Category Archives: Flowers

Tulips!

Row upon row yellow, pink, red, purple.

I took a quick trip North last Thursday because we were promised a window of time without rain. I wanted to see the tulips before all the crowds started coming.

It was dry for my hour drive up until I took the exit for Mt. Vernon to head to the tulip farms. Then it started pouring!!

Most of my photos had to be taken out of my car window.

I was amazed at the beauty of this lovelies blooming row upon row.

It was wonderful to get the effect of a sea of tulips when you didn’t focus down the planted rows.

It really is a treat to see and if you ever are in the Northwest in April make sure you make it to the Skagit Valley!

 

Have A Little Sunshine…

I hope you find some sunshine today!

“…He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous…”

I’m tying up all the loose ends and packing my car for an early morning take-off on Saturday. We’re taking a few days to get home with some fun destinations and meetings along the way. I’ll share later next week when we get settled at home.

Congratulations to my Canadian friends and the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team for their win last night! That goalie deserved a shut-out!  I wanted our U.S. team to fair better but by the end of the game I told Dear that the Canadian Goalie earned the shut-out!

Finding Beauty ~ Fresh Flowers…

Time to visit Claudia at Dipity Road to join in on Finding Beauty on Friday.

Just click on the badge above!

I love fresh flowers. They always stand out and brighten a room. They don’t have to be expensive, either. I’ve been eyeing the daffodils that are showing up at Trader Joe’s and other grocery stores this week. I will put off getting a bunch until I arrive in Seattle for a 10 day visit next week. I dare you not to smile when you see a bunch of daffodils!

 

Daffodils

by William Wordsworth

I wander’d lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch’d in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed — and gazed — but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Have a great weekend everyone.

San Pedro Cactus Flower!

After some googling I found out this is a San Pedro Cactus. Aren’t the blooms pretty?

Since I’ve come back to Southern California it’s been nice walking in the mornings with my Bloggy friend Willow. We walk in her neighborhood that butts up to the northwestern edge of the Santa Monica Mountain Range. It was fun to see this beautiful cactus flower popping out of the side of this San Pedro Cactus.

The days since this walk have gotten hotter and hotter here. We had to skip our morning walk last Friday because the heat was so oppressive.

We walked this morning earlier then usual to try to beat the heat. We saw a lot of deer out early, too.

With the fires burning in Southern California the air quality has also been unhealthy. We are praying for cooler temperatures around here and for stamina for our Fire Fighters who are risking their lives. Our hearts go out to the families of the 2 Los Angeles firefighters that have died in the line of duty.

Sky Watch ~

Clear skies again in Southern California without a cloud anywhere to be seen. This was taken on Wednesday of this week at the Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks, California. If you scroll down past this post you’ll see a photo tour of these lovely grounds.

For more Sky Watch photos head over to Wiggers World.

 

Gardens of The World in Thousand Oaks, California ~

On Tuesday morning I stopped by Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks, California. The Gardens of the World are privately owned and operated by the Hogan Family Foundation. There’s a Japanese Garden, French Garden, English Perennial & Rose Garden, and Italian Garden.

I walked in and was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. First of all I was treated to Wisteria growing on their entry gates! I had a quick stroll through the free garden. On Wednesday I returned to the Garden with Willow after we had Tea together at a great new Tea Room in Thousand Oaks (post to follow soon) and it is really hard to choose what photos to show from this wonderful place.

After the Wisteria we were treated to these pink beauties.

The walkways through the different themed sections of the garden were inviting.

The water features were dramatic.

This was the majestic bamboo in the Japanese Garden Section.

You walked through a Olive tree lined path to the Mission courtyard with the outer walls filled with Bougainvillea

The Mission Courtyard is an authentic Mission Courtyard. This courtyard features murals of the 21 remaining missions painted by local artists.

This is an example of one of the murals.

The fragrance in this courtyard was amazing from the 4 orange trees whose blossoms were in full bloom. Oh so lovely.

The rose garden was blooming and I got some close-ups. These were just a few of the beauties.

There were other beauties besides roses.

It was well worth the trip here and I think we probably picked the best time of the year to visit.

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.
e. e. cummings

Meme ~ Defined…

Indefinite pronoun
Même as an indefinite pronoun means the same.
C’est le même. It’s the same.
Elles sont toujours les mêmes. They’re always the same.

So a Meme is something that is the same and goes around bloggy world.

Before the noun, même means same:
C’est la même chose ! It’s the same thing!
J’ai lu le même livre. I read the same book.
Il aime les mêmes programmes. He likes the same programs

So for all y’all out there who were wondering what the heck meme means I hope this clarifies. I have the lovely Katie B. to thank for setting me on the right track for this word.

ht: About.com for definitions

April Flowers

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, I woke up this morning and my spasms are gone. All I have now is a stiff, weak back that I will carefully and slowly exercise back. Taking a step at a time. Thank you so much for all your prayers for me. Your phone calls and your emails were an encouragement, too. Have a wonderful day!

Psalm 30:2 “O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you have healed me.”

April is a rainbow month,
Of sudden springtime showers.
Bright with golden daffodils
and lots of pretty flowers.

Sycamore Hike ~ Walking Club Totals

When we got to the Sycamore Canyon Campground Parking at 7:15 the gate was still locked. Hmmm see the sign that says gate open 7am – 10pm? The attendant finally arrived at 7:30 to open the gate…

 

We stayed on the main trail today and saw a few joggers and several groups of cyclists.

The trees are really interesting in this canyon.

 

The shrubs were blooming nicely. It was gloomy with a thick high marine layer.

These purple wildflowers deserved a photograph.

 

Spring is a great time to do this hike because of all the pretty blooms.

We even happened on some California Poppies.

Some of our old and new favorites. The wild fennel is an old favorite of ours. We love using fennel in cooking and the smell when we rub it between our hands is licorice wonderful. The coreopsis is such a interesting plant the way it grows on that stalk. In the Spring it’s all over the hillsides. The one downside to our hike today were the mosquitos! They were out in droves. Anyone know of an Avon distributor so I can order some Skin-so-soft?

This looks like a parrot to me.

At the end of the hike we strolled over to see the high surf.

My walking total steps for the week averaged out to 10,152.

I’m going to keep on walking. How about you?