Sunset . us to get into the garden, andfarther still to get back, particularly toanswer the telephone—that instrumentso aptly described by an academic friendas a hell of a convenience. The soilwas hard and stiff, what there was of it,for it was so thin that in one partthe hardpan was only a foot beneaththe surface. Then, in the late after-noon when one most frequently re-sorted to the garden for rest or exer-cise, the blazing western sun was oftenin ones eyes and on the flowers. Allbecause I had bought a lot solely be-cause of its panoramic view ofSan Francisco Bay. Whatever mis-takes I made t
Sunset . us to get into the garden, andfarther still to get back, particularly toanswer the telephone—that instrumentso aptly described by an academic friendas a hell of a convenience. The soilwas hard and stiff, what there was of it,for it was so thin that in one partthe hardpan was only a foot beneaththe surface. Then, in the late after-noon when one most frequently re-sorted to the garden for rest or exer-cise, the blazing western sun was oftenin ones eyes and on the flowers. Allbecause I had bought a lot solely be-cause of its panoramic view ofSan Francisco Bay. Whatever mis-takes I made there Iendeavored to avoidin my present gar-den. Though againon a slope, this isnot immediatelyaround the house,moreover a selec-tion of the mostnearly level site anda little grading havemade access to thegarden very easyfrom both front and The Mitchell house,well below the level ofthe road, and half hid-den by shrubbery, isset in a tiny lawn—theonly formal partoflhegarden. Photographsby Alma Lavenson. SUNSET back. The aspect here is really east,for, as the garden is mostly below thehouse, it faces Wildcat Canyon. Thisgives me early-morning sun to makethe garden pleasant before I go to theuniversity, gives relief from strong sun-light in late afternoon, and brings longshadows and good conditions for theenjoyment of color at that time of are mountain, but no marineviews, the latter being enjoyed comingand going—not too bad a way to takestupendous things. In picking the site,shelter from strong western winds andfogs was sought, and though the northwind is bad in winter it is then less im-portant in the garden. I made sure thatthe soil was deep, and of good mechan-ical condition—not too stiff, so that itcan be readily cultivated. This does notrequire analysis; just dig a few didnt have to, as the gophers andground squirrels had done this for me,a kindness I have ill requited in mylater treatment of them. A little over anacre, about 250 foot frontage, and t
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