A small waterfall that I hiked to on Sunday. Another one a little bit downstream. and the swimmin' hole even further downstream.

This is a gate/arbor combo we made years ago out of electrical conduit. Those are curtain finials on top. Today I'm planting another Jackmani clematis on the left side....it needs balance. :0)

Oh yes, there will be beans, and thank goodness, they aren't on our property. The house next door that has been empty and uncared for in the last 9 years, had just one huge mature tree. But is these last 9 years Catalpas have come up all over and are now bearing flowers. Love their perfume and the flowers, but the huge leaves and the beans travel well come fall. Catalpas around here are considered junk trees. There are 3 non bearing ornamental Catalpas on that property that anyone would consider to be dead. This is one of the 3 ornamental Catalpa there. A short, about 12', rounded crown tree. Still the extra large leaves, but no flowering. The trunks on all 3 are split like this and mostly hollow, but they leafed out beautifully again this year.

Thank you for that added information, Elmer, especially for mentioning the ancient Romans and their discovery (or invention) of a form of cement. I had wanted to mention this to co-travelers during our trip, but wasn't sure if I remembered it correctly from my old university class. I plan to follow up my scanty memory of whether it is true that many medieval buildings in Europe were built by fitting stones together, since cement technology was unknown to them at the time.