Thinking.....

...about the many places I have never seen but am familiar with.  Yosemite National Park is one of those locations.  It is the subject of many artists paintings and it is easy to understand why.  When I look at these photos, taken by my brother, I am awe struck at the beauty!  Gary and Margie have visited Yosemite twice now.  Once last year and once this year.  Both times were in November.  The cold, cold weather had not quite taken over, the snow had not fallen and the park was virtually empty.  They were able to take in the spans of the outdoor arena without the distraction of cars and other noises. 

Here are my brother and SIL.  They have been married a year.  I posted about their marriage in November of 2009 at "My brothers marriage."   It is very nice that he took his bride back to this spectacular park just a year after their first trip.

 Included is a map, which I found on the Yosemite National Park web site at:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/directions.htm

The park sits almost due east of San Francisco and near the eastern boarder of California with Nevada.

With a place like this within a couple of days drive of our place...I wonder when we get to go?  :) We shall dream of that day!  Have you been to Yosemite National Park?

Weekend Getaway

  Sisters and Camp Sherman, Oregon.

When we still have warm October days, we like to take a drive to get away from the activities of everyday living.  Oregon has an advantage of being home to the ocean, mountains and desert. If the weather is bad in one direction, we can go another direction, and find the sunshine.  The Oregon Coast was socked in with fog last weekend, so we headed east. 

The Fall air was warm, the sky blue and the scenery expansive.  Our short time away from home base was restful and restorative.

Sisters and Camp Sherman, Oregon

 When we drove into Camp Sherman, there were several women painting at the waters' edge.  I talked briefly with a few of them and they told me they live in the area.  They choose different spots in the Eastern Oregon landscape and paint for a day.  Ahhh...what a wonderful experience for them!  What you can't see are the little log cabins across the Metolius River.  These lovely little places can be rented for a night or two and it is a place we return to again and again. 

 The next few pictures are taken along the Metolius River as we walked to see the headwaters. 

 Maggie and I are standing in front of  our favorite cabin in the area.  Many of the cabins were built in the early 1900's and most are in need of repair.  This one captures our eye because of it's log/rock design,  red windows and doors.  I wonder who gets to enjoy this way of life..away from the bustle of the city and in a place that commands peace?

 Farther up the path we stop to take in several of the forks that feed into the Metolius River. 

 Can you see the green moss growing on the rocks in the water? 

 We had the best time and returned home ready for another week. 

Traditional Wedding Flowers

Pink and white flowers were the choice for the weekends traditional style wedding. Flowers filled my car as I drove north to the outdoor/indoor setting of my last wedding for the summer.

This wedding was a lot of fun to do.  The bride gave me free reign in design ideas and flower choice.  It was important to have flowers that would make the six hour trip and still be in good condition to arrange. I chose roses, asters, mums, lilies, gerbera daisies, hydrangea, baby's breath, grasses, curly willow, leather fern, ivy, and salal.

The bridesmaids bouquets were especially wedding like in the nosegay style and finished with a cone shaped holder.  I covered heavy carboard cones with pink polka dot paper and added pink organza ribbon as the finishing touch.  The flowers were arranged in an oasis holder that keeps the flowers fresh for hours and  then glued into the cone.

The brides bouquet was styled in the traditional cascade and held a dozen pink roses, bouvardia, asiatic lilies, daisy mums, salal and ivy. 

Pink organza ribbon and white tulle was tide lightly around the holder, which created a stream like flow as the wind gently blew. 

A simple cake topper of pink roses, mums and asters were placed on the cake.

Life is beautiful and even more so when there is a wedding! 

Doors

Santa Fe, New Mexico could be called the city of doors.  Charm is displayed throughout the city in many ways but the allure (to me) is in the doors.  Blue doors, brown doors, big doors and small doors riddle the cobbled roads in a way that bid me to take a look beyond. 

The use of blue is striking and it is the color that reflects the sky above. 

There is no shortage of church doors...humble to cathedral style.

Doors are plentiful in Santa Fe! 

Bellingham from waters edge to rich farmland

I've been gone for a few days.  My trip took me north to the new home of our daughter and her family.  They now live in Bellingham, Washington.  The area is breathtakingly beautiful! To start with, there are views of the Olympic mountains, San Juan Islands, and Mt. Baker.  The days I visited were clear, bright and cheerful.  We went on several outings that took us from the waters edge, to the rich farmland this area is known for. 

 

Hovander Farm is a wondrous old farm that was given to the state in 1969.  It must have been quite the place.  The stately home is one of the most stunning pieces of architecture in the county.  It was built with a Swedish flare and may be the prettiest home in the community! 

  There are plenty of animals in the farmyard, and these turkeys take the prize for attracting attention!  We also saw goats, bunnies, ducks, and geese.  As the season warms more animals are brought to the farm for all to enjoy.

We had free run of the farm for quite a while, until the buses pulled in and dropped off several loads children.  What a great experience for school kids. Many visitorscome here to picnic, pet the animals and play along the Noosack River.   Dogs welcome!

We look forward to finding out more about Bellingham.  There appears to be an endless supply of wide open spaces and natural beauty to explore.