"Please give me a room with a view of a tree."

Simple request, right? A room with a view of trees. Sometimes the hotel is able to do that for me; other times it is impossible. What I have learned, as we travel the long highways of America (4,000 plus miles so far) is that I am happiest and most at peace when I can see trees. 

Our car glove compartment, the side pockets, and baskets and boxes are stuffed with leaves and an array of acorns from oak species around the country. Props, clothes, suitcases, and, of course, too many books (is there such a thing?) are crammed into every inch of the car and trunk. I pity anyone who tries to steal this vehicle, which is like a moving museum. It has to be like a museum because I am talking to groups of inquisitive, intelligent children, like these that visited me at my Lemuria Bookstore event in Jackson, Mississippi.

The kids are holding up their thumbs so they can learn how owls grab and hold their food with their opposable (like our thumbs) talons.

Jackson is on the Southern Literary Trail, which includes the homes of Faulkner and my favorite, Eudora Welty. Her home is the most intact of all the author's homes, with stacks of books and other family pieces that make it look like she just stepped away from her typewriter to gaze out her window to the street (which is something she loved to do).

"The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy." 

Eudora Welty 

Piles of books everywhere. I loved seeing what Eudora liked to read. She loved mysteries (I saw Nero Wolfe and Ross Macdonald), she read John Clare's poems, Faulkner (of course), and I was happy to see the garden writing of Vita Sackville-West, and southern writer-gardener (who I adore) Elizabeth Lawrence. 

Eudora's home, which has docent led tours (you need a reservation).

The fabulous staff of The Natural Gardener in Austin honored me with this great display of my Workman Publishing books. After my talk and signing, the visionary founder of The Natural Gardener, John Dromgoole, treated us to a personal tour of his gardens, which are sustainable, practical, water-wise, AND gorgeous.

The Kitchen Garden sign is hung from a spoon and a butter knife.

This is the charming and bountiful Kitchen Garden at Natural Gardener in Austin,Texas. Jeff and I spent an hour just sitting nearby and enjoying the scents and sights of all the birds and people enjoying the garden, which was designed by cookbook author and personality, Lucinda Hutson.

The powerful zings of color are signatures of Lucinda.

John took me on a tour of his gardens...

...which are watched over by this giant Mockingbird sculpture.

To get a sense of scale, John stands at the end of his Willie Nelson guitar garden of grasses. John is a visionary and wanted to honor "Trigger," Willie Nelson's famed guitar, with a special garden.

The sign above the rustic arbor reads, "Life's a journey-Enjoy it!"

I love this sculptural bench made with iron and rake heads for the back.

A perfect little spot for growing the tender greens that deer and rabbits love. They won't be able to get these!

So here I am in Stephenville, Texas, and I have a room with a view of trees, which makes me feel contented.

Tonight I give a talk to the Stephenville Organic Gardening Club at GreenMaker Nursery in Stephenville, TX, tomorrow we head back to Austin to tape a segment on "Central Texas Gardener" on KLRU (Austin PBS), which is produced by Linda Lehmusvirta and features Tom Spencer as my gracious host (not that Linda isn't gracious too). The show will air in December.

After Austin, we head to Tempe, Arizona's Changing Hands Bookstore. Maybe I'll see you there! Our California garden beckons us. Our grands want us home, and little Luke, who now weighs over five pounds, awaits us. I'll finally be able to hold him.

By journey's end, we will have traveled over 5,000 miles. We've seen glorious sights, met wonderful people, had great adventures, shared the sorrows of our northeastern neighbors, worked hard, and enjoyed every moment.

Sending love from the big, long, Texas highway,

Sharon

Southern Living Style

Beautiful, charming, welcoming Fairhope, Alabama, rolls out the red carpet for visitors, and the Purple Martin condos for the birds–over 200 hundred of these dot the shallow waters of Mobile Bay.

All along the shore Purple Martin houses are atop tall metal poles. 

Jeff and I walked waaaaay out to the end of the pier, which is a quarter of a mile long. Our walk was on Tuesday night and the effects of Sandy were felt even here in Mobile Bay–big choppy waves and wild winds.

An ancient oak stands on a rise above the bay. This porch swing, hanging from a branch, was an invitation to linger and dream.

Fairhope is so beautiful and amazing. I couldn't stop walking around the old neighborhoods, peeping into yards, and imagining what it would be like to live in one of the great houses, surrounded by the arms of giant trees.

Do you love the pumpkin gate?

I wanted to stop and work in this yard. So inviting.

This cozy home is on the historic register.

Scarlet O'Hara, where are you?

The streets of old Fairhope have flower beds and baskets on every corner.

Even their waste bins are lovely. They request, in a very polite way, that you place your waste inside. That white box on the right side, which is topped with flowers, is one of their trash cans.

I wonder why this is called the "Hobbit Castle?" It is also on the Historic Register of Fairhope.

This little gypsy cart (haven't we all dreamed of one?) sits outside the house.

Another of the "Hobbit Houses."

Uh oh. Good thing our car is crammed to the roof.  

Come with me inside RF Architectural and Garden Antiques.

Inside the gates–a gardener's dream scape.

I don't know why, but I love these old, metal tubs. A friend of mine has planted some lovely birches inside her tubs. They look great.

These simple stone balls look elegant when grouped together in a landscape, especially when they're nestled on a bed of thyme.

I've always wanted one of these old French stone basins for my garden. I saw one of them in a garden in Austin. The gardener-designers had a small copper tube above theirs that dripped water into the basin. It was lovely.

And here is the cook's dreamscape. This is Aubergine, a store filled with antique culinary treasures.

I think some of my friends would love to tote a few of these French treasures home with them.

And next door to Aubergine, you'll find this sweet little shop, Boxwood-Home and Garden.

Inside Boxwood.

Everywhere we walked we found beauty. Love the fanciful ironwork, and the fact that there are flowers and rocking chairs everywhere...even in front of the ATM at a bank.

So my friends, this is a brief walking tour of a town we really loved. Soon you will see some of it in the pages of Southern Living magazine, but you may have already enjoyed it in Victoria. I think you would love to visit here during the cooler months.

Jeff and I are in Jackson, Mississippi now. Early tomorrow morning I will be teaching a large group of second graders about birds. It will be so much fun and filled with their energy and sense of wonder.

I leave you with the hopes that you are safe and sound. So many have been hurt and left homeless because of hurricane Sandy. We have just learned that our tiny seaside cottage Fox Drink Ledges is safe, although the waves were huge and thundering.

I am donating money from book sales to the Red Cross. I hope you will join me and hundreds of thousands of Americans who are going to do the same. We all need to stick together and help each other, especially NOW.

Sending love from the road,

Sharon

P.S. If you live anywhere near Austin, Texas, please join me at The Natural Gardener on Saturday, November the 3rd at 11:30 a.m.,  for an outdoor, under-the-tent demo and talk about gardening, birds, and life in general. You're all welcome, and it is free of charge. I'll be doing a book signing afterward.

Monday, November 5, at 5:30 p.m., I will be giving a talk for the Stephenville Organic Gardening Club at the fabulous GreenMaker Nursery in Stephenville, Texas, north of Austin and southwest of Dallas. Come join us for a good time and, hopefully, some good and fun information about organic gardening and gardening with an eye to nature.

Wednesday, November 7,  I'll be visiting with Linda Lehmusvirta and Tom Spencer at "Central Texas Gardener" on KRLU. We'll film a segment for one of their upcoming episodes. This is one of my favorite television shows for dedicated gardeners. To watch my previous appearance, click here.

Sunday, November 11, at 11:00 a.m., come visit me at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona. I'll be giving a program about birds for adults, but children are welcome.