Thursday, June 9, 2011

A quick trip inland

I spotted a huge patch of white off in the distance. "If those are flowers, we're stopping! " And they were! Hoo ha! I subsequently learned that this was a field of meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba), grown for their seeds, which are converted into oil, similar to canola. We subsequently spotted lots of these fields as we traveled around the Willamette Valley, Oregon. ©Carol Leigh
Individual meadowfoam blossoms. Standing downwind of the field, their scent was delicately sweet. ©Carol Leigh
Who lives behind this garden gate? We soon found out as a very nice man invited us in to see his wild and woolly garden. Lucky him — the chickens next door eat all the slugs before they can get to his yard. Brownsville, Oregon. ©Carol Leigh
Glorious rhododendron bush in full bloom, Brownsville, Oregon. ©Carol Leigh
Garden gate, Brownsville, Oregon. ©Carol Leigh
Still a little bit of bloom going on. Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. ©Carol Leigh
Early light, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. ©Carol Leigh
Camping at Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. Woke to the sounds of robins, Steller jays, and flickers. ©Carol Leigh
Beautiful new green leaves on trees at the Oregon Garden in Silverton. ©Carol Leigh
Phlox and rocks at the Oregon Garden. I don't know if these are phlox at all; I just like the sound of "phlox and rocks." ©Carol Leigh
Bicycle in Silverton, Oregon ©Carol Leigh