Flowers in Spring

The Rhododendron is our state's official flower.  I believe it's probably the most planted shrub on the west side of the mountains and no wonder, because I don't think there are many ornamental shrubs that are more visually stunning than a rhododendron in full bloom.  On this perfect spring day just taking a walk around my own yard was an aesthetic feast of light and colors and texture.  

 

My Cynthia Rhodie is probably close to 20 ft tall.  As I approached it to look at the blossoms all other sounds were drowned out by the hum of hundreds of bees skimming in and out of the  petals. They took no notice of me.  They were much too busy!
 

On the opposite side of the yard, these two towering pinks were cascading over the side fence from the neighbors.  They too were filled with the humming of the bees.  I wonder if they all come from the same hive and how far they have traveled?

 Here's one red peeking over the old fence!

This smaller rhododendron is at the front corner of my house. 

I love yellow flowers and so the lemony colors of these blossoms are some of my favorite.  I was even able to catch a quick shot of a busy little bee before she flitted off.

 

 This is actually an azalea which comes from a similar family of plants and blooms at the same time.  It's growing in the side yard and was almost dead from neglect after my accident.   However, I was able to get outside and give it a lot of TLC last summer, and it has made a wonderful comeback.  I love it's orange sherbet colors and vibrant lime green leaves.

 My Clematis brought a little blue accent into the back yard.

Speaking of blue, on this beautiful day the sky was a perfect backdrop for fluffy white clouds ...

which at the end of the day, reflected a shade of pink that reminded me of the color of spun cotton candy!

Emily Dickinson said it best in her poem, "A Light Exists in Spring."  I think she is right.  It does seem that there is a special light that surrounds the season of Spring.  Everything looks so bright and new as though Nature spruced things up with a fresh coat of paint.  Then, there are those glorious days when everything seems to be perfectly in tune.  For me, this was one of those days. Now the rain has returned and the petals are starting to fall.  The cool colors of spring will slowly transform to the deeper hues of summer.  Autumn is my favorite season but it's hard to remember that on a lovely day in spring.

"The world's favorite season is the spring. 
All things seem possible in May."
-  Edwin Way Teale

Adieu!
 

Mother's Day Weekend

 As part of my Mother's Day celebration our oldest invited The Inspector and me to come along on his father/daughters outing.  Our older granddaughter had told her dad she wanted to go exploring. With that thought in mind, we all headed up to Deception Pass on Whidbey, an island which is about 60-90 minutes north of us.  We crossed Deception Bridge which connects the island to the mainland, and then stopped by the shore at Deception Park   The girls had a great time walking the trail, climbing over driftwood and throwing rocks in the water.

 

When it was time to move on, our next stop was to see the old batteries at Fort Ebey.  Built in 1942, these were part of the old  World War II coastal defense system that have since been turned into state parks.

 

The battery guns looked out over the inlet from this bluff.

From the water side it would have been difficult for any passing ships to detect the bunkers and batteries which were well hidden behind that mound..

Everyone was excited to explore the underground bunkers with their flashlights.

 

By now the girls were starting to tire, so our last stop was to take  a short walk through the little waterfront town of Coupeville.  Even though it is the government seat for Island County it still retains its small town charm.

 It was a fun but tiring day and it was time to head home for a late lunch and to rest up for Sunday.

~~~~~~~

After church on Mother's Day the whole family came together to celebrate all the moms in the family.

 

 My mother was with us too.  As matriarch of the family she has welcomed four children, twelve grandchildren and twenty-six great-grandchildren into the world so far! 

 

My family showered me with flowers!

 

 

None of the men in the family are much on cooking so it was up to little Kora to plan the meal!

We also celebrated our daughter's birthday.  Ava decorated a special cup for her auntie!.

All in all it was a very special weekend filled with all the blessings of family joined together in love and creating memories for the heart. May the Lord richly bless your families wherever they may be.

Adieu!