Presenting my first booksigning at Gallery Bookshop in the village of Mendocino last Friday had an unexpected bonus: I found out the dahlias were in bloom at Mendocino Botanical Gardens. Synchronistically, I had arranged to drop off a stack of my books for their garden shop the next day, so after an early morning run with the Border Collies, on Saturday I headed north along the coast to Ft. Bragg. In spite of predicted rain it was dry and the hazy light was perfect for a shoot. However, dahlias, it turns out, are not as easy to shoot as one might think. When looking through the camera’s eye one learns this. They are random and independent fellows, and not inclined to bunch perfectly as a photographer might prefer. Topping this reality was a light breeze. Plenty of soft words were spoken to these flowers, asking them to cooperate for the split seconds of a camera click. Sometimes they actually did. Quite nicely, in fact. I find them cheerful, sturdy, and very very colorful! Enjoy!
Which was your favorite?
Love and gardening blessings,
Kathryn xoox
Book News! Plant Whatever Brings You Joy: Blessed Wisdom from the Garden is now available in five Copperfield’s Books– in Napa, in Healdsburg, in Petaluma, in Calistoga and in Santa Rosa (Montgomery Village). Please note I will be doing three author Meet and Greet events, at Copperfield’s Books in Healdsburg November 6th, Copperfield’s in Calistoga November 20th, and Copperfield’s in Napa December 4th. Plant Whatever Brings You Joy is also available, happily, in Changing Hands in Tempe, AZ; in Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, CA; in Malaprop’s in Asheville, NC; in Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino, CA; in Mendocino Botanical Gardens Garden Shop in Ft. Bragg, CA; in Grace Hudson Museum, Three Sisters and Mendocino Book Store in Ukiah, CA! And my book is now available in Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park! Please feel free to recommend your favorite independent bookstore! For complete book information please visit www.estrellacatarina.com
Must share this lovely review which just came in from The Gardeners’ Club in Santa Cruz! Santa Cruz readers, again, can visit the lovely Bookshop Santa Cruz for their copies!
Posted on September 21st, 2010 by Kathryn
Filed under: Plants
Oh, they’re Beautiful!! You did Wonderfully at capturing them! Wow!
Thanks for sharing such a delightful Beauty break! Favorite? As in one?? 😉
Love you,
Antonia
xoxo
Hi, Antonia! Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the journey! Love, Mom xoxo
A lovely morning uplift. I also enjoy dahlias. They require digging and indoor storage here…so I do. Cannot pick just one!
Good morning, Alice, and welcome! I so admire that you dig them up and store indoors. Were you a neighbor I’d come watch! Kathryn xoxo
Beautiful as always.
Every year i dig up Dahlias and store them underneath the house.
.Last Winter, some creature ” wintered with them “and ate quite a few tubers. They also ate geraniums i had put away for rebirth in the Spring.
Funny i never found any clues as to what kind of a muncher it was!
Thanks for spreading beauty.
I hope the book signing was a big success.
Fondly, Betsy.
Good morning, Betsy! I’m so impressed that the East Coasters take this task upon themselves so willingly and know just what to do. And little did I know you could store geraniums, though I’ve attempted to do that here simply by copying the Dutch practice of keeping them indoors. I wonder who ate your tubers?? And, happy to report, the booksigning truly was more than I could have imagined, attended by a large group of lovely people, with bff in front row with her hubby, daughter and asst. smiling me on. Truly lovely! Thank you for your well wishes. Two more signings set up for Oct! And, btw, Malaprop’s will be carrying my book!! (Please mention! TY! ) Kathryn xoxo
Hi Kathryn – gorgeous photos. I especially love the one with the dark purple leaves contrasting with the flowers.
I’ve finally had chance to start your book and it’s a good job that it’s raining hard here today as I suspect that I’m going to do little other than curl up by the wood burner and read all day – what bliss! 🙂
Hi, Liz! I will take great pleasure today in the image of your curling up with my book by the fire and enjoying the read! Thank you for letting me know. So appreciated. Enjoy! Kathryn xoxo
Dahlias have always been a favorite- such lush and powerful presence in the garden. Congratulations on your book- and the great review 🙂
Hi, Ilona! I love how you describe the dahlias, with their lush and powerful presence. They do make a statement, don’t they? Thank you for the acknowledgments! Kathryn xoxo
It’s so hard to believe they are real. The perfect pompoms always look carefully designed and maybe even carved. The ones with twisted petals look like they have run off in the wind. They have a completely “other world” look about them. I also plant out the little ones most springs and just consider them annuals. Have done big ones in pots some years & stored in the garage until next spring. Did some of those last summer, see if they winter through for me. Hugs, Julie
Hi, Julie! I know! I think I need to grow them to fully get my mind and heart around them. They certainly have their minds made up. I am dahlia!
I wonder what the original ones looked like? Kathryn xoxo