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

Seashore Souvenirs

Some people bring back shells and some tee shirts,

some bring back kites

and some salt water taffy,

but I brought back...

a lemon scented geranium

(I only WISH I could share the fragrance with you all!)

Rainbow Swiss chard

(yum, Swiss chard!)

and my favorite purchase--

white alpine strawberries!!

I am SO excited!

All in all-it was one AWESOME trip

and I will be savoring the memories all summer long :)

Have you ever brought back plants from your travels?

Blessings,

Aimee

Note: One of the first places my DH and I lived was a small, older house which had a whole lot of alpine strawberries planted in the side yard. It was there I learned to LOVE these tasty little morsels of sweetness! There is a lot of information on the web including photos should you be interested in trying some this year. Now I just need to decide where I will plant them...

Happy Birthday to You!!

Happy,

happy,

happy

birthday to you!!!

And many, many more!!

Love you:)

Aimee

Of Seagulls at the Seashore

Yesterday a friend and I went to the coast

it was just something I wanted--maybe even needed to do.

There were loads of seagulls there--and, as there always is, a tourist (or maybe a resident) was feeding them!

Whenever I see seagulls I think of my mom. She loved these cuties and often fed them too!

She also loved the coast of Oregon and Washington--it was her favorite place to go and that is why I think I needed to go there yesterday...instead of the mountains, the Gorge or elsewhere.

The coast reminded me of her and the memories were sweeter than Salt Water Taffy:)

Happy Mother's Day this Sunday and everyday Mom! Miss you!

Love always, Aimee

Photos: Cape Kiwanda (home of the Dory Fleet), northern Oregon coast, May 2011.

National Day of Prayer 2011

Prayer

Acknowledging God for who He is:
Creator

Savior

Holy

Loving

Gracious

Abba Father

Realizing who I am

His child, by His loving grace.

Seeking my daily bread,

a healing touch,

His protection,

forgiveness,

wisdom for problems--big and small,

His will.

Or just saying thank you for all I have been given.

Short or long,

a portion of Scripture;

a song that speaks to my heart's deepest needs --

a written prayer;

a thought directed upwards-

from my heart

to His,

rising like a fragrant offering to His throne in heaven.

Blessings, Aimee
Two of my favorite prayers are:

the so called Prayer of St Francis

and the Serenity Prayer.

A great book on prayer is: Richard J Foster, Prayer.

Love all his books and so did my mom:)

Photos: a few photos from earlier times.

Spring in the Columbia River Gorge: Pt 1

The Columbia River Gorge is another magical place for me, especially the part from Hood River to Portland. I love it because of all the green trees and ferns, waterfalls, history...well there are just a LOT of reasons why I love it! Why don't you come along with us and see, if by the end, you love it a bit too?

This is Crown Point--the little building (which is actually not a little building) is the Vista House. The views from up there are breathtaking, literally, which is why I was not up there this day:)

Two highways go through this area--the Columbia River Historic Highway (parts of which are open to vehicles; parts which are open to hikers only and some which are still not open if I recall). The other highway is I-84 which is the lower highway; this one runs along the river and also has great views.
The early morning light was unbelievable--this photo does not give the beauty of the area justice. It was SO beautiful, I kept shooting photo after photo; it was also really cold so some of them, sadly, were shot through my car window:(
Another major tourist attractions is the Multnomah Falls! Visitors from all over the world come to see the falls--some to hike the many trails in the area.

When we were there, we almost had the place to ourselves. Later in the day, when we drove by, the place was crowded. It is very green and shady in the area right by the falls. We could also feel the spray off the falls. I loved it and all the old rock walls and steps. I love the historic lodge there too, but you will have to wait until part 2 for to see that! As I have said, many a time, I would love to know what my Oregon Trail pioneer families thought of this area after being in the drier area of the Gorge. Unlike many other families, mine came the river route instead of the Barlow trail. The river was quite a different place then--no dams--so they would have seen Celilio Falls in the Dalles area and the Cascades (rapids) near Cascade Locks.

The Columbia River here is in a gorge that divides the Cascade mountains of Oregon from those of Washington. Some mountains and higher elevations had a lot of snow on them; some other areas less so--the lowest elevations no snow:) I cannot believe this spring--we just got snow at about the 2,000 foot elevation and Washington state extended their studded tire season till just a little while ago.

This last photo (below) is in the Hood River area. This is a big area for windsurfing! During the summer you can see loads of them and it is very exciting to watch! We didn't see any windsurfers that day-it was pretty calm, we did see a few boaters though.

Looking eastward--the next town would be Mosier. From here the gorge area becomes drier and less green.

See you later for part 2! One of my fav shows just started.

Blessings this day, Aimee

Photos: spring 2011, Columbia River Gorge (westernmost area). Sorry about the formatting--it has been very strange lately.