Jessica and James's Wedding

Hi Everyone,

We are very happy as our 2010 wedding season comes to an end. We would like to share with you a few of the photos and details from Jessica and James’s wedding. Jessica’s mom, Pam, acted as the planner of the entire weekend wedding. The event was beautiful! The ceremony was held at the Garden Stage with musicians playing on one of the terraces followed by an outdoor reception. The bride and groom took advantage of our gorgeous nature views and took beautiful pictures by the Garden Stage, the Orchards and the Amazon Fountain. Here is what Pam had to say after the event was over:
“We had a wonderful time, everything was absolutely perfect. The Weekend Wedding went super well and everyone loved the place. Thanks so much for everything.”-Pam Wertz (Mother of the Bride) 10/26/10

*We wish all of our 2010 couples all the best, and thank them for allowing us to be a part of the most important day of their lives.*

Special thanks to Paul with Photography by Paul for the wonderful pictures he sent us.

Spring is here! I have proof...

I've been getting a shot of the Wysteria that beautifies our pool/BBQ area every couple of days because I knew it was about to explode with purple blossoms...here's the progress over the last week-

Build Your Own Bird House, - A Gift from Us at Hidden Valley on This Earth Day

Spring has sprung here in southern California and at the Hidden Valley. Although we've been busily building a 12' x 14' pergola for our up and coming "Who Wants to Win a Wedding?" nuptials, we spent the late winter crafting, painting, and then placing numerous, wood Bird Houses around our 11-acre property.

Today, it is absolutely lovely to amble around the historic ranch while breathing in the verdant valley views and soaking in the early morning antics of our neighbors, - a verbose bunch that includes doves, crows, sparrows, woodpeckers, thrushes, and even some birds of prey.

In honor of this Earth day, we thought we'd share some simple bird house making designs with you. It is important to remember that birds make their own choices, so don't be surprised if you find tenants you never expected in a
house you intended for someone else. Also,all the birds care about is their safety and the right dimensions: box heighth, depth and floor, diameter of entrance hole, and heighth of hole above the box floor. In other words, how elaborate you make your bird house depends on your own personal sense of aesthetics.

Below are some tables that refer to various bird sizes and needs:
Species Box Box Entrance Entrance Placement
Floor" Heighth" Heighth" Diameter" Heighth'

American
Robin* 7x8 8 --- --- 6-15
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Eastern &
Western
Bluebird 5x5 8-12 6-10 1-1/2 4-6
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Mountain
Bluebird 5x5 8-12 6-10 1-1/2 4-6
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Chickadees 4x4 8-10 6-8 1-1/8 4-15
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Titmice 4x4 10-12 6-10 1-1/4 5-15
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Ash-throated
Flycatcher 6x6 8-12 6-10 1-1/2 5-15



When it comes to building your birdhouse, you will also want to keep in mind:
Ventilation, Drainage, Entrance Hole, Accessibility, and Limiting Predator Access.
For more information on these as well as building a bird house for other types of birds, please see
http://www.talewins.com/birds/birdhouse.pdf

Most importantly, we hope that you will take the time to enjoy the bounty that this planet offers up not just today, but everyday. We hope you'll always take a moment to: smell the roses, look up and at the cloud formations in the sky above, listen to the wind as it rustles through the trees, and revel in the steady hum of bees pollinating flowers, and life continuing, changing, growing, dying, and being born once again, anew.