the glory of the earth at rest

 

I wish I had taken a picture of the tree when all the leaves were still clinging to the branches.  Blanketing the ground, though, they're just as glorious.

We give thanks to the Earth and to Opa: Master Gardener Extraordinaire.

where the columbia meets the pacific

Last weekend we took a little family day and headed out to Astoria on the Oregon Coast.  We'd never really explored this town before.  As usual, we had some letterbox clues to guide us to some fantastic locales.

At 600 feet above sea level, Coxcomb Hill is Astoria's highest point.  It has some really amazing views and is home to the Astoria Column.

"The story behind the Column, its deterioration and rescue by the Friends of Astoria Column, rivals the history it depicts." (from AstoriaColumn.org)

In addition to the history lessons and the awe inspiring views available here, one can purchase these fun balsa wood gliders for $1 at the gift shop and throw them off the top of the tower or down the grassy hill.

The woman at the shop said this now commonplace tourist activity began as a fundraiser and also as a way to keep people from throwing other things off of the tower... like bowling balls.   (Apparently, before the renovations and prior to the ground around the tower being cemented, the locals used to do this to see how far the balls would imbed themselves into the earth.)

We had a blast with just our little gliders for a couple of hours.

After a beautiful morning at the tower we crossed the Columbia from Oregon to Washington on the Astoria-Megler Bridge (the longest continuous-truss bridge in North America).  After driving up Hwy 101 we spent the rest of our afternoon at Cape Disappointment State Park.

 

The coast of Washington might just rival that of our home state.

It was an on-again, off-again, overcast, glorious day.

in the garden

In the Spring and Summer we spend a lot of time with Naiya in the back yard.  A lot of our afternoons are spent playing with the fairies, in the sandbox, barbecuing, enjoying meals or gardening as a family.  Naiya has her own little corners of the yard though that she has planted and maintains all by herself.

This area around her play house is filled with flowers and veggies she chose on her own.  It's a mish mash display and with all the eating of the fennel leaves and picking of the most beautiful blossoms, I'm not sure how this area will fare through the season.  (Which is, of course, totally alright, since her pleasure was its purpose from the outset.)

A pot on our table that Naiya calls her "special garden" has been dormant for months.  She told me she had planted seeds there and when they started to poke out of the soil I wasn't sure that weeds hadn't simply found a foothold in her little patch of wonder.  When they grew taller, they looked a little less weedy (but were still mysterious) and just this morning these poppies opened up.

Sometimes daddy brings plants home from work for her, because they're a little weird or especially fancy.

Inside the house we often find flies in the windowsills.  Other crawly critters meet their demise out of doors for any number of reasons and our daughter often discovers these bodies in both locales. We have tried to instill a reverence for all life (even the most pesky) in Naiya so when she asked what to do with these bodies I told her returning them to the earth might be nice.  She's had this area for years but only recently asked me to write out some markers for the tiny beings resting there.

screen-free week: gardening

Planting a garden is yet another wonderful way to encourage children and families to unplug during screen-free week.  Working out doors with living things in an herb or veggie garden allows children to see how some of their food grows and feel a connection between the earth and themselves.  (It can also cut down on grocery bills!)  A flower garden or butterfly garden likewise create connections between our families and the earth as we experience budding, growth, blossoming and decay through the seasons.

In my garden there is a seed,

I am the one who put it there.

Who will help it now to grow?

Earth and sun and rain and air.

In my garden there is a flower,

From a seed it came to birth.

Who then helped it to grow so tall?

Air and rain and sun and earth.

annual tulip fest

Every year at just this time we glory in the bright, fresh colors of spring at home.

Then our display is sadly eclipsed when we take our annual trip to the ever extravagant Tulip Fest at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon.

 Right?

 This year was a tad overcast so we didn't get those glorious shots with the beautiful blue sky but the fields were, as always, amazing.

It just puts our little patch of sunshine at home to shame.

Naiya also enjoyed some of the activities available for kids including a bouncy house, trampoline bungee jumping, water pump duck races and a bit of carving of some ol' wooden shoes.

Somehow we missed her favorite Cow Train this time around but did sneak in a serving of cotton candy and enjoyed a fine Oregon Spring day.

The Festival is on until May 5th.  If you're a local, you've still got time!

springtime at the rhododendron garden

It seems like every year I do this same post of the beautiful blossoms sprouting in early Spring at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.  It is only about five minutes from our house and we enjoy visiting during every season but especially now when the first blooms insist on delighting the senses.

It's no wonder I have to post it every year.  The flowers and I, we just can't help ourselves...

(Anyone know what this sweet little flower is?  So delicate and lovely but none in our party could identify it.)

The World is very old;

But year by year

It groweth new again

When buds appear.

The World is very old,

And sometimes sad;

But when the daisies come

The World is glad.

The World is very old;

But every Spring

It groweth young again,

And fairies sing.

                                                                 - from Flower Fairies of Spring by Cicely Mary Barker

snow

We hadn't made it up to the snow before Christmas or even during our holiday break so, since the fluffy stuff seems to be holding back from falling in our fair city this winter, we took a trip up to the mountain last weekend.  Lots of shade (bad light, terrible photographs) and a surprisingly warm day.  Naiya wasn't so much interested in the sledding we had planned but she did enjoy digging a number of holes and sitting in them.  Ah, the pleasures of childhood. 

We told her as we walked down, down, down hill on the trail to Trillium Lake (which we didn't reach) that we weren't going to carry her back up.  That was fine with her, she replied, as she raced ahead of us pulling our little sled loaded with jackets we had shed in the warmth of the afternoon.  Of course, we did end up hauling her back up hill in the sled.  (Read bad parenting.)  Both Ryan and I agreed, however, that this was, by far, the easiest way we have ever had to transport her on a hike she didn't wish to finish. 

joseph wood hill park at dusk

Another find only 20 minutes from our house, Joseph Wood Hill Park is at the top of Rocky Butte in NE Portland.  Ryan and I found this one while looking for a letterbox about a month ago but wanted to take Naiya for a visit ('cause it looks like a castle!)  The night creeps up on us so quickly now we didn't realize it would be dark by the time we got there.  It was still a magical place and we got to look down at the lights of the city as the fog rolled in.

 

the grotto's 25th annual christmas festival of lights

The Grotto: The National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother

 Of all the light displays we visit during the holidays, this is my favorite.  This year marks The Grotto's 25th Annual Festival of Lights.

 We have gone to this festival for a number of years and somehow, the only pictures we ever seem to get of our family of three together are those taken on these exceedingly cold nights.

leach botanical garden

We feel really lucky to be living in Portland.  I'm a transplant here and have enjoyed this city for just over a decade while Ryan has been in or around the area for most of his life.  Amazingly, we keep discovering little gems tucked away in every corner.  The metro area doesn't seem that large but somehow, I still think it's got a lot of secrets to share.  Just this weekend we discovered (only 12 minutes from our house!) Leach Botanical Garden while we were out searching for a letterbox.  This beautiful, 17 acre estate was donated to the city of Portland by John and Lilla Leach.  The Leachs - pioneers, explorers, botanists, artists and scientists extraordinaire - left over 2,000 species of plants here.  Even in late autumn, the gardens are a sight to see and a fun place to explore.