Spring has sprung!

The spring flowers are up and adding some lovely color to the gardens right now.  I've been enjoying the new bulbs so much that I've already ordered more of them to plant this fall for next spring.  I also found some cute pansies for the front beds and some hellebores for the somewhat shaded woodland garden under the big maple tree by the pond in the back.  The hellebores, commonly known as Lenten roses, are perennials and said to reseed quite prolifically.  They look graceful and right at home among the salal and ferns.

Carlton Daffodils

Hyacinth

Tulips

Pansies

Hellebores

First Bouquet of the Season

As I was wandering around the garden yesterday, I noticed one lone daffodil bent over from the rains, looking like it needed some company.  I picked it, along with some branches from the red flowering current.  This made for a nice bouquet, and it's not even spring yet!

Winter Growth

 

Japanese plum blossoms are beginning to emerge.

  

Tiny lupine leaves are unfolding.

  

 Bluebells and columbine

  

 Columbine after rainfall

Happy New Year

We enjoyed having some of Ben's camp friends over for New Year's this year.  A few were from out of town, and some were local.  They had a good deal of fun together.

  

   

Lani, Susannah, Emily, Ben, Kitty, Hayden, Tava, Dan

Josh and Aaron 

 

There was much time to relax, talk, and hang out. 

  

They made some beautiful designs with all the pattern blocks. 

  

 

 Susannah and Emily

 

Ta da!

Home Grown Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from the garden!  These are some of our fresh picked carrots and beets that we roasted with olive oil and tarragon and enjoyed for Thanksgiving dinner.  Yum!

Fun with Words

Life is more fun when you play with words!  Wordle is a great way to do this.  I took the words from the little bio on the side of my blog page, and used their program to create this word cloud.

Pumpkin Harvest!

More Pretty Colors

Maple leaves

Cosmos

Swiss Chard

October Colors

We picked the first of our pumpkins from the garden this week.  There are a dozen more still awaiting harvest.  I thought these looked so pretty on the deck in the morning light.  The blueberry bush leaves add some nice colors as well.

Happy Autumn!

Ben at Camp

* Photos thanks to Kitty and Susannah

Camp Adventures

So many people and so much fun...

Playing music

Blake's Seasonal Livin' Talk: "And then to save money on travel, you learn to fly."

Ben and Aaron on the slack line

Ben on the slack line

Field games

Picking blackberries

Talking with camp advisors Truff and Nick

Walking and talking with camp advisor Abbi

Resting and relaxing with friends

Koree and Ben enjoy some down time after the first session of camp

Camp happiness

Camp sleep

* Photos thanks to Koree, Molly, Susannah, Nick, Kitty, & Hannah

Camp!

It's another year of Not Back To School Camp!
 
Waiting for the camp bus

Relaxing at Monroe Park in Eugene

Ben on the bus

Aaron and Ben

Josh and Ben

Emily, Chelsea, Hayden, and Ben

Ben and Emily

Dan and Aaron

Photos thanks to Fiona, Dylan, Susannah, & Jack