New Beginnings

Who we are
On May 13, 2006, Jon and I got hitched at the local Unitarian Universalist church. Here is a photo of us taken from Jon's cell phone on the way from the church to the reception. Our getaway vehicle? A 1988 Chevy Suburban, rust and all. So now what? Well, I guess we just keep doing what we were doing before the wedding. A lot of yardwork and gardening, especially now that summer is approaching.

Where we are
We live and garden on 2/3 of an acre located about one mile from the capital of Raleigh, NC. We are really lucky to have found the combination of downtown living with a huge lot that allows us to have multiple gardens filled with flowers, vegetables, fruit trees, grains, and berries.

Here is a picture of our mulberry tree in fruit. This year I made mulberry-strawberry jam. Okay, well maybe it actually turned out to be syrup, seeing as how I am new to this and didn't realize that sugar plays a starring role in the jelling process.

The Grotto
Just under the mulberry tree is a space that we carved out of our backyard by clearing a 15 - 20 foot corridor of thick brush and poison ivy. It took over a year to do this and once complete, we had a beautiful secret spot that is virtually invisible from the house, yard, or street. We set out chairs and a table, and hung a hammock and buddhist prayer flags back there.

A few weeks ago, the space was elevated to a new level. As a wedding gift, my friend Betsy from Gainesville, FL collected a bunch of antique blue bottles and brought them with her to Raleigh. She and our friend Marianne hung the bottles from the mulberry tree and dubbed the space "the grotto". So with any luck, Jon and I will be spending a lot of time in the grotto this summer.