THE WEEK THAT WAS ...

It was one of those weeks --  full of the petty little annoyances that seem to come in bunches (my mother always said things come in threes.)   However we word it, I hope we are finished with that run for  little while.    Here's an old but happy picture that cheers me up just by looking at it:   

 

Butterfly Park, Fort Myers, from the archives
(taken in January a couple of years ago)

It would have been a great week to go for a nice long walk or two, but one of the annoyances was a bad head cold.   That coupled with windy and changeable weather kept me indoors.  I was going to post  all archived photos this week (as the one above is).  But this morning we got a taste of early Spring in a text from our daughter.  She said I could share the joy.

 

Oregon morning

I haven't been waking up nearly as early as I used to -- whether here in Florida or when we were in Oregon.   So this Oregon sunrise from Cyndi was a real gift.    

 

 

The first crocus in Cyndi and Jeff's backyard.   We don't see early Spring flowers (or really any typical Spring flowers) here in subtropical SW Florida.  

 

 I do miss the flowers.  But the frequent chilly, rainy February days, not so much.

 

Violets

 

Their violets are remnants from  years ago when our "kids" first bought their home in the country and we too still lived "full-time" in Oregon.  Bill and I  cut our own firewood back then and after one expedition wild violet plants came home on some of our logs.   Cyndi and Jeff were happy to get new plants then (as you do when you buy a home on five acres where the yard had been completely neglected by the previous owner.)  We transplanted the violets, gave them several bunches and planted some in our own flower beds too.  Before long, parts of both our lawns were more violet than grass.   

I'm glad I had those colorful Spring pictures to share because below are the archived ones I was going to share -- pretty much the only color in them is a fluke of photography.  Both mosaics are from last summer's trip to Washington State.

 

 

These pictures are from the Dismal Nitch rest stop near Astoria.     All three are straight out of the camera with no editing (except to put them in the mosaic of course).  I almost always take too many pictures of everything and once in a great while, my camera puts some of them into different shades.  I honestly have no idea how it happens,  but this one time I didn't throw the fakes away, because it was kind of interesting to see some color instead of ... well ... the true dismal gray.  

 

The Lewis and Clark expedition was stuck here in November 1805 by a perfect storm.   

We stop at Dismal Nitch Safety Rest Area whenever we drive that route.   It is always windy and cold, even in the summer.  That and the excerpts from the 1805 expedition journals  make you grateful for warm clothes and transportation fast enough to mean you will never have to spend a week camping out in that kind of weather.

Thank you to Cyndi for all of the cheer from Oregon!  And for the memories.   Grateful for my archives too.  And grateful that the small glitches were solved by Bill before he caught my cold.  (I'm better and sorry that I generously shared the germs.)  

Thank you also to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities:

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS

Comments

[William Kendall]

Beautiful takes!

I have a couple of shots taken within minutes of each other where one view is grey and the other has a blue tint.

[MaryBeth Schwartz]

I just wrote up a long long comment and the touched the wrong something on the keyboard and zip it all disappeared. I said I was glad you were feeling a bit better and told you about working in a green house and plant names etc etc and now I forgot the rest---LOL
About the Valentine swap---it came about 12-15 yrs ago. A gal from Missouri I met on MaryJanes Farm (google that) and we became cyber friends--not unlike you and me. Anyway she started the swap and we did around 45 valentines that year. Well she kept it up every year and it is still fun to do only now we are down to about 9 participants but still fun. Her name is Sue Neitzal and she is on FB now. So maybe you can catch her there---and if we remember next year I can forward her Valentine message.
MB

[Pete]

Glad you are feeling better.Per old Euell. Your violet s
Will cure all your ills. Yes many parts are Edible
Love
Pete

[EileeninMD]

Hello Sallie, I hope you are well. I love your beautiful butterfly and the flowers. Gorgeous views and scenery. Lovely post and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend.

[Gattina]

We have such an awful weather since weeks rain, storm, cold, we had to stay inside. My husband doesn't bother, he never even in summer likes to go out or sit in the garden, but I feel like a prisoner ! Fortunately I have my friends who feel the same !

[riitta k]

Early signs of spring are so welcomed! I wish you feel better soon! Happy Valentine's Day!

[Peter B.]

Sounds like your camera has a mind of its own! Ha, what a name... Dismal Nitch. Beautiful sunrise photo that your daughter took. Have a nice weekend!

[DeniseinVA]

Hi Sallie, sorry to hear you have been having one of those weeks, and that you have a bad head cold. I hope you feel better real soon. Your photos are very uplifting, including the gorgeous sunrise from your daughter, a gift that also makes me smile. Also the Dismal Nitch was very interesting. Never heard of that before. Take good care of yourself and wishing you good health and happy days.

[Lavender Dreams]

I sure hope you are both feeling much better now. The pollen is so bad here already that it feels a bit like having a cold. I have cough drops with me at all times! Love those neat colors in the photos. I hate to delete any pics any more....you never know what you'll want them for. If one is completely out of focus, I say I can put a quote on it! haha! Hugs!

[Beth]

thank you for the comment, Sallie ...so sweet of you. oh good, i accidentally hit a wrong button, thank goodness nothing was lost. i wipe my brow with relief. great views. what fun. i will look around your blog. hope your 2020 is going well. have a great rest of your week. this one flew by so. take care. ( ;

[Michelle Keltner]

My parents live in Florida and many times, especially in winter, I wished I lived there! I always enjoy their weather when I visit. Thanks for linking up.

[Jim, Sydney, Australia]

Beautiful.

[Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade]

Oregon is beautiful but so is Florida. I do love crocus flowers. I haven't seen any in a long time.
Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

[Suzan Batz]

It seems this week was not so much fun for many of us...I wonder why that is???
Love your Spring archived photos.
Better days ahead for all of us!!!
Sue of photowannabe

[Jeanna]

I had to take another look at your butterfly picture after a morning of listening to the weather personalities talking about "bitter cold" and such. Very cheery, thanks for that.

[Sami]

Beautiful photos Sallie, love the butterfly and the crocus flowers as well as the sunset photo :)

[diane]

Sorry to hear that you have had a bad week. I hope you are feeling better by now. Dismal Nitch. What a name ! It does look pretty dismal weather. Hope you are having good weather in Florida.We have had rain for a few weeks, which is good and bad. It has put out all the fires on the east coast but it has caused flooding in some places. Some poor people survived the fires to be ruined by flood.The farmers are all smiling. The animals are all frisky. We are lucky not to get flooded here. the forest next door has turned green.The wallabies are hard to see in the long grass.

[Gaelyn]

Truly not fun to be under the weather, in either sense. The butterfly photo is a real pick-me-up. So would spring flowers that I'm waiting for in the desert when they're happening in OR. Violets are one of my favorites and I won't see those in the desert. November can be especially 'dismal' along the PNW coast from my limited experience.

[Marie]

I love purple flowers! I don't get to see them up close & personal because I'm allergic to bees & so is my son. It's a bummer. The colors are so brilliant. Thank you for sharing & have a wonderful day!

[Jim]

Great post.

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...it looks like you have a wonderful week wherever you are! Thanks for checking in.

[My Corner of the World]

I guess we can't feel good all the time, but I do hope you guys are better soon. Photos always make me feel better and yours are so diverse and lovely to see :)

I'm so glad to see you at 'My Corner of the World' this week!
My Corner of the World

[Penelope Notes]

Haha … I’ve no doubt there is no one Bill would rather get his cold from than you. More violets than grass sounds fantastic! Oregon and BC share similar weather and I have to say that today feels a lot like spring.

[Lydia C. Lee]

Lovely pics! I too am in the dumps a bit mood wise, but as I also have a head cold, I think it's in part that I can't exercise properly - trying too but without the cardio and I think that's th bit that pumps the endorphins in...

[Stevenson Que]

Hello Sallie, I am very happy to see you on my blog! Thank you so much for sharing these photos of beautiful colors, the butterfly, the sunset, the vibrant flowers. I always here great things from my older brother about Oregon and how beautiful it is, now your pictures make it more visual for me as to how colorful the state it. Wishing you all the best and a great rest of the week ahead!

Stevenson

[Heidrun]

A wonderful butterfly... I'm painting them. You can find my Aquarell here, if you like

https://happy-hour-with-picts.blogspot.com/2020/01/monatsruckblick.html?m=1

Heidrun xxx

[Fun60]

I would miss the seasons if I lived in a tropical area. Crocuses bring so much colour after the greys of winter. Take care and I hope you have a good week.

[Jutta Kupke]

Wonderful shots of nature!
I think, spring is coming now ,
Greetings from germany
https://tag-nacht-gedanken.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-starlings-are-back.html

[Linda Walcroft]

I like seeing crocus. Thanks for the interesting story of Dismal Nitch.

[Photo Cache]

I'm sorry you had one of those weeks. I know that too well. I've had that way too often recently :)

[Alan Bates]

I would be proud to have your archives!! Great photos, I loved the story about the violets.

As a kid living in the White Mountains of Arizona we heated the house with a fireplace. We would work all summer long and have a mountain of wood, or so it seemed, and it lasted a month. So the rest of the long summer, my brother and I hauled sawed, split, and stacked wood like crazy.

I still hate fireplaces.

[Amy Franks]

Sorry you're not feeling well, having a winter cold bites, hope you get better soon.

[Jeanna]

I love that name, and the fact that it really is dismal is pretty funny. Don't you love it when things say what they actually are. I'm Jonesin' for spring but it was another sunny day after a real snowfall so everything looks pretty except the car which gets dirty seconds after driving it out of the car wash. Who knows why I bother, OCD perhaps.
Violets are wonderful little flowers.
Hope your cold is getting better, but maybe sleeping post sunrise is a good thing.

[Romina, adelaide]

One of my fave color is purple, its a beautiful flower. Thanks for sharing those lovely photos.

[Alycia Clicks]

So Beautiful!! Hope you are feeling better soon!!

[gillena]

My oh my the crocus photo is my favourite. Happy Monday

Much💝love

[MaryBeth Schwartz]

I enjoy seeing the early Spring flowers. Our Crocus are blooming also---I do like them. Not always dismal and gray here----why right now the sun is shining and the sky is Washington Blue
MB
MB

[A ShutterBug Explores]

Beautiful photography and lovely variety ~ Violets are always wonderful ~ glad you and your children shared the wealth ~

Hope you are feeling better ~ tis the season, I guess ~

[Debbie]

i am in the same situation as you are, sick and home!! often when i get sick, i get the shingles, that happened this time, i am not in my happiest place!!

your pictures are really pretty, if i had the energy to go outside, i may find my crocus in bloom. the butterfly is gorgeous, i have so many in chrysalis in my garage, i can't wait for spring to watch them evolve and to set them free!!

the sunrise is so pretty!!

[Junieper/Jesh StG]

Wow, these crocusses are real beauties! Have to smile about the choice of your camera - our technology is a constant thing we need to keep up with, eh? Hopefully the weather gets better soon for your daily walks! Many thanks for sharing these views with All Seasons and have a better-weather week!

[Jennifer Jilks]

Sharing, in sickness and health!
What a name for this place.

[Diane]

Beautiful photos, the flowers are much the same as we have here. Happy week, Diane

[EileeninMD]

Hello, Sallie,

The Monarch is beautiful, love the sunrise and lovely crocus.
I hope you are feeling better. Lovely scenes and photos. Enjoy your day, wishing you a great new week!

[Linda P]

Sorry to hear about your miserable colds and I hope you and your husband soon recover so that you can enjoy some time out-and-about again. You've included some beautiful photos and information in your blog post and the Spring flowers and the sunrise lift the spirits.

[Bob Bushell]

Beautiful images, Crocus, Monarch butterfly and all landscapes.

[Hazel]

Lovely Spring pictures, plus more with fascinating info!
I hope you are both feeling better by now.

[Annie]

I'm so sorry for you and Bill ! A cold is "a little thing" but so disagreeable !
Here too, we saw the first spring flowers and it's always a great joy : pink daisies and yellow primroses. I'm waiting now for violets. Have a nice day.

[Shiju Sugunan]

Beautiful captures!

[Veronica Lee]

Love your gorgeous captures of the butterfly and flowers.

Happy Monday, Sallie!

[riitta k]

What a gorgeous butterfly & small spring flowers <3 Wishing happy MM.

[Lady Fi]

Hope you and Bill are now feeling a lot better! And that you can venture out into some tropical warmth!

[ellen b.]

Glad you are better and have nice friends and family to send you cheer. Hoping this 2nd week of February is a kind one to you and yours.

[Angie]

Sallie - we ARE on the same page this week! Drawing from the archives for some color and joy. Injecting a little spring into our days, even if it means borrowing it from someone else! Thanks for sharing these photos (and the story of Dismal Nitch) with everyone at Mosaic Monday! (And I am glad you are feeling better.)

[Nan]

I love violets. They were my wedding flowers. When we bought this house, we were told by the owner that there were "English" violets in the lawn given to her mother by a friend in England. There is a section of our lawn that is as you said more violets than lawn. Beautiful flowers. Sorry you were sick. Why do you think you sleep later than you used to?

[Sondra]

Sorry you had a cold it has been a bad winter for colds and flu. The photos are great I had 2 crocus come up and Annie decided she needed to lay down on them...I should move them to a more secluded location. Yes, and yet why is it good things don't come in 3's I wonder about that! Have a great week.

[Mary Jo]

What a sweet post. Cyndi's Spring must be a little ahead of Seattle, but not by a whole lot. Take care.

[Carol]

Love your spring flowers - one of the things I miss from up north. I don't miss the weather however.

[Su-sieee! Mac]

I love the bold colors of the monarch and the crocus (hmmm, that would make a good title for something -- The Crocus and the Monarch). I'm smiling.
I'm glad you shared the violets today, Sallie. I've put them on my list of plants I want to try around the house this year. Thinking about playing in the dirt outside is getting me happy. :-) Hope the cold is totally gone. Big warm hugs to you.

[Cathy Keller]

Some really beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing! Wishing you well!