Flower Gardens near Salem, June 5, '08

Sit back and prepare for a visual feast! Yesterday I took my friend Colleen to the Addlemans Peony Gardens and the Shriners Iris Gardens near Brooks, OR. The rain didn't stop us, and I had a delightful time taking pictures under an umbrella.



Look at the size and color of these blooms!




























































While looking at this picture, my daughter Kristin said she expected a little fairy to pop out.













Nature's paintbrush!













The Iris Gardens had a large variety of flowers.




Like I said, the rain didn't stop us :). We almost had the whole garden to outselves!














It doesn't get prettier than this
...peonies mixed with
columbines






























There was an amazing variety of irises.















This is called a Fringe Tree.
























Lupin







Oriental Poppies























Pink Dogwood
















More Lupin





























Columbines are one of my favorites.





More poppies































Delphinium






































This was one of my favorite irises.






























This was a gorgeous peony.















Buckets of irises for sale made a beautiful display.

Megan, Andy and Jesse Come to Visit

It was such a treat to have our kids come visit!

















How can you get enough of your grandchildren?




















Jesse's Auntie Kristin could not get enough of him, either!
















A happy boy!













So many different faces....





































Worn out...


More poses...


















Just too cute!

Trip to Lincoln City

Kristin, Megan, Andy, Jesse and I enjoyed a trip to Lincoln City and Siletz Bay. It was Jesse's first trip to the beach.

We drove down on the beach at one of our favorite spots. For those of you who still like to drive on the beach, turn right on 15th street in Lincoln City :).

It was windy, so I stayed in the car with Jesse.





Jesse's cute beach hat











Siletz Bay



One of our favorite places to eat...right on Siletz Bay







View from Mo's

Trip to Grandma Griffin's

Megan was very excited to see her Grandma, and her Grandma got to meet Jesse for the first time.










We had a family dinner
and I caught this shot of Bev with Jesse



The next morning Mom cooked us all a big breakfast
of pancakes and bacon (can't you just smell it?!).











Looking back at Bay City from the Oyster Plant...



Fog on the Bay

Trip to Cape Meares

Megan, Jesse, Mom and I rode out to Cape Meares to show Megan the Big Spruce, while Bill and Andy went with Terry and Chris to cut a couple loads of wood for Mom.

A fellow hiker offered to take our picture.

On the trail...



We introduce our posterity
to nature as early as we
can :).













I know...you've seen this stump before, but everyone has to have their turn.
Teeming with life...

















Fiddleheads

False Lily of the Valley


Salal











Wartberry Fairybell










Mountain 4 O'Clock


Fringe Cups (I love the Field Guides that Bill picks up for me at Good Will :)














Of course, the highlight of the trip is the "Big Spruce"

Mom's Flowers

Anyone who has seen Mom's flowers knows how beautiful they are, how much she takes care of them, and how much joy they bring to everyone. These are some of the highlights of her spring garden.

Dad won this beautiful pink Azalea.


Mom gave this Siberian Iris to her mother on Mother's day
when Mom was in grade school. Mom brought some of
the bulbs with her from Logsdon, OR.









This beauty flourishes against the bricks of the fireplace.



Oriental Poppy











The flowerbeds along Mom's front yard look like delicate bouquets.




Bleeding Hearts








Dutch Iris