Where we live, here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the summer is hot, the winter, windy and rainy, and we have the occasional earthquake that destabilizes a thing or two.  What you would expect, generally.  However, we also have the extremes of climate, water rationing, soil erosion, seasonal mudslides, clay's deficiencies, a conveyor belt of gophers, ravaging deer, mildew-inducing fog, and the threat of terrifying wildfire.  Also, what you might expect.  But there is one thing that magnifies all these local attributes.  ​​

 

We live on a steep hillside.  Therefore, nothing is simple.  Managing any one of the challenges above when you live on a steep hillside requires additional effort and resources. Yet, satisfying spaces of small triumphs have sprawled into pretty and practical expanses on our hillside.  In other words, there has been a lot to learn and overcome. 

 

This Steep Hillside is not just a chronicle of our desire to make our uniquely located plot beautiful, it is a resource for all sorts. Click away! And if deer deterrent articles don’t suit your fancy, the superb Lemon Drizzle Cake recipe in our Brit Bit section should no doubt do the trick!