishes and carrots, oh my]

Garrr-dening: Time to Get Gracking

Bright summer day! New project underway!

Exciting news! My new summer project is to construct a system for gardening with limited space. As an apartment dweller, I share a walkway balcony that faces our building's courtyard. The walkway itself is only 4 feet wide and provides about 16 feet of space across the face or our apartment. On one side, I've designated a space 1.5' deep by 6' long by 7' high to build a 'garden rack'--or "grack"--which will house three or four 'shelves' or planters. On the top will be room for herbs and flower, the middle will house lettuces and other greens, while the bottom will be a deeper bed suitable for deep rooted vegetables such as carrots, radishes and potatoes.

While I've purchased the bulk of the lumber for the Grack and begun putting some of the pieces together, I wanted to first make sure that I could bring a seed to life. It has been years since I've planted a garden. And my last attempt was when I was nine or ten, planting our family greenhouse in Colorado. A substantially bigger enterprise. I realize, though that it was simpler. Our garden was a simple dirt bed dug into the soil of the yard beneath the greenhouse.

As I enterprise to make a suitable growing system in an urban apartment-dwelling setting, I see many more challenges. In addition to the space issue, I have pushed to make this as organic and natural as possible, reducing the waste, pollution and footprint this little garden produces.

As such, I've laid out these guides for myself:

- SEED: the seeds which I purchase for the garden will be organically cultivated and absolutely NOT GMO's. While my first batch was shipped to me from the family-owned business Botanical Interests in Colorado, I found a local store that sells their seeds. While I still want to use them, I am thinking about finding a local supplier to cut down on the emissions associated with transporting the seeds to California from Colorado.

- SOIL: only organic. And I'm using 100% natural burlap to enclose my soils within the beds, avoiding plastics, which retain water and reduce soil contact with the wood, but obviously become an ecological hazard when discarded.

- SUN: I have been thinking about whether or not, in cultivating my seedlings, I should use artificial light sources in the beginning. While the balcony does face east and gets a generous seven+ hours direct morning sunlight, I have heard that seeds need more than just that to begin strong. I don't want to increase the footprint, even if using low-watt compact florescent equivalents. We'll see how well I do with the seedlings before a final consensus is arrived at.

- GRACK: the rack itself has been constructed of Douglas fir and cedar lumber farmed responsibly and certified by the FSC or SGS. I've decided that I will not treat the wood, despite parts of the Grack coming into contact with the soils, to avoid the stains and protectants getting into the veggies. As such, I've modified the design of the structure to allow for minimal soil contact--through burlap lining and removable side slats--making it easy and cost effective to only have to replace a small amount of wood if it does get too worn to be usable. I've also chosen cedar for the parts of the structure that will come into contact with the wood, as it has a tough durability in regards to soil and is used often in above ground planters.

I've decided that my first successful bell pepper plant will be named Domino. No idea why, just so. :-) I will use the blog to keep record of my advances and hope for a fruitful harvest in the near.

Yosemite: A Convenience or An Opportunity?

A draft I just found in the draft box. Now I can post with pictures...

Travis and I just returned from a weekend getaway in the north at Bass Lake and Yosemite National Park. We stayed at a lake house with twelve of the cast of Scandal! Big Top Trouble and visited the Yosemite Valley yesterday afternoon.

One of our adventures over the wonderfully relaxing and exciting weekend was our eight-mile roundtrip hike to the top of the Yosemite waterfall where we recorded his weekly vlog from the summit. There were a large number of people at the top of the waterfall and along the climb—surprising for the extraordinary effort it took to complete the four-hour hike up the steep switchbacks. We were able to see most of the valley and Half Dome for at least half of the hike and reveled in being misted in the spray from the powerful plunging plume to our right. (Alliteration anyone?)

It was an extraordinary experience to be in the valley with all of the waterfalls and the lush vegetation and sheer cliffs of granite. However, I realized very early on that the valley was crowded with thousands of people clamoring to see Half Dome and the extraordinary waterfalls. The sentiment of the crowd—as far as I could glean—was of awe, but not a respectful awe.

Rather, the Yosemite Valley has turned into a drive-in amusement. It was a convenience rather than an opportunity. I’ve often noticed this when visiting other national parks. Guests drive for hours to see the natural occurrences that have become undeniable symbols of the American landscape. A family will hop out of their car for a few minutes to take pictures and then storm back into the comfort of air conditioning and cooler full of juice boxes. So lost seems to be a desire to explore the natural beauty that is provided. While exploration and engagement with these parks takes an immense amount of respect and knowledge, the passion for appreciating that beauty has been lost.



Perhaps we are too comfortable with our modernized suburban or urban daily lives to care to explore the parks. Or perhaps an opportunity for a few minutes at a lookout with a couple of snaps of you and Old Faithful is all that is needed to get by on our week-long vacations escaping the grind. I however, am not satisfied with such a glimpse. The four hours that we took to hike from the valley floor into the heights of what some call the most beautiful place in America was worth more than the aching knees and dirty hands. Travis and I were able to share an accomplishment beyond driving in and driving out. And let me tell you, the view from the heavens was extraordinary!

RwmW

Profundity within Simplicity: A Really Great Day

I may have had the perfect day yesterday.

Trav and I woke up a little late and after walking Dotty, rode our bikes down to Pan Pacific Park to play capture the flag with the V.G.L. - Varsity Gay League. Trav had seen an open invite on Facebook and we decided to try something new, meet some new people, and socialize - something we've had very little time to do over the past few months with work being so crazy!

We played two games of capture the flag over four hours with two teams of upwards of 35 people each. And we took over the whole park! Dodging a quinceanera, sunbathers, people with dogs and kids, a hoola hoop class and the assortment of joggers and bikers, we had a kick ass time!

Afterwards, Trav and I rode home and stopped at Trader Joe's to put together a huge lunch of fried rice, chicken burgers, Cuban-style beans and cottage cheese.

Then we rode our bikes to the subway and--yes, in LA--took the subway over the hill to see How to Train Your Dragon at Universal. The movie was adorable and we left the theater sore and smitten and brilliantly content. Rounding out the night with tea and an episode of Star Trek: Next Generation, I felt like I'd had a day for the history books.

The simplicity of good people, strenuous excercise, leaving behind the week's stress, finding an alternate way to get around besides climbing in the car--a constant source of negative energy for me--and the opportunity to allow myself to recognize the profundity within the simplicity of the day, was extraordinarily rewarding.

Check out some photos of capture the flag here:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=33301641#!/photo.php?pid=5792230&id=113620386054&fbid=426638316054

And what about this little diddy I ran across via a friend?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7WxTP3ger8

So here's a cool little project that the LENS blog at the NYTimes is putting together:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/about-3/

May 2, at 15:00 hours UTC, they're challenging people to take a photo. The compilation will be a mosaic of a moment in time across the globe. I'm so excited! Although it will be 9:00am in LA, so I'll have to get a good night's sleep...

Sandcastles

My brother was in town last week for Spring Break. He forwent a trip to Mexico to come hang out with Trav and I and we had a great visit. The day before before leaving, he and I decided on a day trip to Malibu for some beach time. We built a sandcastle. We tanned. We thought. We appreciated being on the beach in that moment, in that place.

Now that I see my brother much less often than I did during the eighteen years we were roommates, I appreciate the moments when we do get to hang out. When we get to drink cheap beer and pile up sand whilst talking about his plans for the future and while I recount what I want to do with my life. My brother is, I realized, one of the best friends I have. He knows quarks about me that even my best friends may not. There's something very valuable about knowing that someone shared the childhood experience with you in the way that a brother does. So here's to sandcastles...

and to brothers.

Brian Gerald

http://www.briangerald.com/

Check out the new website of my good friend, Brian - a living, breathing, wonderfully inspired and constantly inspirational activist, filmmaker, philosopher, wanderer, speaker, and friend.