Fiendishly Fertile

Most of the time when you cut into a grapefruit, you find a few seeds that you can easily flick away with the tip of your knife. I was surprised to cut into this grapefruit and see all of these seeds!

Seeds galore

Eager to get on with my breakfast, I didn't stop to count the seeds. But later wondered - how many seeds does a grapefruit produce? Was this an anomaly, or routine for some grapefruit varieties?

Turns out, some grapefruit (Citrus x. paradisi) can be seedless or nearly seedless, others may have up to 90 seeds! Learn more from Fruits of Warm Climates, by Julia F. Morton, the Rutaceae section: https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/grapefruit.html. Although this grapefruit appears fiendishly fertile, it may only be about average!

Fresh Herbs

What a treat to cook with fresh herbs, especially in the summer when the menu is filled with salads and fruit bowls, and vegetables, seafood, and meats hot off the grill. It's fairly easy to grow basic herbs on your kitchen windowsill, or outside in containers. Snip what you need, and use the herbs in dressings, marinades, and dipping sauces.

Egg carton starter kit for herbs

This summer I'm growing herbs from a starter kit - Thai Basil (Ocicmum basilicum), Mint (Mentha spp.), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Blue Borage (Borago officinalis), and Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis). The English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) was decimated by a tiny slug that hopped aboard the day I put the kit outside to soak up the sun (I discovered him the next morning heading for the Thyme, and relocated him back outside). I have been transplanting the sprouts, and watching them grow.

Blue Borage

If you don't have time to wait for herbs to grow, many grocery stores and farmer's markets sell bunches of cut herbs. Sometimes, they even supply living herbs, often for a similar price. Just snip what you need and enjoy the fragrance and flavor of fresh herbs!

Living Basil from Rocket Farms (fabulous fragrance)

Dry Creek Garden

On one of our hot, summer weekends, my husband and I visited Dry Creek Garden in Union City. It is part of Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park, and closely associated with Garin Regional Park in nearby Hayward. The Meyers sisters (Edith, Mildred, and Jeanette) donated 1200 acres from Dry Creek Ranch to the East Bay Regional Park District to create Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park.

Nearby wheat field

Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park

Their father, Henry H. Meyers (1867-1943) was an architect here in the Bay Area, and designed some landmark sites such as the Posey Tube, Highland Hospital, and Caldecott Tunnel. He also designed the family home in Alameda – Meyers House and Garden.

Gate post for Dry Creek Cottage

The three daughters were successful in their own right. Edith (1900-1971) became a pediatrician, and served as staff president at Children's Hospital. Mildred (1898-1982) studied architecture at U.C. Berkeley, passed the state exam in 1926, practiced with her father until his retirement in 1936, and then took over the practice. Jeanette (1905-1993) ran Dry Creek Ranch.

Fountain in the wild

Shady path through the oaks

My husband and I spent a leisurely hour in the shady Dry Creek Garden. We followed meandering paths, crossed charming bridges, explored the kitchen and rose gardens, enjoyed watching the free-range chickens forage for food, and sat on on various benches to observe nature.

Chinese lantern	Free-range chickens
Flower garden	More flowers

The two-acre garden is rather wild and tangled, with many interesting native and exotic plants and trees. Dry Creek is lined with wonderful stonework, and, unexpectedly, contained some water. Meyers Cottage is very charming and set in a shady stand of trees. It's easy to see why the Meyer family would gravitate to Dry Creek as a summer home.

Meyers Cottage surround by trees

Dry Creek (with a little water)

Follow the May Trail through shady oaks to access a 27-mile network of trails. Take the Ridge Loop Trail or the High Ridge Loop Trail for the views. Take the Dry Creek Trail for a mile to the southern tip of Jordan Pond in Garin Regional Park. Be sure to close the gate, since these hills are still used for cattle!

Cattle gate

Summer at Bishop Ranch

Summer is in full swing at Bishop Ranch. We made it through the coolish spring, and now the hot, hot days of summer have returned. Typically a breeze comes in from the coast through the Hayward Pass to bring evening relief, and each three-day crescendo of high heat is followed by several cooler days. The flag stands tall by the man-made Bishop Lake, and is visible over an allee of deciduous trees.

Flags over an allee of trees

The docks at two small marinas are ready to accommodate row boats and the cruiser, or  hard working colleagues ready to take a short break from work.

Dock on Bishop Lake

Dock with tables (note the green roof of the Roundhouse to the left)

The lake is surrounded with interesting things to observe, from ducks and geese carrying out courtship and parenting, to plants running through their life cycles. Employees and the public enjoy walks around the lake for exercise and a midday brush with nature.

Duck and duckling out for a swim	Blueberry lily (Dianella caerulea)
Irises by the lake	Shady allee near the lake

Most trees have passed through their flowering stage, leaving a lovely green-on-green landscape. Many other plants are flowering, and grasses have grown long and move with the breeze.

Shady oak with a view to the textured landscaping

Volleyball and bocce ball courts in the distance

Meanwhile, the grasses on the distant hills have turned brown, highlighting a patchwork of chaparral  and oak. This is characteristic of the summer dry, Mediterranean climate of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mount Diablo in a patchwork of dry grasses and chapparal

Roses and trees watered by gray water in the foreground, and dry hills in the distance

Folks dining at the Roundhouse cafeteria enjoy taking it outside this time of year. The vine lanai provides welcome shade, and breezes off the lake regulate the temperature in the heat of the day.