Just Me with Wally and LuLu and Heron No. 9

Hello!  We're out camping again.  Today I have just a couple of pics from our last trip.  At that time we didn't have the most desirable site in the park, but currently we've got one of the BEST sites in the park.  Huge, private, and perfect for the dogs.

Darnell said I should give the camera to Rich once in a while, so that's what I did here.  LuLu is tucked into the crook of my arm.  Wally was apparently more interested in something across the way.

No. 9 is a heron.  Just one of many water birds that hang out around the lake.  How would you like the job of cleaning off the sign?  BTW, No. 9 is simply a mooring post.  It's not really Heron No. 9... but maybe...  At the Grand Canyon I photographed a Condor that carried the number 80 on his wing.

That's all I have for now.  I'll be back when photographs happen.  Take good care!

Flowers and Winged Things

Hello, friends!  Just a quickie post today with a few things from the garden.  First up is this vase full of Alstromeria from the back yard.  They're long lasting as a cut flower.  Just put them out on the cool back deck overnight.

The next photo is flowers in "casualty vases" on my kitchen windowsill.  I have one or more casualty vases all summer just for the things that somehow get broken off.  They turn into the prettiest arrangements.

Pictured below is a European Wool-Carder bee.  I spotted him/her in the garden and found it a curiosity I've never noticed before.  Easy enough to Google and learn it's relatively new to our area.

Finally, summer can't go by without a picture of a swallowtail.  Look how raggedy the poor thing's wings are.  Life can be rough.

We're heading out for a few more days of camping.  I appreciate the chance to escape this relentless wind and the neverending housework.  Wishing you a happy week!

First Camping of the Summer

Where is summer going?  I feel like we haven't done much of anything, even though we vowed we would get an earlier start this year.  Sure, we've enjoyed the garden and we love our home, but sometimes you just want to get away.  Well, we finally managed a few days -- close to home, but it felt like another world.

North Lake RV Resort and Marina. Lakeside, Oregon.

There's a huge area where dogs can be off leash, but you hardly run into another soul out there.  Do you think the sign below is a deterrent?

We've never run into a bear on any of the three occasions we've camped out there, but I suppose there's always the possibility.  Our first destination:  The north lake where Wally and LuLu like to swim and explore the reeds and water lilies.  LuLu is pictured below.

There are endless trails going every which way, perfect for hiking or biking.  No motorized vehicles other than the golf carts the employees use.

Plenty of wildflowers in bloom.  Pictured below is the fluff of an Oregon Douglas Spirea and the waxy red blooms of Black Twinberry.  Am I imagining how gorgeous this unexpected pairing is?

We like to stop for a lounge in the grass before we head back to camp.  Perfect temps for basking in the sun.

 

A woodland path is not to be resisted.  It's just one of many paths we walked during our 3-day stay.

 

Back at camp and ready to relax a bit before dinner.

 

This was a full hook-up campsite -- sewer, water, electric -- so we were able to avoid all contact and simply greet other campers from a safe distance.  It was just what we needed and we're ready to go again.  Thanks for visiting!

Life in the Garden

Our life pretty much revolves around the house and yard these days, with the daily neighborhood walk and an occasional trip to the store.  I keep telling myself how lucky we are that we have a sturdy, comfortable home and a roomy lot on the edge of the woods.  If we have to stay home and play it safe, this is not so bad.  There are days I don't feel so positive... and then I look at this face:

LuLu made a point of bringing this pot to me just in case I needed it.  She was so happy and proud.

She's my pretty girl.

Just walking around the yard taking pictures of this and that... these Oxalis along the path are such a delicate pink:

 

Pots of color on the south deck:

Wally and LuLu -- my two sweetest sweeties:

Just a snapshot of the day's activities... Rich was trimming some tree branches, Wally is coming to see what Mom's up to:

 

Another variety of Oxalis with daylily and Lady's Mantle:

The preceding photos represent a beautiful day in the garden.  The next day was ferociously windy, as is often the case here, so close to the bay.  Our little sanctuary has its own microclimate which is more sheltered, but the wind in the trees overhead is a branch-cracking horror.  The picture below is a sad sight, indeed:

I never expected to lose the tree that provided such pretty dappled shade over a good part of the garden.  All the plantings were structured according to that dappled shade.  I do love the sunshine, but the loss is huge.  A tree service will remove it on July 17 and the area will heal and start over.  Isn't that the way of things?  Take good care of yourselves.

How Green is My Garden?

It's a good thing I like green because there's plenty of it showing in the garden right now.  There are other colors, too, but today I'm mostly focused on the green.  It's so welcome in the springtime.

Pictured below is one of several Hostas I have planted in pots.  This one is in a large orange pot sitting in the shade of the Purple Smoke Tree.  Not all color comes from blooms.

The hedge is fluffier than usual for this time of year and it takes Rich longer to trim it these days.  I still marvel that he manages to trim this behemoth at all.

Looks like somebody -- me -- needs to trim the barberry.

My favorite azalea spills spectacularly over the garden steps.  I don't trim it as I prefer its natural shape, but I do see a couple of straggling branches I'll snip off after the flowers fade.

LuLu has found a cool, shady spot at the foot of the stairs.

Several different plants are allowed to grow and mingle at will along the steps.

Orange deciduous and deep pink evergreen azaleas.  I saved this slip of pink azalea from the deer.   They ravaged four bushes one winter.

Walking into the backyard --  wind chimes hanging from the maple tree.

 Another Hosta in a pot.

Pictured below is a Rhododendron in the backyard.  It starts out dark pink and fades to this delicate shade.  Blooms are bell shaped.  The white flower spikes below it are a wildflower which is very invasive and some may call it a weed, but I rather like it.

There's that ground cover wildflower/weed again, growing along the backyard path.  I've just recently planted a few annuals and you can see a pot of Impatiens nestled into the ground cover.  I'm looking forward to its summer color.

We're staying home this Memorial Day weekend, which is nothing new because we always stay home on holiday weekends.  Oregon has opened some parks with restrictions -- bathrooms and gathering areas are closed, for instance.  It's going to be a madhouse out there, I think.  We'll let things settle down before we venture out with the motorhome.

This is a weekend for honoring our veterans so let's not forget that, even though most of the usual activities have been curtailed.  The thought is still there and we can all observe in our own way.  Wishing you a good week as we continue to navigate these unusual times.

A Day Out

Oregon's parks are slowly reopening, but only a few at a time.  For last Friday's outing we visited a county campground where we often go in the winter when everything is routinely closed.  It's a good place to let the dogs run around while we treat ourselves to a picnic, doing picnic things.

I rather like how it looks with the grass grown tall and the wildflowers having the run of the place.

We've been very good about social distancing, but we thought if we can visit on the street with the neighbors, then we should be able to visit with our dearest friends in The Great Outdoors.  We haven't seen them since the beginning of all this, sniff sniff.  We took separate cars and tried our best to keep apart, but there may have been some moments...  For the most part I think it worked out pretty well.

Wildflowers were everywhere.  I could fill an album with photos of each species in bloom, but there were just too many:  Bleeding Heart, Cranesbill, Heuchera (Coral Bells), Buttercup, Forget Me Not, English Daisy... just to name a few.

Here's LuLu in the Buttercups:

Wally in the Forget Me Nots:

Lucy, our friends' mini-Pomeranian, in the English Daisies:

Later in the afternoon we walked into the woods near the park.  You can almost imagine alligators lurking in the water and snakes dripping from the trees, but it's just our spring-damp Oregon coast woodland... nothing scary here at all.

We're about to pick our way down a trail along the creek.  That's Rich and our friends in the photo below.

We did not have to cross this foot bridge, but I requested Rich do it for a photo.  The idea was to have the dogs stand with him, but Wally was not thrilled with the idea.  LuLu stayed on this side.

It was a beautiful day, then the rain came back and stayed for a few days and we were only able to get out for the briefest periods, but we always manage at least a little walk.  We're doing fine, living life.  Hoping you're fine, too.

Getting Along in the Neighborhood

Wednesday it rained, Thursday was gorgeous, Friday it rained again.  That's spring for you!

We took the dogs for a long neighborhood walk and stopped a few times to visit on the street, always at a safe distance.  When we turned the corner onto our own street it seemed like the whole block was outside.  Our neighbor on the corner was planting flowers with her daughter, and when we stopped to talk she gave toys to Wally and LuLu, which they've been carrying around ever since.  You can see Wally has one of the toys in this picture.

And here he's keeping an eye on both toys:

Then along came our neighbor friend and his dogs from the end of the street.  The dogs played in the yard while we humans watched from the deck.  Again, we kept our distance.  You can see Bailey, a Goldendoodle, in the foreground of the picture below.

And the next pic is Lynus, another Goldendoodle.  I like how Lynus and his ball are the same color as everything else in the picture -- green, white, brown.

It was a good day.  Still feeling fortunate in our area with few COVID cases and plenty of room to get out and about.  We continue with safe practices and bide our time.  I hope you're all doing okay, too.  Be safe.  It has to return to normal some day, doesn't it?