Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Black and White Wednesday ~ Rock Garden



We visited a local rock garden today ~ It was a bit run down, but very entertaining. Rasmus Petersen, a Danish immigrant who settled in Central Oregon in the early 1900's, began constructing the garden in 1935 using rocks he found within an 85 mile radius of his family home. Petersen constructed detailed miniature castles, churches, small buildings and monuments from a large variety of rock types. He also incorporated other design elements such as bridges, lily ponds, fountains and natural landscaping. Petersen worked on the garden until his death in 1952. The garden has remained in his family's care since then and is considered a roadside attraction with novelty architecture. A visitor will also meet plenty of roaming peafowl and enjoy a museum with a gift shop that sells rocks.


Here are a few shots in black and white. I loved how the run down place was settled into the the farmland around it, that these fancy buildings seemed to rise out of the dust....and that they have stood their ground. For years!











My Memory Art


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Crystal Clear







Hidden in the forest, the mountain stream rushes along - 
her water is crystal clear.
Happy to walk along the gorge she has carved,
listen to her ramblings
and get lost in the renewal and the refreshment she offers.

{Rogue River Gorge, OR}

Linking up with
and
Communal Gloabal with

Monday, July 29, 2013

River Boat "Cruise"


Dad, Mom and the 'original' four!


Brothers...waiting in line to get on the boat.


Cousins. Also waiting.


Beautiful day for a boat ride down the Rogue River...


...until the smoke from some forest fires invaded our space.


I guess it added a bit to the drama of the ride. Especially down river as it turned into a canyon.
{This was the place where The River Wild was filmed!}


The ride was fun - fast and crazy at times...with lots of water splashing and hair blowing all over the place!


Back out of the smoke...cruising along.


Family reunion on the river in Grants Pass Oregon!


Linking up with
Project 52

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Sunrise Over the Valley






Light. Warmth. Hope. Change. Possibility.
I love my cool, quiet Oregon mornings.
The sun rises, the sky stretches on forever...
Pieces of my heart melt,
my prayers of letting go find their answer
and a smile returns to this face.


Linking up with Kathy for this Sunday's
Song-ography
"Here Comes the Sun"

Friday, July 26, 2013

Sunrise & Superbells








I was awake before the sun this morning.
So I went outside on my favorite deck and watched the 
early morning light play with the flowers.
These flowers, I'm told, are called Superbells.
And that they are - super belle!

Perfect for my first day in Oregon.


Linking up with

Six Word Fridays ~ Self Control


As the sun sets over the
valley, and the first day of
our vacation comes to an end,


we were serenaded by the hummingbirds,


and met the handsome "pet" deer.

{what, you ask, does any of 
this have to do with self
control? ...well, I took more than
100 photos today...only sharing three!}


My Memory Art


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Black and White Wednesday - On Being the Light


"Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life,
the evening beam that smiles the clouds away,
and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray."
Lord Byron



My Memory Art

Monday, July 22, 2013

A Pair of Old Ducks



The last time my husband and I went 'home' to Oregon, just the two of us, I was pregnant with my daughter.
That was Christmas, 1986.
There have been close to thirty trips since then....all of them as a family of three or four. Almost all of them in the summer. There were many years we traveled all the way from Europe...those were the days of TWA, hours in the St. Louis airport (I think I could still draw a floor plan of that place) and crazy car rides back over the mountain with Grandma and Grandpa. Our trips to Oregon have always been a dream come true for our kids and a great oasis of rest, love and care for me!

On Saturday night I cried a bit at the end of a movie. Not unusual for me....but it had been a while. I gathered myself with a trip to the ladies...and said good-bye to my daughter and her husband who had been hanging out with us for the evening. And then...oh my! When they left the flood gates just opened and the tears started to flow. Not shaking sobbing tears, just silent steady tears. When my husband asked what was wrong I said....I don't really know. I guess I just haven't cried in a while.

{You can imagine how much sense that made to him!!?!}

So I sat with my feelings and let the tears come....my heart was just aching a bit, I guess. Not aching over what is, but over what will never be the same again. And that's a very odd kind of ache. Because what is - well we're good. My husband and I are a happy pair of ol' ducks. And our kids are busy with their lives...as twenty-somethings should be! We will travel this week, see family...rest and enjoy beautiful Oregon. And the now, the what is, will be just as wonderful as it always is when we're there. But, I've got to be honest.... in spite of all this good, there will some pieces missing. 

And the tacky post cards I send my kids will say, "Wish you were here."


Linking up with
and
Special thanks to Tracey @ Haiku Do You for her Antique Postcard texture

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Up on the Roof


"When this old world starts a getting me down,
and people are just too much for me to face,
I'll climb way up to the top of the stairs
and all my cares just drift right into space.
Oh the roof it's as peaceful as can be
and there the world below don't bother me."

As a young child I had a secret place on the side of a hill that would hide me
when I needed to slip away.
In the spring and summer it was covered in honey suckle 
and I'd climb behind the bush,
up on a big rock...
I'd get lost in the sweet scent of the flower,
drink it's nectar
and dream my dreams.

As I got older, it was my big bedroom window that provided escape.
I'd climb out my window
and spend hours on the flat garage roof.
Reading,
talking to myself,
listening to the birds...
and dreaming.
Always dreaming.



Joining Kathy for

Friday, July 19, 2013

My Oregon Adventure....



...begins next week!!


There will be breathtaking scenery...


...just like this...


...outside the car window wherever I go!


{even if it's just to Lowe's!}


The air will hold the scents of sage...


...and juniper...


...and I will {yet again} be held captive by Oregon's magic spell!


Linking up with week three of this summer's