Friday was a glorious day with the learning garden............THANK YOU JENNY POPE!!

Jenny Pope you should have been there....but we celebrated you...and we thank you for the gifts you have given me.  The artists harvest their micro greens from the Learning garden and the beautiful fragrant basil...with a dance of the fluttering bees...living healthily and robustly in our learning garden.  The bees were almost as jubilant as I was was being there celebrating the beauty in the Learning Garden...the vegetables...the harvesting...the ADD artists.... so many miracles were alive in the Learning Garden.  Suki filled in for Jenny Pope....she had to be with her beloved father...so we all carried on in her honor.  The two hours flew by...we also picked apples...washed ...sliced...tore our fresh micro greens...Suki cut and diced a cucumber...a yellow squash ...a red tomato... and we made our final decisions for which salad dressing to use...a red raspberry or a lemon vinaigrette.   YES we celebrated Jenny Pope and her whole staff..dreaming...creating...growing... and of course Learning in the LEARNING garden for the summer of 2013! 

I love this tee shirt design..unfortunately I  do not know who created this ...I am dreaming of a tree theme is wonderful!!!

 I am entranced by the simplicity of this design..I am creating another "Whispers in the Trees" for an arboretum up in Youngstown for 2014....

 Congratulations to my son in law...Dr. chance Spalding for receiving resident of the year for his Pediatric Surgery...at Nationwide Children's hospital in Columbus!!!

I felt nothing but Gratitude for then closing of this glorious day...Ken has his first real week under his belt...The Learning garden... The visit with one sweet Baby Abby...more to come...

 I want to aspire to create these soft brilliant colors in my new hand dyed panels.....

 Root Beer floats for Friday's celebrations....

 Cole has a dental appointment...but as a real trooper he was happy to have milkshakes for his dinner....

 This is Abbigail Elizabeth...Marilyn and Barry  Riley's  first grand daughter...home for a week before her move to Kansas...what pure LOVE....

 I think Mom Kristen and Jon are doing a splendid job parenting...this is the happiest loved little girl I have met in a long time...I felt Marilyn smiling down from Heaven...there is Hope for a better world!

 "YES I am cute Mary Helen"....come back and play again!!!

 Look how strong I am ....I am playing with a toy from my mother's childhood....Dad is very proud!!!

 Friday in the Dawes Learning Garden...Suki prepares us all for harvesting our salad greens and basil ...you can not see the bees dancing in and out but they were not aggressive because there was plenty of food for them and the artists....

 I wish i could have smell-a-vision...the aromatic fragrance was exhilarating ...I brought home some of the flowering tops to put in a cobalt vase....

 Mark is carefully studying Suki's method for plucking the basil...

 Now we move on to the healthy looking mixed greens and Chard garden...can you believe how much we have grown in such a short amount of time..........Troy is studying the leaves of this healthy vegetable.........

 Malissa is beginning the selection of the mixed greens salads...she is checking each plan and making wise choices for a delicious lunch treat for our picnic....

 Now the whole gang moves forward to begin a Harvest of only the very best leaves...they were all beautiful greens....

 Troy gives some advice to the earnest pickers...he loves a fresh green said...and said all he needed was a great steak!

 Look at our big salad bowl of greens...................

 Elaine helps to trim the smaller seedlings so they can grow to bush out....

Now these two gentlemen found a cool place to reflect and rest before we move on to the apple picking ....

 Mark and Laura, there facilitator, have a discussion of all the recipes we might want to try....

 David has found a ripe spicy tiny red pepper........

 now we have more than enough salad we move on to the apple picking for salads and sweet dessert slices....

 the apples were yummy and some were sweet and some were tart...

 the guys each selected their very own apples to take home at the end of the day....

Bill found two great apples...with no blemishes......

Steven has his hands and arms full....He loves fresh apples........

here is our full tub of fresh basil...I can see some pesto in the very near future...

 fresh...crisp....mixed greens!!!!!!!!!!!!beautiful.........

 Elaine helps the group count the apples selected ....I know we had over 30.....a bountiful!

 tearing...cutting... washing... and creating a sweet rainbow of a salad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 allowing the greens to air dry while we work in our journals....new vocabulary....and great sketches......

 busy at work...the focus is first on remembering and then listing on the board...and then illustrating their lessons from the Learning garden.......

 looks at David's drawing of blooming oregano....

Mark is quite pleased with his entries....and asks me if he can take a photo with my camera???  of course. Mark........

 Bill drew and colored the Zand Education center ...this is our studio where we work....

 the music lists of the favorite songs from the summer seasons.......

 here comes our rainbow salad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 this angle is odd but the love is still showing!!!!!!!!!!!  THANK YOU Steve for taking this photo.....

 Malissa and Bill asks some very good questions ...and they hate to see the summer end....

 Malissa took this wonderful photo!!!!!!!!!!  I am so blessed!  I love my artists.

 Rachel is a young intern who came down to help us with the harvest of the mixed greens...she is going to be a great teacher!

 Laura and I decided we needed a bouquet of the wonderful Basil tops...Laura and I share the same birthday 9/6...over  30 years a part........

 troy is studying Laura as she works and then begins to sing...Troy has a wonderful smile when he is singing.........

 David is getting a second salad Jenny!!!!!!!!

 and carefully Mark puts on his right amount of dressing.........

 as you all can see a good time was had by all............our rainbow salad for lunch...........

 Manga!!!!!!!!!!!  Mark shares his gratitude for this life affirming experience at Dawes Learning Garden........

then I was off to make a donation to project "Whiskers"   ....someone abandoned  over 30 beautiful cats and kittens...

 this lucky puppy Angel is going home with his new family............

Now how cute am I????  Ca you come and take me home????

 We are here too...ready to go...

 I could not take one lucky cat home right now but I donated the cost of an adoption ...I think she would have made  a wonderful wonderful companion.........

 and for you dog lovers...here is a new beautiful litter of lab mixes...resting after their intake procedures.....almost ready for adoption..........

 Ron and Dan working hard on Friday afternoon..............

 Project Newark Historical Jail......

Today has been a day full of gratitude and blessings!  Tomorrow I will share the Farmers market in Granville ...stay tuned for some delicious home made foods and honeys and baked goods..........Yums  for the tummy and made locally!  Imagine and Live in Peace,   Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart