Please Ignore the Weeds

So a little while ago, I talked about planting a garden. I was given some good advice and tailored it to what worked for area I had been given. Supplies were purchased and after a minor disagreement between Beth's pick and the sprinkler (the sprinkler won in the beginning, but after a few hours, Beth resolved that minor altercation).
Digging in the dirt found many, many, many more rocks than there should have been, but with some Miracle Grow soil and a few shovels, I think the ground turned out pretty good.
Next I placed out the plants and started digging some more. I did half seed and half plant to see which grew the best and also for experimental purposes.
A few weeks later, many different plants were shooting to wonderful heights (those peas are crazy!)
And today, I can report that many of the plants are doing well, while some of the others are not doing so hot. It did appear that some bugs were trying to move in, but I did find a remedy for that. Any other ideas?
We also had some grass issues, and I had a friend from work (who had just fixed up his yard) who offered me some sod to fill in the bad patches. A few strips of grass and some manual labor and viola!
And now the grass is growing and blending in very well! (I also fixed a few other patches in the back yard, but you can't tell where from these pictures - but it looks great!)
Around the same time the grass went in, I planted some strawberry plants that already have some berries showing:

And some other lovely plants (forgot what they are...iris?) surrounded by bark that complete the majority of the back yard makeover. Not too bad, even if I do say so myself! Now I need to find my next project!

Pizza, Baseball and Fireworks!

So with Maria in town and on Moritz's recommendation, we took a night on the town to Gourmet Pizza where they put just about anything you can think of on their pizzas. We tried two different kinds. The first (seen on the left) had mashed potatoes, country gravy, fried chicken and mozzarella cheese. The second (seen on the right) had cream cheese, pesto, sausage, angel hair pasta, green onions, cashews (we had those taken off) and mozzarella cheese. MMMMMMM Good!
And what goes better with pizza than a good ole baseball game!! So off the Arrowhead Park to see the 66ers (an affiliate of the Dodgers) and the Storm play 9 long innings.
We had great seats behind the backstop (3rd row), but moved in the second inning just off to the side so we could see with out obstruction of the netting. (Do you see me down below in the red shirt with the gray hat?)
Unfortunately, the home team couldn't pull it out and went down swinging 6 to 1. Better luck next time!
And of course the mascot Bernie entertained us much of the time, with his dancing and cheering.
After the game we stayed for the firework show, where Maria caught one of the best parts on video:

Newport Beach, Here We Come!

So Maria decided to come and hang out in sunny...well, overcast...California so we took a quick trip to the beach to start it all off. We drove to Newport (Balboa Pier) and soaked in the clouds and wind...actually it was really nice and overcast although the water was cold at first.

This is Maria getting her feet wet...or trying not too!
And, me too!
Then out came the boogie boards and after the initial shock of the cold water, we were swimming with the dolphins (Literally, we saw dolphins in the water!!) This was Maria's first time and she caught on really quick!
Check out the pretty sailboat!
We even got good enough to go side by side...well, after a while...


So, we just thought we would share our afternoon with you all!! Stay tuned for the baseball game later tonight!

Planting a Garden

So....I want to plant a garden in my side yard. The spot gets plenty of sunshine and will be watered by the sprinkler (so that shouldn't be an issue). Does anyone know where I should start?

Is it too late to plant carrots, tomatoes, beans, peppers and squash? Do I have to buy fertilizer/top soil before I plant them or can I just plant away? Please share any knowledge...