Foxtail agave bloom

Our "foxtail" agave (Agave attenuata) is in bloom for the first time. It usually takes about ten years before they shoot up a magnificant stalk like this.

December backyard view

I just liked the way the light looked this afternoon, and the white roses and bougainvillea blooms by the fireplace.

New garage door

Our garage door had been beat up over the years, and we finally got a new one.

New pillows for the couch

Coyote

(Or click here to see a video.)

New hot water heater

We'd been noticing an occasional trickle of water running out of a drain hole above the dining room window, and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Then George thought to check the hot water heater, and sure enough, its drip pan was nearly overflowing, and that pipe ran from the overflow pan. It was Labor Day weekend, but fortunately, we found a good company from Angie's List, Water Heaters Only, who was willing to come install a replacement right then. After some hasty research looking at the possibility of moving to a tankless water heater, we decided we were better off staying with the tank. We'd had a 50-gallon tank, which is plenty for a house of two, and we'd never experienced running out of hot water. Alas, the newer tanks, while much more energy efficient, are also slightly larger, and it was a trick to find one that would fit into the same custom-built space where our old one was. Fortunately, we found a model that worked, the Bradford White URG150T6N. So now we have a new water heater.

Dos coyotes

Repainting the exterior trim and pergola

We had Foothill Painting come to repaint our exterior trim, which was getting worn, and to paint the pergola, which was also getting weathered. The pergola had originally been stained rather than painted, but it seemed more durable to paint it rather than try to stain it again. We used Dunn Edwards "Galway Bay" (DE 6305), which was a good match to the original color.

Echo Park fireworks

We always get a great fireworks display on July 4, with views in many directions. Not only can we see official fireworks displays all around the city, but from the size of stuff our neighbors light off, you'd never know fireworks were illegal around here.

Bobcat in our backyard!

George had caught a brief glimpse of this kitty near the grapes a few days earlier, but this morning, he got a good look and confirmed it. We'd never seen a bobcat in our yard before! Must be the heat or drought or something bringing it around. Check out the video!

We've got a few peaches...

When it's peach time, our abundance overflows!

Our jacaranda is finally blooming!

We planted a 15-gallon jacaranda tree in 2010, and it has grown steadily but never bloomed before. Finally, after seven years, we are getting purple blossoms!

First peaches, right on time

Our Tropic Snow peach tree has been a reliably sweet, juicy, and early white freestone peach. It blooms around Martin Luther King Day in January, and we usually have peaches just after Memorial Day. Here are this year's first fruits.