Hello friends –  Welcome to The Oregon Garden!  Located just outside the picture post card town of Silverton, it’s about an hour’s drive from our red roof, and a pleasant one, to boot.  My friend Rob and I journeyed there a few weeks back while he was in town.

With eighty acres and a myriad of different gardens, there is a whole lot to see.

This photo and the yellow flowers in the one above are part of the eco-roof, a great way to filter rain water and keep a structure cool.  I like the look of the plants, too.

This is the cottonwood forest.  These trees are crazy tall, something like a hundred feet, and grew over a very short period of time – most impressive Obi Wan.

Funny that I should type that, for Rob, my fellow traveler, is a huge Star Wars fan, probably the biggest I know.  He even has a super cool Jedi costume, complete with light saber.

These two pictures are from the conifer garden.  The needles on both were surprisingly soft.

There is a tram at the garden, and though I would generally pooh-pooh something of this ilk, I was glad we took it.  One, it is nice to get an overview of the garden before deciding on specific areas to explore.  Two, the driver was a cute and friendly retiree with many funny anecdotes.  He also highlighted the best places to get married, this series of pools being among them.  I have to admit that the light was awfully romantic.

I think these are the seed pods of a sweet gum tree, but please don’t hold me to it.  Whatever they are, I like the look of them.

Always stop to smell the roses.

This was my favorite part of the garden.  It is an oak grove that dates back more than four hundred years.  Can you imagine living that long?  What a testament to the power of nature – so beautiful and inspiring.

Daisies are such happy flowers.  Are you smiling yet?  Go ahead, it feels good.

Oh deer.  She tried to pretend she was a statue, but we knew better.

I love this whisper of a flower.  I almost expect it to turn into a sweet fairy.  May I have three wishes?

Pretty.

We’re almost at the end of our visit.

Calalilies are so beautiful.

And now, for a shout out to my traveling companion:   Thanks for always being up for adventure, for your kind and generous spirit, for your marvelous humor and taste in music (Wilco!), your creativity, but mostly your friendship.  You’re a keeper!