View from the garden entrance The Zendog and I finally ventured out to explore the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden here in Portland. It’s located on SE 28th Avenue in the Westmoreland neighborhood. This garden got its start in the 1950 as a test garden and […]
All posts filed under: Musings
Autumn Magic at the Oregon Garden
Can you hear the leaves crunching underfoot? water striders and sunlit autumn afternoons always float my boat. Late October was the perfect time to visit the Oregon Garden for fall colors. Four large brick reflecting pools and and forty brick planters occupy this garden plaza. Each […]
Ribbit!
Last week started off so well, or so I thought! Monday I went to my drawing class and then later in the day to my watercolor class. I love both courses. The drawing is taught at a local community center and the watercolor class is […]
Autumn Magic at the Oregon Garden, Part 3
Every time I’m at the Oregon Garden I stop at this sign and then … … head down this narrow path towards the Secret Garden … … only to remember, when I come around the bend, that this is a dead end … The view […]
Autumn Magic at the Oregon Garden, Part 2
If you turn right outside the Visitors Center you’ll walk right into the Fuchsia Garden. Dozens of enormous hardy fuchsias grow there on the hillsid . Some are 6 to 7 foot high. Since we haven’t had any frost around the area fuchsias are still in full […]
Autumn Magic at the Oregon Garden, Part 1
Stepping out from the Visitor Center into the Oregon Garden After endless rain all week I awoke to a bright blue sky and sunshine on Monday morning. I decided to enjoy this beautiful day at the Oregon Garden. This Amazing Water Garden was created by […]
Zunday Zen … Dazzling Dew Drops
Under gloomy skies summer’s fragrant last blossoms dazzle in first fall rain.
Hummingbird Magic!
Despite fewer blossoms to nourish the visiting hummers now, they still visit daily. I watch them sip nectar and defend their territory against other birds and me. The butterfly bushes, a hummingbird favorite, will continue to flower until the first frost. Once the last flowers wilt, these […]
Up Close & Personal … The Backyard Meet-up, Part 2
The flicker kept munching away … … when suddenly a rare visitor to our garden peeked out from the beautyberry bush. A Western Scrub Jay hopped out of the bushes … … looked around … … and then jumped over onto the suet feeder pole. […]
Up Close & Personal … The Backyard Meet-up, Part 1
The Northern Flicker checking out the backyard before coming down from the tree … … where he encounters a Stellar’s Jay at the suet feeder. They thoroughly check each other out … … when the jay starts to clown around and then hops onto the […]
Hummingbird Magic!
This magical moment lasted at most about a minute or two! I was sitting near the dahlias thinking “wouldn’t it be nice if the hummingbird would come by these beautiful flowers before they fade. Suddenly this male Anna’s Hummingbird appeared and fulfilled my wish! These […]
Tasty Tuesday … Golden Autumn Vegetable Chowder
Fall has arrived here with rain, cooler temperatures and beautiful cool season vegetables. There are of course still vine-ripened tomatoes and colorful sweet peppers for sale at the farm market, but cauliflower, broccoli and various cabbages are showing up there as well. Cauliflower is one […]
Zunday Zen … Summer’s Gone
Autumn sun sparkles while summer’s drifting away … one leaf at a time. Summer seems to have come to a sudden end here in the Pacific Northwest! We’ve had quite a few rainy days already and the nights are getting cooler. Slowly the leaves are […]
Tasty Tuesday … Delectable Vegetable Tagine
Without question, the best couscous and tagine I’ve ever eaten was back in 1984 in Paris. We had gotten lost in the area near the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery where we visited Jim Morrison’s grave, when we came upon a tiny restaurant from which the […]
Up Close & Personal … The Northern Flicker
There’s been a seemingly endless stream of bird parents bringing their fledglings to our garden this summer, teaching them how to feed themselves. Northern Flickers are in the tree climber/woodpecker family. They are shy birds and easily spooked by people. They also always announce their […]
California Road Trip 2019 … The Laguna de Santa Rosa Revisited!
Looking north towards the Mayacamas Mountains! I last came here four years ago with my friend Christine. This time, it was hot, dry and slightly breezy. Last winter the area received record rains which created a lot of serious flooding. The Meadow Lark Field Pink grass!!! […]
Up Close & Personal … The Pileated Woodpecker
It’s been a while since I saw a pileated woodpecker in the garden! Well technically he landed high up on one of the Doug firs just behind the fence. I look at the forest as an extension, a space that attracts an enormous number of […]
Hummingbird Magic!
Years ago I planted a “Cotton Candy” white butterfly bush right outside our bedroom window. During the summer months we leave the windows open and many mornings I wake up to the sound of hummingbird wings whirring by. I open my eyes and am treated […]
