Big Project Number 2 for 2008

A second big project getting underway at the Hawksbill Cabin is to upgrade the insulation in the back part of the house, which I call the addition. The name may not be accurate, it may have indeed been built at the same time as the “original” stone portion – we just don’t have any records. We are also making progress on the pool repairs (http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2008/04/pool-plan.html ), and will have the brick terrace and stone retaining wall repointed as our final big effort this year.

The scope of the project involves installing R12 or better insulation in the ceiling, and covering it over with new tongue and groove paneling. Mary has specified that the paneling in this part of the house be whitewashed, as the ceiling is currently painted white and we want to retain that character. Here are a couple of the areas that we will be working on with Jesse: the guest bedroom, the master, and the hallway.

Of note in these photos is the light fixture in the guest bedroom. I don’t have my notes handy for this post, but this is a mid-century design piece, a legacy of the house, that was done by a Finnish designer who was active in the 30’s through 50’s. The round globe is not original, and we guess the hourglass shaped bulbs are custom and will be hard to find, but we are saving this.

We will ultimately have insulation blown into the walls as well to improve the weather-tightness of this part of the house. There will be recessed lighting in the hallway. And a final step will be to panel over the mirrored wall in the master bedroom, another throwback to the 50’s, although this one is not something we’ll save.

A final note, the “oriental screen” wood carving that is installed over the hallway closet. The wall here does not extend to the ceiling, so this decoration adds detail interest as well as facilitates ventilation into the guest room. We’ll be saving it during the rehab – here’s a close-up of the Mt. Fuji area. Obviously: Made in Japan.

Life IS Good

Looking down into Luray from Skyland last year was the start of a great adventure for Mary and me, and we are continuing that tradition with this year’s projects at the Hawksbill Cabin. Among the first people we met in Luray are Andy and Howard at Evergreen Outfitters – http://www.evergreenoutfitters.com/.

We came into town the day of the Luray Spring Fest in 2007, and besides enjoying the street scene, we stopped at the Farmers’ Market, and right next door, Andy and Howard’s store. We were drawn in by the fact that there were a couple of dogs hanging out – their adopted companions, Lilly and Martha – see http://www.evergreenoutfitters.com/meet.asp , but what really set my imagination going was their story of having moved to the Valley from Northern Virginia. (Although we missed the fest this year, Evergreen Outfitters sponsored a “Disc Dog” event. I am sure Lilly and Martha enjoyed that!)




Andy and Howard at Evergreen Outfitters


Their friendly store, helpful advice, and gear have been one of the high points of our experience so far. This Saturday Chris and I stopped in as we set out on our carpenter bee adventure, which I’ll post about later this week. Turns out, they’ve had to do some rounds with these pesky insects, too; there was an interim recommendation that involved a sports racket, which I had heard about from others, including our neighbor Terry…everyone who uses this technique is enthusiastic about it…but Chris and I were after something a little more industrial, since there are already six bore holes in the new siding.

As we took off for the farm store, and subsequently H-burg, Andy and Howard gave me a copy of the little book by the Life is Good guys – it’s full of quotes that remind me that "the glass is half full." And when it gets down to it, that’s exactly why we bought the cabin, and why we like the valley so much. Here’s another quote from the books – “the road to a friend’s place is never long” – thanks guys and see you soon!

Hike that started it all, part 2

After breakfast at the Skyland restaurant, where we enjoyed the wonderful Page County views along with our bacon and eggs, we walked back down the short trail to our cabin (here's a photo of Mary on that trail - in the early Spring it is still chilly up there). As we considered our hiking options, there were two or three trails we thought might fit the bill: among them Dark Hollow Falls and the Hawksbill Summit.



Mary and I have done this hike a number of times and it is one of our favorites. Here is a link to a posting about it, along with a portion of the review from that site.

http://ajheatwole.com/guide/log2/log24.htm
Round trip 1.4 miles; total climb about 440 feet; time required 1:25. Take the trail at the north end of the parking area. It crosses the stream and then goes downhill along its left bank. This is Hogcamp Branch, which drains Big Meadows Swamp and becomes the principal tributary of Rose River. You may find it dry at the beginning, but it will gradually acquire enough water to make a satisfactory waterfall.

Here is a photo of me on the early part of the hike, and one of the namesake falls near the bottom of the path. Above, the photo is of one of the small cascades near the trail as the stream gathers. Along the trail, one can see trout in the waters, and in the Spring, wild rhododendrums are in bloom.

On one of the previous hikes of this trail, Mary and I set out from the District in July. There had been weeks of heat and humidity, and by that Sunday we were desperate for some relief. We went to this falls, and stood in front of it for 30 minutes, enjoying nature's air conditioning as the cool air was pulled down the mountain by the falling water. Later as we drove home in a thunderstorm, we knew that the hot spell would be broken.

With the positive developments beginning at work, this weekend getaway seemed to be a start to improving a few things about the situation we found ourselves in last year. It was important to us to find time for ourselves, and our time at the Park was a good way to begin.

Hike that started it all, part 1

Last May, as I approached my 18 month anniversary with my employer at the time, it was clear I needed a break. At each point where the going got tough, I'd put my head down to work through the situation, but things were just not improving. And this was despite the fact that I received two or three headhunter calls a week during my time there!

I negotiated a supervisory change, and agreed with my new boss on a turn around plan. Then Mary and I took a long weekend break to Shenandoah National Park, staying at the lodge in Skyland.

We left on Friday evening, making a stop to get a picnic dinner at http://www.italianstore.com/ and then drove the 1.5 hour route to the park and lodge. After checking in, we had our dinner on the porch of our room, watching the lights of the Page Valley come up.

There was a 1/2 mile walk to the taproom and restaurant in Skyland from our room. Here are some views of the part of the lodge we stayed in, the view from our porch, the restaurant, and the view from the restaurant.

On Saturday, we'd planned to hike, but it was raining on the mountain so we went down to Luray, where we enjoyed the Spring Festival. This past weekend was the year anniversary of that trip, and although we missed the festival this year, here is a link to the event: http://www.luraydowntown.com/festivals.html .

More to come, next post.

A moment for something important...

http://www.extremehomema2008.com/ (look for the Giunta family episode)http://www.middlesexbank.com/extremehome.asp?print=1

I dont know if this show on ABC is on your regular viewing list, but last night they featured the Giunta family of Maynard, MA...the story is that Paul, the husband and father in this family, was on the way to the hospital to meet his wife, giving birth to their third child at the time, and had a severe accident that nearly killed him. He was left with a tough road to climb - but he is committed to it and his story is one that continues to inspire.

At the time, Paul's brother Chris was a colleague at Booz Allen, and we worked hard to accommodate his need to be near the family after the accident. Chris had his own record of accomplishment - a USMA grad who went on to earn an MS in engineering - Chris eventually left Booz Allen to move to MA full-time, where he now works as a construction manager on a hotel renovation.

The ABC show was pretty moving and inspirational to see, and I wanted to share some of the info about this family's story with you.

Spring Flowers, episode 6

One of everyone's favorite Spring flowers is the iris - since I moved to the DC/Northern Virginia area, I have always looked forward to their blooming time, which is usually the end of April and beginning of May. That means that they are peaking in Alexandria, but just starting to bloom at the Hawksbill Cabin.

Our experience with irises started with a few stems at the little Linden Street townhouse - these two-toned violet ones. Starting with just a few bulbs, Mary has split them numerous times, continuously thinning them out. The result is they bloom profusely and we've been able to gift bulbs to friends. This year we have plenty in the yard, but also enough for this cut flower arrangement.

A few years back Aunt Rusti sent us a batch of bearded irises. She has a number of varieites planted in her garden in Raleigh, and she shared some of them with us. We've planted them and they are doing very well - this year it seems we will be splitting these bulbs too. The dark purple ones visible in several of the photographs are part of that group, as are these yellow ones, which have spread from a single stem last year.

Finally, we have three beds of irises out at the cabin, and we've been looking forward to their blooming to find out what we had. The color of this bunch was amazing, a red violet that tends towards orange or brown almost. Very pretty.

And there are still two beds that have not yet bloomed!

Spring Flowers, episode 5

When I took my walk around the lot last Saturday, the first thing I noticed was that the beautiful violet azaeleas were past prime, and had begun to shed their blooms. As I went around back though, I found a very nice surprise - these little red shrubs in full bloom. They only sit in full sun for a part of the day, but I still thought they might have already bloomed. Apparently they bloom a little later in the season than the others.

Back in Alexandria, the azaeleas are fading for the most part. We have this pink shrub that is currently in bloom, and some low white shrubs that are still a week or so from peak. In the background of the pink shrub photo are some irises - these will be the topic of a future post.

Also, as we drove home Sunday night, we took the old way, up US 211 through the Thoroughfare Gap in SNP. We noticed that Spring is still climbing the mountains. The trees have leafed out much of the way up but not all the way to the peaks. Also, the red buds there are just peaking, giving me the sense that Spring in SNP is about 3 weeks behind us in the Valley.

Nesting Hawks

Beginning about two months ago I started noticing a pair of hawks that were spending a lot of time in the pine trees around our yard. In this area, one quickly thinks that a raptor bird of this type might be a red tail or an osprey, but those are both species that are much larger than the birds I was seeing. I spent a few weekends observing them come and go and finally learned that they were nesting in this large pine tree, directly in front of the house.


I’ve decided upon reading the literature that these are sharp-shinned hawks (Accipiter striatus), which are described as living in a wide range of woodland and forest types, including our area, which is dominated by pines and other conifers, and includes some oaks and hickories. Here is a wiki photo I found of the bird.

There are several interesting behaviors we’ve noticed. First, during some parts of the day, one of the pair will station itself in one of the tall trees nearby, repeatedly calling with a “kawk” sound – very similar to a single squeak from one of Gracie’s toys. Yesterday morning, we heard this noise starting around 8am.

Also, as the parent (I assume this is the female) leaves the nest to hunt, the call becomes “kawk-kawk-kawk-kawk” – multiple repetitions, usually while in flight. I have watched the bird chase blue jays, and have seen it in the tree with prey in claw. The blue jay chase in particular was notable, as these hawks aren’t much bigger than jays – some books even describe them as jay-sized. I think the two here are slightly larger than that, maybe crow-sized.

The main prey is other birds. By the way, we took our feeders down when we first learned this, not only because of the hawks, but because we heard that feeders are bear-bait in our neighborhood!


I’ve been trying to get a photo of the hawks in action or in one of the nearby trees, but haven’t been able to. The only proof I have of them in the vicinity is a periodic feather, such as this one, which I found on the pool deck. More to come, as we try to determine how many nestlings there are.

Some Town Photos

Here are a couple of photos of businesses and attractions in Luray. These first two are of buildings near the center of the old downtown. Luray has long been a center of tourist activity because of the location near the river and SNP, an industry that was enhanced by the discovery of the caverns - now the economic engine of the town.

In a future post I will talk about local businesses and the murals that you see here, especially the Evergreen Outfitters that is located in the old Ford dealership - http://www.evergreenoutfitters.com/ .

Another item of interest is a little recreational facility that has been built along the Hawksbill Creek as it passes through the town. Appopriately enough, named "Along the Hawksbill," here is one of several parks that make a chain of stops along a paved walkway that is several miles long.

This rapid is the scene of the annual duck race during Luray's Spring Festival - see http://www.luraydowntown.com/festivals.html .

Spring Flowers, part 4

This patch of azaeleas have been blooming for the last week or so - we'd waited all Spring to find out what color they were. They have been trimmed in an interesting shape, one my mother called "old fashioned" - they call to mind an old oriental style. This view from the terrace looks out over most of them.

There is a little garden by the driveway as well that has been splanted with bulb flowers, including daffodils, snow drops, and other similar ones. There is a lilac bush there that I mistook for a crepe myrtle over the winter and paired back. Fortunately, it looks like it is going to push out some blossoms after all so we will enjoy it this Spring.


In bloom right now are these little bell shaped flowers on long stalks - there are three colors: blue, white and pink.

All in all we've been pretty lucky with the legacy plantings.

This critter showed up in the garden last weekend. We'd been waiting for the right weather to put him outside - it's a ceramic frog we found at 10,000 villages last winter. We originally bought him to position him over the septic tank, so we would always be able to point to it if it ever needed service. We'd had it serviced on the first day of owning the place, but the workers coming out had to find it first - with that done, we made a point of keeping an eye on where it is.


We later decided the frog is too small for this spot, and we moved him over by the azaeleas, where there was a place that seemed just the right size. This fork in the path leads either up to the brick terrace or down to the side entry of the pool.





















Now we have to revisit what to put in the original place. Mary has suggested a Japanese Lantern - again referencing the Asian look to this part of the garden. My idea for a wishing well didn't fly...after all, this spot is over the septic tank.

Stanley Fire Update

Blogger’s Comment (added November 2009): In November, the Hawksbill Cabin blog site was visited by Terry Pettit. He read some back posts and came across these two posts on the 2008 brush fire near Stanley. Chief Pettit was concerned that my posts may not have clearly emphasized the volunteer nature of the Stanley Volunteer Fire Department, the value of its contributions, and how it is organized to respond to these events. He offered some additional insight on the process and organization – clarifications I am glad to receive. I have included Chief Pettit’s comments in full at the end of the original posts – and I invite readers to be sure and read them as well. JT

Over the weekend, as we made our stops around town and picked up the local paper, we learned that the fire last week actually involved 1,100 acres. We were surprised that you could see the burned forest land from the Food Lion (or as I like to call it, the Food Line)...here is a typcially blurry phone cam shot.

A couple of things we learned - one, the fire took 30 hours to fight and get under control. Although it rained this week out there, there was a period of low humidity that was said to have helped the fire spread. Secondly, the paper corrected the story and estimated that the fire fighting fee would be around $10K as opposed to that higher figure.

I guess one reason for the fines is that the town's fire fighter force is all volunteers, and this is a kind of assessment to run the department (Blogger's note - be sure to read the comment from Chief Pettit below about the Stanley Volunteer Fire Department).

Chief Pettit's Comments: Jim, I was looking at your website and noticed a correction that needs to be made reference to the brush fire in 2008 outside Stanley. The Stanley Volunteer Fire Department is an all volunteer department and receives no payments from any call we respond too. Donations are accepted. The Virginia Forestry Department by law has the right and will charge you for the cost of bringing a wild land fire under control and extinguishing it. The money goes to the State of Virginia. During the 30 hours the Stanley fire department was on the scene of the Lucas Hollow fire the 25 members that responded all as always donated their time and the cost of fuel and supplies came out of our budget. The department’s budget is $125,000.00 per year and the county of page supplies $45,000.00 of that total, we have to raise the rest through donations, meals, events, etc. I hope that the people that read your blog understand that we did not receive any money and get the wrong idea that we do on calls. Terry A. Pettit, Stanley Fire Chief

What dogs do at the cabin

Well, the old girls don't like the ride out to the Hawksbill Cabin, but they do seem to be envigorated by the experience of being there.



Yesterday, Mary was doing a little chore hanging a picture, and she had the actual hammer in her hand, shown here on the left. Gracie, thinking it was the toy hammer on the right, charged in and grabbed it from Mary's hand...there's a saying in the construction trade, "dumb as a bag of hammers...."

Seriously, most of the day Gracie and Sofie lounge around the place. Here they are napping on the brick terrace. Hard to see it here, but Sofie is in an ever vigilant state.

Ex-Berliners Nostalgia Moment

Back to the Hawksbill Cabin in a few...


Many readers know that I was an Air Force Russian Linguist, stationed in Berlin from 1981-1986. While I was there, I lived on Tempelhof Air Base...an installation that has been in the news of late, to say nothing of its historical significance during the Cold War era.



There are articles in several of the major papers today reporting that citizens there have decided to close the airport. There is no surprise to this, even during my time it was hard to see how it could stay open, completely surrounded by the city. Most of the airlines have moved out to the other airports in the city, and a Dulles-like major facility is under construction there.


In any case, here are a couple of photos, one from the air, taken in December 2007, and another, showing one of the cargo planes - called "Candy Bombers" in the day - that flew in and out of Tempelhof during the Berlin Airlift. Both are AP sourced photos.


In the airfield photo, for three years I lived in a part of the bulding called H2 Long which is just out of the shot on the left center - until I moved to Washington, DC this was the longest I had ever lived in one place. Then for a year and a half I shared a two bedroom suite with Greg, aka Henry, in Head Building East, which is in the top left corner near the radar tower.



You can't quite make it out in this photo, but the building was designed to look like an eagle in flight from the air - it was originally designed in 1933 by Speer as part of the new Capital, envisioned by the Third Reich as the center of Europe. It remains the 3rd largest building in Europe, and by the looks of things, will be maintained as a historic building, although the airfield will probably be redeveloped.

Bold stream, forest views

Last Sunday during the rain, we took a drive with Chris, who was visiting for the day. We'd planned to work on the downed trees, but Mickey had taken care of that so we had free time.

We decided to drive through the George Washington National Forest over to Edinburg, Virginia - just north of New Market on the other side of the Massanautten Mountains.



There is a bold trout stream that runs through the woods, with a couple of choice campsites there along the way. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Now, the State of Virginia stocks these waters, as indicated on the poster below. The part of Hawksbill Creek that runs through Luray is also stocked, as are a few others nearby. I've heard they are pretty much fished out within two days of stocking. More info on the stocking program, including a stream by stream schedule, is at http://www.dgif.state.va.us/fishing/stock/troutstock.cfm ...it turns out that Hawksbill Creek was just stocked this week.

Spring Flowers, part 3

The last two weeks in Stanley have seen a profusion of dogwood and red bud blooms - here are two shots from around the Hawksbill Cabin.


In the first photo we have cercis canadensis - the Eastern Red Bud, which is a small tree that generally grows on the edges of forests, where it can compete with fewer trees for sunshine and nutrients. There are an awful lot of them in our area out there, and while they are in full bloom it is a beautiful show.


For my wiki research on this piece, I learned the following about the Eastern Red Bud, but I cannot recommend that anyone try this: "...The flowers are also used in salads and for making pickled relish, while the inner bark of twigs gives a mustard-yellow dye."




Next we have dogwoods, which have practically taken over the yard in Stanley near the house. I like these two, near the pool, for a couple of reasons, but have to confess, this may be their last year. The reasons I like them are that they are visible from the terrace and main room of the cabin. They've been a joy to see in bloom.



On the other hand, they have become overgrown with ivy, which at this point appears impossible to eradicate. Plus, on the left hand tree, the ivy blooms in late summer. This might be tolerable in the early spring - before the pool opens, but it happens in August. Leaves and flowers drop into the pool area, and there is the constant buzzing of bees doing their work with the pollen. So, it is likely they will come down later this year. Fortunately, we have quite a few others around the property.




Another beautiful site has been this patch of azaeleas. All winter I wondered what color they would be, and if they were all the same color. As a matter of fact, they are, and they began blooming just last week. Though the phone cam doesn't do them justice, it is a mound of color out there, very pretty in the sun.








Now who is this pretty little doggie walking through the posies?

Moving on - a wildfire in Stanley

Blogger’s Comment (added November 2009): In November, the Hawksbill Cabin blog site was visited by Terry Pettit. He read some back posts and came across these two posts on the 2008 brush fire near Stanley. Chief Pettit was concerned that my posts may not have clearly emphasized the volunteer nature of the Stanley Volunteer Fire Department, the value of its contributions, and how it is organized to respond to these events. He offered some additional insight on the process and organization – clarifications I am glad to receive. I have included Chief Pettit’s comments in full at the end of the original posts – and I invite readers to be sure and read them as well. JT


Last Friday morning, while I was planning my drive out to Stanley, I learned that there had been a fire nearby. At the time I read the article on the Harrisonburg TV station, the fire had burned about 10 acres. Tonight I learned that firefighters in Page County were working Saturday to put out the last remnants of the fire, which ended up burning 770 acres.

At first, the news said that the source could not be reported pending an investigation...we'd heard that there are stills around the area and were thinking that something saucy was going on. Turns out, due to low humidity this time of year, this was a litter fire that got out of control.



They say that if a fire like this gets out of control. the landowner has to pay the fees related to fighting the fire in Page County. They estimated these fees would run about $40K for this one. The Google Earth image points to the location of the fire, a few miles southwest of us.

Clarifying information from Chief Pettit (added November 2009): Jim, I was looking at your website and noticed a correction that needs to be made reference to the brush fire in 2008 outside Stanley. The Stanley Volunteer Fire Department is an all volunteer department and receives no payments from any call we respond too. Donations are accepted. The Virginia Forestry Department by law has the right and will charge you for the cost of bringing a wild land fire under control and extinguishing it. The money goes to the State of Virginia. During the 30 hours the Stanley fire department was on the scene of the Lucas Hollow fire the 25 members that responded all as always donated their time and the cost of fuel and supplies came out of our budget. The department’s budget is $125,000.00 per year and the county of page supplies $45,000.00 of that total, we have to raise the rest through donations, meals, events, etc. I hope that the people that read your blog understand that we did not receive any money and get the wrong idea that we do on calls. Terry A. Pettit, Stanley Fire Chief

Battle of the Species 4 - Snake in the Laundry

We begin with an article from Wikipedia:

“This species is a constrictor, meaning it suffocates its prey…though they do consume mice and rats, the Black Rat Snakes also willingly consume other snakes, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and bird eggs. Adults can become quite large and are known to reach up to eight (8) feet…the record length for a Black Rat Snake is 101 inches (2,600 mm), making it (officially) the largest snake in North America. When spotted by humans, Black Rat Snakes may freeze and wrinkle themselves into a series of kinks. If cornered, they may attempt to mimic rattlesnakes' behavior by vibrating the tip of their tail, giving a buzzing low-pitch sound. Black Rat Snakes are usually non-aggressive, but may strike at anyone who tries to capture or harm them. They are non-venomous, and bites are not usually serious.”

So on Saturday morning, for the second time, I heard Mary say, “Jim, a SNAKE!” There it was, coiled up clinging to the wall in the laundry room. Further research will let you know that the rat snake is also a climber. I contemplated it for a moment to make a plan…I wanted to know, did it recognize me from last time? If I forcibly removed it from the house again a second time, would it remember and not come back?


Meanwhile, Mary dissappeared and I did not see her again until Sunday.


Looking around, I chose a weapon – a broomstick that I was able to quickly detach – visible in the battle photos here. I reached over the snake, still coiled, and unlatched the dead bolt from the back door, pulling it open. Then, I knocked the snake to the floor.


It was still sleepy when I took the first photo here…it decided to go hide under the dryer instead of the happy outdoors that I was showing it. I blocked it from the dryer, hooked it with the broomstick and flung it outside…only making it to the stairs. I needed some practice to perfect my flinging movement. Sorry for the blurry photo - this is an action shot!


Meanwhile the snake considered whether to go on upstairs and out into the sun, or whether the dryer would really be a better place for it to rest.


Nothing doing from my point of view, this time, I hooked it with the broomstick and got it all the way outside to the path, second photo. I believe this was the same snake we’ve seen three times now, first under the back shed during some demolition last Fall, and then again in November when it first came inside through the hosebib in the laundry room.


I decided this snake wasn’t going to learn anything after all, and that I was going to have to send it to the forest. From where it lay, probably another forty feet. I figured three flings would do the trick.


The snake was still not overly upset about going airborne. So I hooked it with the broomstick again, this time flinging it about fifteen feet. It landed and turned around to see what was sending it sailing through the air, this time noticing me with the broomstick. The displays above were all demonstrated for me, including the coiling – see picture three from Wikipedia, and the whipping tail. As I mentioned, Mary was not around to enjoy seeing this display.


As I approached, I figured two more tosses and this snake is in the woods. Just then, he struck at me. I dodged. He recoiled and restruck. I dodged again, but before he could coil for a third strike, I hooked him and threw him most of the way to the woods…only about six feet left.


Two more strikes – one time, he got a mouthful of broomstick – and then I hooked him a final time and got him to the woods. As with the last time the snake was in the laundry, it stood coiled to defend itself for a long time after I walked away.


About 15 minutes later I went back outside to make sure it was headed in the right direction – into the woods, not back into the yard – and so it was. It was moving slowly off, stretched to full length…we had a five footer there.


It’s gone from the yard for now. I have my misgivings about this, because it is a good thing to have this particular kind of snake around. I can only hope that he will stay nearby, eating our mice and helping keep other snakes away.

Deer Damage

Deer LOVE hostas.

That's what we have been finding out - at the Hawksbill Cabin, one of the main garden features has been extensive plantings of hostas all over the property. There are more than 50 spread in the various plantings around the house, all are mature and make for a wonderful display once they have fully leafed out and when they are in bloom.

We know that there are as many as four deer frequenting the hollow across the road from us, and from time to time we've seen them crossing the street into our yard. We already had learned from last year that they come up into the gardens to feast on our plants.

So far this spring they have been coming up, most likely during the week when we aren't there. The damage is confined to the plants along the driveway further down the hill, where the deer have been munching on the tender shoots as soon as they come up above ground.

We, and the dogs, are in the other parts of the garden too often to make those attractive, although if they are hungry enough and we are not around, nothing is safe!