I am the Audience

15 years and whaddaya get?

April 3, 2025

a day in this life, travel

A trip to Edenton, NC. 😁

The Teapot

Edenton was the first Capital of N.C. and its other claim to fame is a letter sent by the women of the town to King George telling him they would not be buying English tea if he continued his unreasonable taxes. Edenton calls it a Tea Party. But, they didn’t throw cases of tea into the Albemarle Sound. So, I think it was more of a boycott.

It’s a charming town with houses that are nearly 300 years old carefully maintained and walking distance to a great park at the end of the Main Street.

Cupola House, built in 1758

I think this family was having a picnic there last year, too.

1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse

The knees on the bald cypresses growing in and around the sound finally inspired me to look up the cause of that phenomenon. And it’s the water. If the ground ever dries out, the knees stop forming. Clearly, that will never happen to this tree.

Cypress knees

It was a nice trip. But, I’ll be glad to stay home for a month until we head south for Artfields.
Miracles and wonders!

April 2, 2025

dirt under my nails, grow your own, plants

The green fig is already forming fruit!
Bonsai at the Botanical Garden

April 1, 2025

bonsai

This past weekend, I got to see some tiny trees. One of the most frequently asked questions about tiny trees is whether the fruit an flowers also grow smaller. Here is the answer. No. Everyonce in a while someone manages to have one or the other on a tree at the right time for an exhibition and they always amuse me. I once saw a tree with a single, full sized apple.

Blooming wisteria

Japanese maple with companion Johnny-jumpups

All Jin juniper

Juniper mame
Not going to be a mushroom farmer.

March 31, 2025

dirt under my nails, grow your own

The oyster mushroom bag is moldy and the Chicken of the Woods are, indeed, turkey tails.

I’ll leave the log where it is, just in case CotW shows up later. I expect that the turkey tail mycelium has crowded it out though.

I’m sorry for my nephew’s wasted effort. I hope what he has in Fairview is growing well.
Crabapple

March 30, 2025

plants

I got this to help pollinate a couple of Honeycrisp apple trees I planted. And the apples died. (I think it’s too hot here for them. Or, maybe they don’t like clay soil?) We got a couple of Arkansas Black trees. And they aren’t dead. But, they’re aren’t very productive either. This, however, is stunning. All this is Spring and purple leaves again in the Fall.

Purple crabapple tree

Close up of crabapple blossoms