Beautiful Garden Sights

It is hard to pick which time of year the gardens is the most beautiful. When I returned home from my trip it took me a few days to tour, deadhead, examine, and enjoy the gardens. Here are some images I collected. Right now I am loving summer. Enjoy!

Rose Lovers Unite

When we visited the Rose Garden in Portland yesterday it was obvious many people share our love for roses.  Here is brother Bill posing with The Rose Guy.

What a perfect place to paint. Below a tour bus arrived with many rose lovers excited for a tour.

Umbrellas were also a big part of the rose garden tour.

People of all ages enjoyed the roses.

Everything Coming Up Roses

Today when my brother and I toured the International Rose Test Garden in Portland, OR I knew I would see lots and lots of roses. I was not prepared for the overload beauty of the roses, hydrangeas, fuchsias,and other complimentary flowers and plants. I think you will see what I mean. 

 Astibiles

 Fuchsias like shrubs

The smoke bush and hydrangea.

It Is All About the Process

 Today I met an old friend face to face for the first time. Jane and I got connected on Facebook through my brother Bill. We share similar interests and today I met her face to face. It was like visiting with an old friend from the past.  As we toured her home, gardens, and studios today I learned that we have very similar beliefs about how we create things in our lives. She has created beautiful gardens. She has done a complete remodel of her house. She is creating a lovely gallery to display her husband James E. Hansen's sculptures. 

The two of us share a common thread. We embrace the process of what we are creating. In conversations today we both discovered it is not about creating perfect gardens that show up in magazines. It is not about reading all the books available on gardening or architecture, but it is about doing. She has put her energy into the doing and the results are all around her.

The end product is what we always strive for.... but I truly believe the learning and growing takes place in the  process. I will continue to have an awareness of that process whether it is in writing, gardening, cooking, teaching, or art.

We also both have the belief that you create a place that feels right. A place to call home. I loved the place she has created and calls home. Thanks Jane.

The Beauty of Birds

I have never been able to get too close to birds while taking pictures. With the zoom on my new camera I can get pictures and not scare them off. We get an amazing variety of birds at our place so it will be fun to catch images of them.

Of course, then there are the chickens and rooster also.

Camera Images: Old Camera Drying Out, New Camera Perfect

I got my camera wet on a recent camping trip. I couldn't stand not taking pictures of the beauty surrounding me every day.  I could take pictures with my phone and did, but it was not the same. Today I picked up my new camera at the post office. It has been fun to try it out all day.