I think the raised beds are the way to go for the tomatoes this year. The soil in the back corner never drains well enough after heavy rain. We could build two beds along the south wall where they get full sun from mid-morning until late afternoon. For the herbs I would keep them in containers near the kitchen door because we use them so often when cooking. The basil really took off last summer when we put it in that spot by the downspout. For the peppers they need warmer soil so we should wait until after the last frost date to put them in the ground. I checked our notes from last year and we planted them too early and lost a few plants. The compost pile should be ready to turn next weekend if you want to help with that. We can also start the seeds indoors about six weeks before we plan to transplant them.

The path along the river was in good condition for most of the ride yesterday. I started at the old mill parking area and went north toward the covered bridge. The section near the bend has some loose gravel from the recent maintenance work so I had to slow down a bit there. The tree canopy provided good shade for the first few miles and I saw a great blue heron standing in the shallows near the cattails. There is a new bench installed about halfway at the lookout point where I stopped for water. The return trip had a slight headwind but nothing too challenging. The round trip took about two hours including the break. If we go together next weekend we could take the picnic lunch and stop at the meadow area where the wildflowers are blooming.