A drive up the Columbia River Gorge

We had a fun weekend when friends came to visit. We took them for a drive up the Columbia River Gorge, and stopped at all our favorite spots along the way. Multnomah Falls was one stop, and such a beautiful place to take in!

Multnomah Falls is the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the nation. The water of the Falls drops 620 feet from its origin on Larch Mountain.
On the same scenic highway, several miles west of Multnomah Falls is Crown Point and Vista House , high on the bluff, and overlooking the gorge below.

This is an area I've posted about before and probably will again! It's an important part of Oregon history, as the passage way that Lewis and Clark came down so many years ago!

As you can see, the Gorge has been kept as natural as possible. Hopefully our government leaders will follow in the steps of past leadership, and keep it that way! There is a movement going on to put up a casino in this area, and that's a hard one to comprehend!

Feverfew and Hollyhocks

Feverfew is a perennial herb that scatterers itself wherever the seeds land, and fills in areas with their prolific daisy like flowers. They resemble Babies Breath but with a much larger flower head. Feverfew suits my free flowing garden plan and is a lovely addition to any garden that beckons handpicking. I've used this pretty white flower in wedding arrangements, and found it to be very sturdy, as well as long lasting.

Hollyhock, Alcea Pallida, unfurled this week to reveal it's delicate pink, scalloped edged flower. For the past couple of months the growth on this perennial has surpassed our expectation. We have watched the buds unravel, several flowers each day, for the past three days. Our experience with Hollyhocks has been one of frustration when they are planted next to the house. Bugs tend to migrate to them and chew on the leaves, making them less than attractive. This Hollyhock is planted in a pot,away from the house and protected from ground bugs.

I love the flowers this time of year! They put forth so much effort to show-off their God given beauty and grace. Have a good day and relish the flowers!

A day with Thomas the Train

No doubt many of you have spent the day with Thomas the Train, if he has come to your area of the country. My daughter and granddaughter accompanied me this week to Hood River where Thomas visits a couple of times a year. I had no idea what excitement Thomas brought to this little girl. After parking car and taking a shuttle bus to the train station, we entered the Thomas area, and could see him coming down the track toward us. My granddaughter began running to the fence yelling, "Thomas, here I am! Thomas, over here!" The entire day was worth watching that exchange between my sweet girl and a train!!

We quickly took our place in line to get a picture. The children were not allowed to touch Thomas and somehow that was ok!

Thomas has a conductor friend and here he is getting a fond welcome!

A Thomas tatoo was the next thing that we had to get.

The actual ride on Thomas the Train was peaceful and quite musical. There were speakers overhead blarring all the Thomas songs!

On the short trip we managed to down a peanut butter sandwich and a Clif bar.

The day ended well and there was one little girl who took a nice long nap! Her dreams were of Thomas!

Deer looking at me!

Today was a day spent at home. It was windy, very warm, and unusual! I spent about twenty minutes weeding in the garden and then took a large armload of weeds to the chickens. I stood watching them for another twenty minutes, then decided to water. The wind has really dried out the ground. After watering I went into the house and began doing the dishes. Gazing down the driveway, I saw a doe walk into the Christmas trees, and I grabbed my camera! I knew she was in the trees somewhere, so I had my camera held at eye level, and when I turned to look to my left, there she was! We looked at each other for a long time and she galloped back into the woods. We connected for a moment.
She is so beautiful!

The Garden Grows....

We have been eating lettuce, all kinds, for the past couple of weeks. Since we planted the garden several weeks ago, it has flourished, and it looks like a bumper crop year! Last year was a disappointment when the corn was stunted, and the beans didn't produce much. What did we do differently, you wonder? We added load after load of chicken manure to the garden area, tilled it in well, and hoped for the best. It has rained just enough to keep the ground moist and the sunshine has done the rest.

We have two garden areas which are separated so we can grow cucumbers, squash, and pumpkin without cross pollination. The garden below has pole beans off to the left, tomatoes, peppers, flowers and pumpkin's. There is lots of room for everything to spread!

We just weeded this garden and that is why you are seeing it today! The other garden where the corn, dill, lettuce, zucchini, and egg plant are, is waiting it's turn for a clean-up! :)

In the foreground you can see how well the beans are doing! They will climb up wire, which is not in the picture, but was put up last night.

Lady bugs do a mighty work in the garden and I'm giving this little one credit! They eat aphids and take care of other pests! This is a good bug in moderation!

Our old Cherry tree has outdone itself this season! These are pie cherries, and if you have never had a homemade Cherry pie from homegrown Cherries, you don't know what you are missing!

Oregon is famous for its Wild Blackberries. The plant grows everywhere and left to its own, it will engulf acres of land and make walking through it impossible! Our Blackberries grow along a property line and we are happy to have them for that purpose. We don't have to worry about repairing the fence and we can eat Blackberries all winter long.

Every blossom will be a berry! We invite people to please come pick!! I've even stopped where people are picking along the roadside and invited them over to pick the clean non-sprayed berries we have.

The flowers are the best part of summer! Our Delphiniums are really taking hold this year. The blue is the truest of blues and after picking them, they give another set of blooms before Autumn comes.

I am one of those people who can't go to a nursery without taking something home. I keep adding to the garden and filling up pots or baskets. This little basket sits outside my kitchen door and greets visitors with it's bright red and orange blooms.

May each of you have a good week and may you be able to grow a little something for enjoyment!

Sky over Walmart.

While in Troutdale this last weekend, we were met with a blazing sky over Wal Mart.

This last click was taken in the car, with the window rolled up.

A hymn comes to my mind for this time.

For The Beauty Of The Earth

For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies,

Lord of all,

to thee we raise

This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flower,

Sun and moon and stars of light,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child,

Friends on earth, and friends above,

Pleasures pure and undefiled,

Lord of all,

to thee we raise

This our grateful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine,

To our race so freely given,

Graces human and divine,

Flowers of earth and buds of heaven,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our grateful hymn of praise.

For thy Church which evermore

Lifteth holy hands above,

Offering up on every shore

Her pure sacrifice of love,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our grateful hymn of praise.

Written by Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1864

Happy Fathers Day!

A rare gem he is....

peaceful, calm, steady, strong, reliable, stable, kind,

always present and a good father.

Your are loved!!

Priceless!

There isn't much to say but this child is priceless! And, she is all ours to love, spend time with, laugh with, and watch grow. Even the dogs take part in the important things of life! She is a mover, a thinker, a planner, a designer and one great cook...with mud!

Love comes perfectly in a child!

When a good friend passes....

When a good friend passes away it feels like time should stop. It doesn't and the days get busy before they get quiet. I am pausing to take a few quiet days to be thankful for the days that were and realise the impact one life can make. He was the father of four and husband of my friend. His life was too short, but he used it to honor God. And, that is what matters. The little speck in the middle of the picture is an Osprey. It is a majestic bird that lives in the highest of places. This bird reminds me of my friend. He is soaring. God Bless the family.

Getaway....in the high desert of Oregon

For the past four days the sky has been blue, the air warm and the water calm. Activity consisted of long walks through the high desert forest, canoeing down the Deschutes River, talking for hours with old friends, and eating well! Canoeing has become a favorite activity, and a time to connect with nature. The Deschutes River at Sunriver is at its calmest and wildlife appears at every bend of the river. Ducks flew in to greet us, fish jumped out of the water and we had the time noticed it all.

Puffy clouds floated through the sky while draft horses grazed on lush grass.

One meal consisted of home grown lettuce, which created a sumptuous salad,

lemon spaghetti with fresh basil and adorned with shrimp.

These are the kind of getaways that create lasting friendship and appreciation for the things that money can't buy!

Red Poppies, red strawberries and more!

Many times a day I walk around the yard just to see what has changed during this rapid time of growing! We have had refreshing rains that enliven the flowers and keep them robust with color! The poppies are popping out all over the herb garden this week. They range in color from clear red, and orange red.

Last year we pulled out the poppies to prepare for a wedding but many of the seeds had fallen to the ground. I'm so glad they came back! You can go here to see last years garden rebuild. It is never boring to experience each season with it's obvious changes. We know that last winters snow added nutrients to the soil and that is better than any fertilizer!

This years garden has less poppies and there are other flowers that have found a home in the space. Nasturtiums are a favorite flower from childhood memories. They have a small extension on the underneath side from which you can bite and draw out honey. The pansies just don't give up and keep blooming. When the weather changes to day after day of heat, they will fade. Until then we keep enjoying their faces!

The ground beneath these flowers is covered with strawberry plants. We have picked every day this week and are now putting some in the freezer for the winter.

I'm off to enjoy the annual girl time I have gone on for the past twenty years. We are headed over the mountains to Sunriver Resort in Bend, Oregon. It is the high desert and we'll take part in canoeing, hiking,biking, eating way toooo much and staying up late at night. I'll bring back the highlights for next weeks posting!

I hope you all have a good weekend!!