Gardening + Nature

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And so it begins…

Breakfast in Pendleton:

Home of the Round-Up

Cabbage Hill View Point

Wallowa

Kombucha break in Lostine

Gazing upon the Wallowas

Toward Hell’s Canyon

Zumwalt Prairie:

Some fourteen miles of winding gravel wound us in and around one of the largest intact bunch grass prairies in the world. Vast, my friends, with us and the animals the only life for miles upon miles. I watched the hawk, a red-tail, I think, swoop down to seize it’s prey and carry it to the utility pole, the snake writhing and coiling some thirty feet from the ground. My heart quickened at the wonder and privilege of it all.

Filthy prairie feet

Wallowa Lake:

Our wee cabin was called the Fawn, and we loved it!

The baby robin was terribly sweet and let us get quite close before her unsteady wings carried her off.

I bought two books and some deliciously scented soaps at this gem of a shop!

Enterprise:

A sweet town full of kindly and hospitable strangers.

Arrowhead Chocolates

They gave us spoons dipped in chocolate while we waited for our treats. The hubster was in heaven!

Joseph:

Named for Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce (that last sculpture is his likeness), Joseph is a prince of a town. With a world famous foundry, beautiful landscape, friendly people, and Stein’s top notch distillery, it’s easy to find a reason to stay.

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Good morning! A quick hello to share our strawberry bounty with you. We planted a patch last year and boy howdy are we reaping the rewards. Each morning for the past two or three weeks (not sure, it’s a strawberry haze!) we pick a big handful like this. Super sweet and delicious!

I was a little worried that we would have more competition from our wild visitors, with near-ripe berries disappearing in the midnight hours early on. Apparently there are quite enough for us all now, with so many ripening at once.

Which reminds me, the opossum visited in broad daylight the other day. We saw her scrounging for fallen birdseed under the feeder and went outside to see. By the time we got there, she had hidden in the strawberry patch, and as she came out fiercely hissed at me, which was a surprise. Normally, we chat a minute before she saunters off. Then the hubster spied the reason, she had a baby clinging to her back! It was a wonder to witness that bit of adorableness. I gave her some space, and she darted for the shed, making funny noises to coax the baby into her pouch; because, as we discovered, opossums are marsupials. To think we probably wouldn’t have learned that had we not planted strawberries! Gosh, I really do love nature.

She, this jasmine blossom, twirled for me, fabulous float on the water of the bird bath, skirting the edges, sharing her scent, delighting my eye.

One Community is a monthly project in which participants photograph their homes and community with a theme in mind. The goal is to both showcase similarities and differences in our communities worldwide – and bring us all closer together in understanding through art.

Why don’t you join us? It’s fun! Post one or more photos for each of this month’s theme words, road, float, sprinkler, and oasis, and add your blog post to the link-up. Easy! It began yesterday, June 5th, and stays open for one week.

Snap happy!

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Holy cats!

Pictured at top has got to be among the top five best bathroom wall decorations of all time (though it is much brighter in person). If you do not know where it is, I am not going to tell you (save in North Portland), not because I am one to keep secrets like that, but because my delight upon first laying eyes on it was so spectacular and mirthful that I would rather you not expect it in hopes that you experience the same moment of wonder.

And Paris, bundled tightly post bath. My little sausage. “Let me out!”

Out snapping the peonies. Sadly, the season is winding down. And how about that last shot? Some sort of bee-mimic. We shared a magical, I see you, moment, inches apart and eye to eye. Wish I could have captured that one!

Mock orange: this tiny sprig scents the entire bathroom.

Out under the clerodendrum, eyes skyward and fingers plunged and twining the grass.

A sunset walk, eager for more of these, that soft hour of quiet, the revealing of different mysteries.

Happy Memorial Day, grateful for this great land that is America!

Have a listen to how I am feeling…

This scene, Oak Island on Sauvie Island and not an island at all, just the grandest stand of ancient oaks surrounded by a waist high carpet of green, sent my heart agallop. This neck of the woods always borders on the sublime, immense and filled with every possible wonder. A leafy raw azure, the rustle of brush, and my hand skimming the grass.

Out with my friend Laura and her dog Chipper. No pet of my acquaintance more thoroughly lives up to his name. Smiling, leaping, bounding, tongue lolling, and tail wagging, I felt constantly buoyed by his lively presence. Not that I needed it! At every turn, I filled with such delight at my place on this patch of damp earth. Bird song and Laura who knew every single call! Oriole! Spotted Towhee! Savannah Sparrow! Bewick’s Wren! Black Headed Grosbeak!

All was lovely, bright and happy as new pennies and this fairy house. Momentarily empty, her occupants surely observing us from the brush.

One stupendous view after another, Sturgeon Lake and Mount Saint Helens.

And this pastoral scene, repeated again and again, a myriad of cows moseying and baying and regarding us with equal curiosity. A fine morning it was. Thank you Laura and Chipper for inviting me along!

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