Spring in the Columbia River Gorge: Pt 2

This part of the Gorge is very special to me,

not just because of the incredible beauty one finds there, but because my mother and I shared a train trip through it in the early 80's --on our way to the Rocky Mts!!

that was before Amtrak discontinued this route (boo!)

The views from the train, were absolutely breathtaking--

we saw many waterfalls and lots of beautiful green! And of course, mountains and the Columbia River.

Now we took that special train trip in winter, and that's when the Gorge roads can be very hazardous because of the way storm systems work in the PNW, but I don't remember any snow through this area then--there was plenty of snow later though:)

Speaking of snow, a great time to visit the Gorge is in the early spring when there is snow in the mountains and higher areas of the Gorge, and seasonal runoff from melting snow

(and this year our abundant non-stop rain).

This waterfall, on the right side of Multnomah Falls, appears to be a result of that runoff-

I thought it very pretty because of all the GREEN!

And this beautiful building? This is the Multnomah Falls Lodge--listed in the historic register for Multnomah county. You can eat there--but we arrived before they were open! You can get to the lodge and the falls by either the Historic Columbia River highway or I-84.

A view along I-84--I think one of the reasons I like the Gorge is that it kind of makes me think, in areas, that I am in driving along one of Norway's fjords. Of course, I have never been to Norway, and of course, the Gorge is not a fjord (although we do have a fjord in Washington state)but since I have an incredible imagination it is always easy for me to pretend!

Not sure what this tree/shrub was, but I loved the color and shaped against the hotel behind it...and of course the lovely blue sky!

Last but not least, the goal of our trip was up here--well one of our goals was up here.

We were going to take this wonderful road UP the Hood River Valley to Parkdale or maybe even do the whole Hood River/Mt Hood loop to view all the fruit trees in bloom--but things changed...so maybe next year we will do that:) It is something I look forward to doing!

~

The incredible, breathtaking and very beautiful Columbia River Gorge--

I will LOVE it always, just as my mom did!

Blessings, Aimee

Photos: spring 2011

The Gown + the Memories

From my other blog, Flowers for my Mother.

Before I got married, before I had chosen a wedding gown,
my mother gave me the option of using hers.
I remember trying it on one day with mom close by--
a gown from the 50's yellowed a little by the years that had gone by but still quite lovely
with an itty bitty waist:)

While it was not the style I had envisioned for my special day, it was a privilege to get to dress up--if just for awhile--in the gown mom had chosen for her special day many years ago! It was a connection that only a mother and daughter could share.

The other day, when I was staying at my sibs to help with dad, I retrieved it from dad's closet and took some photos of it. Now, despite the fact that I should have ironed it first and put it on a padded hanger, I could almost envision mom on her special day ready to put on the dress she would wear down that church aisle to join her life to her beloveds.
It was a good memory:)

Blessings to all you moms and daughters out there,
Aimee

Of Cats

This week, I spent some time at my sibling's house taking care of my father who is miraculously recovering from what looked like certain death (that--of course--is a whole other post or two!). Now my DH and I don't have any kitties, but I have a bit of a soft spot for them having grown up with many cats, so of course I had to capture these kitties in photos so I could 'take' them home with me:)

Meow #1: loves to 'own' any visitors and loves to look outside ANY window!

Meow #1 is diabetic and my sib takes spectacular care of him! He loves to sit on my dad's lap and be petted; he is very, very spoiled:)

Meow #2: this is a Bengal kitty (hope I spelled that right). I LOVE the pattern and color on him--in person it looks even more beautiful! This is probably my fav of sib's cats, but shhhh don't let meow # 1 or #3 know that because I don't want any ruffled fur when I visit there! He is also pictured in the first photo--from what my sib says, it is unusual that they were getting along in it!! Maybe they were mesmorized by my camera's light:) He, just like Meow #1 is very spoiled too!!

Meow #3--now I hope I get this right because I keep thinking this one is a Sphinx cat--but my sib says she is a Cornish Rex kitty. I caught her when she was snuggling up in the BIG down comforter--she also tried to snuggle up on my bed when I stayed the night...and, of course, she is very spoiled too:)

Well there you go---my sib's cats on the Internet just for YOU and me!!!!

Blessings to all you cat and/or dog lovers out there, Aimee

May Garden

May is a very special month for me and recently I found yet one more reason for it to be special...however that story will have to wait for another time or place:)

Anyway, one of the reasons I love May so very much is it isn't too warm yet and the gardens are just bursting forth with color--lots of color!

Today, I actually got to spend some time outdoors and it felt like one of my wonderful, peaceful trips with bird songs everywhere, the sun's warmth on my skin and the fresh air! I and a friend mowed the "lawn" and worked on more plans for the gardens this year (extending the garden path and beds, adding more rock to the upper pond area, etc.)

And before she arrived, I planted my new swiss chard and scented geranium (pictured in Seashore Souvenirs post below). I am SO excited--my first planting of this year--yippee!!

Still so much more to do...but it was a start and I am eager to see what we can get done!

And then tonight, as I was browsing the web, I researched greenhouses....ah! The joys of the Internet combined with the joys of gardening:)

What is blooming in your garden?

Blessings, Aimee

Photos:

1. Prariefire crabapple (love this tree!)

2. Japanese irises--pre bloom (in the background are bluebells)

3. Cherry blossoms by the lower pond (I bought this tree and many of my plants from my 'second daddy' and they are VERY special to me because of that! He is with Jesus now, but everytime I see the plants he raised I think of him with fondness--I miss his wonderful sense of humor!)

4. Miniature rhodo I believe--(hum, just bought this last year and I can't remember the name. Do you see the little Japanese maple next to it? This year we have a bumper crop of freebies---from little pine trees everywhere to maples! Our garden is the garden that keeps on giving! Or maybe I should say that our God is the God who keeps on giving!)

5. One of our 4 red rhododendrons (Can you tell I LOVE red? This is a Jean Marie de Montague, actually I think it might be called the Honorable Jean Marie de Montague:) Try as I might I cannot capture the red of this shrub when the light hits it just right--it is the most perfect red and I love it!)

6. Evergreen azalea--Hino Crimson (there are three of them here, near the upper pond and one of them is just about covered with blooms! Again, I have not quite captured its beauty when the light is just perfect.)

Coastal Symphony

May you and I be a beautiful symphony rising to the heavens.

Blessings, Aimee

Photos: Spring 2011, northern Oregon coast