TWO GREAT WALKS IN ONE WEEK!

We certainly don't take simple things for granted these days!  Nature walks have always been a pleasure, but now just getting outside and away from home seems like a small miracle.  

We  took advantage of a couple pleasant days last week.   Wednesday (or maybe Tuesday -- they all kind of blend together) Bill and I drove to  Hendricks Park -- a  City Park that is famous (at least here in Eugene)  for its Rhododendron Gardens.   The Park is in the City's South Hills.  The picture below is looking down on the University of Oregon campus from a viewpoint in the park.

 

 

I played around a little with this picture because it was the kind of day where the hills and the sky all kind of blended together.  And I wanted to highlight the way our City is surrounded by hills.    I couldn't stop taking pictures of the beautiful flowers in the park -- here are a couple of them:

 

 

April and May are the best months for these showy flowers.  It was special to visit the Park during the peak season.  (We haven't been home this early in years and couldn't remember when we last visited the Rhododendron Gardens.)  

 

 

 

Most people in this area who garden have at least one Rhodie bush in their yard.  But the Park has varieties I don't ever remember seeing -- and it's beautiful to see so many of them in one place.       

   

 

There is also a Native Plant Garden and I have pictures from there as well as more Rhododendrons for another post.  But today I also want to remember last week's second "expedition" outside of our own neighborhood:               

 

The close-up of pink Dogwood blossoms above and the rest of today's post are from a walk out in the country.  Since we'd been self-isolating for three weeks (plus the time in the car/trailer on the way back to Oregon), our daughter said she thought it would be safe for me to go with her for a walk in the country.  I wore a mask (as both Bill and I did on our walk in the park earlier in the week).  And on this walk, my daughter and I practiced acceptable social distancing.   

 

 

I stayed outside in their yard and snapped pictures while I waited for Cyndi to get ready to go on our walk.   This is another view of their black walnut tree which, on this blog anyway, is becoming as famous as Eugene's rhododendrons.   

 

 

 More flowers from their yard --- wisteria, white tulips, the same Dogwood tree (which is actually in the neighbor's yard at the end of the driveway, but close enough to be in theirs for picture purposes.)   I think the wild growing bleeding heart and the wild iris are from later in the walk. 

 

 

We walked  to Kirk Pond on Fern Ridge Lake and on the paths through the wild area.   Lots of Spring wildflowers ...

 

 -- and  when we got to the Lake I spotted Grebes, Canada Geese (not shown), and this pair of Redhead Ducks.    The lower center picture is Cyndi with  Parker going into what looks like a longer tunnel than it is.  

 

 

It felt more natural to maintain acceptable distance while walking than it did when we talked to the kids from a distance back when we parked the trailer.     And it was even easier to maintain that distance toward the end of this five-mile walk.   I was lagging further behind than absolutely necessary by that time.   

 

 

The last part of the walk was along the top of Fern Ridge Dam and then back to their house (and the car to go home to mine).     We used to spend summers on Fern Ridge Lake but it has been a while since I took a "Dam Walk".    As always I enjoyed it.   

 

I'm so grateful that both these Parks are open -- and that the few other people we saw were also being careful.   And of course I'm always thankful for beautiful Spring days.    

#

 

Thank you to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities, where I'm linking this week:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  MACRO MONDAY ;   NATURE NOTES;    THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;   SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;   and   SATURDAY CRITTERS 

Comments

[DeniseinVA]

What a glorious area! I agree with Cathy. Your photos are cheerful and uplifting. Thank you Sallie!

[MaryBeth Schwartz]

All shots are beautiful but I realy enjoyed the close-up of the Pink Dogwood
MB

[Teresa Cypher]

Oh, your flower photos are lovely. Thank you for sharing. Spring is such a grand season. :-)

[Adam Jones]

Some lovely flowers. I do like the Wisteria.

[EileeninMD]

Hello Sallie,
What a beautiful walk, the blossoms are colorful and gorgeous. Love the Grebe and Ducks. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy weekend. PS, thank you for the visit and comment.

[Monika Ohson]

The blooms are so pretty. I loved the dogwood flowers the most! A walk in nature takes the soul home :) This is the best gift we can give ourselves. Have a happy weekend Sallie

[Debbie]

i don't think any of us will ever take anything for granted ever again. chuck and i keep talking about how life was, how nice it was to go wherever you wanted to, eat out, whenever you wanted to, will it ever be the same??

your images are beautiful today. i am so appreciative for pretty flowers and beautiful blooming trees. as parks open up, the ability to freely go for a walk or ride our bikes!!

the dogwood blooms are gorgeous, i have never seen them clustered that close together!! have a wonderful weekend!!

[Maristella]

Wonderful pictures!

[Sharon Wagner]

The dogwoods are a pink explosion! All of your photos look like greeting cards. Which, I guess they are: a greeting to your blogging friends.

[Michelle Keltner]

Isn't it nice to just get out in nature?! Thank goodness we can still do that. Lovely photos! Thank you for linking up and have a great weekend.

[JM Illinois U.S.A.]

Gorgeous flower photographs. I like how you grouped some images together and others were focused on one thing. You are so fortunate to be able to go to parks and gardens. We are not allowed at the Botanical Gardens in Glencoe, Illinois yet. I truly enjoyed the cyber tour that you presented. Stay safe.

[Elke]

wonderful this posting with all the flowers and the fantastic place!
Have a good Weekend, Elke

[Peter B.]

Beautiful photos. The colors are so vibrant! You’re right, a simple trip out of the house is like a miracle these days!

[Ramblingwoods]

Oh lovely to look at as there is some snow falling here...Michelle

[Iris Flavia]

Beautiful pictures, thank you! Our botanical garden is still closed...

[Sami]

You live in a beautiful city Sallie.The City park is very special, love the Rhododendrons. Have a great week.

[Lady Fi]

I miss my long walks! Lovely shots.

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...I finally got out and walked around with my camera, what a treat. Take care, Sallie.

[Gaelyn]

Two great places to get outside. I haven't seen Rhododendrons bloom in way too many years. The walk with your daughter looks awesome. So many lovely flowers.

[Jeanna]

Only a few people and that they were social distancing seems like a modern day fairy tale and I'm glad you found it. It's also great that you can walk with your daughter, I think that's really important.
So many flowers, and I could name two, maybe. I have three pansies sitting in the window that I'm trying to keep alive. My goal has changed from keeping them alive for one day to a week which will be a new record if reached.
You guys are in such great shape. I did Old Farts shopping today and my hair was sweating which was quite attractive. I ended up with two carts because they only let you use the self check out at 6 am and got myself in a pickle trying to balance everything in the little area at the self check out.
I really like what you did with the flower pics and the dogwood close-up is incredible. Are dogwood blossoms also white?

[craftygreenpoet]

It's always lovely to have a nice walk, specially these days! Lovely selection of rhododendrons you have there too

[Betty Crow]

What a perfect place to get out of the house. Love all the spring flowers. Beautiful!

[riitta k]

Amazing flowering spring Sallie <3 In Finland rhododenrons and azaleas bloom early June, maybe earlier this year as the winter was so mild.

[NatureFootstep]

Glad you had such a beautiful place to visit outdoors. Seems to me it could easily be a whole days walk to look and feel. Love the birds and beautiful flowers of course. :)

[Photo Cache]

I don't think I've seen a pink dogwood before. It's so pretty.

[betty - NZ]

Wow, you sure got a good dose of nature lately! The dogwoods are so gorgeous, I fell in love with them when I lived in GA!
Your photos remind me that our rhodo festivals are coming up in October.
Your photos are really great to see with their cheery colors!

It's great to see you at 'My Corner of the World' this week!

[Teresa]

These are so gorgeous. It's gray and gloomy here in Kentucky today so this was a very welcome post! Come link up with me at http://nanahood.com/wish-list-for-mothers-day-reflections-from-the-kitchen-sink

Have a glorious day!

[Suzan Batz]

What a beautiful place and the Rhodies are gorgeous. I miss seeing them in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. They don't grow well here in the Greater Sacramento Valley..too hot and not moist enough.
Glad you could get out and walk with family..it really boosts the spirit, doesn't it?
It's going to be a lovely day today and the temps are getting warmer. Can't wait to get out there and walk the neighborhood with my Hubby, Dave.
Have a good day
Sue

[Laurie]

Oh, I miss Oregon! Your beautiful photos make me want to come out more than ever. We are supposed to visit our son in Corvallis in June but I doubt if we will be able to. We live in PA.

[Fun60]

Wonderful photos especially the rhodies. It is so good to get out for a walk and a bonus walking with your daughter.

[Elena]

I used to live in the Pacific NW and there were rhododendrons everywhere. I miss it very much!! I never ventured out to Eugene since I went to school locally. My favorite place in Portland to see rhododendrons is the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. I grew up going there with family and then on our wedding day, we went there to shoot photos. It is one of the most serene, beautiful places in Portland

[Diane]

Lovely photos. You are lucky you can drive to somewhere to walk, we are only allowed to walk within a 1 km radius of the house!
Keep well Diane

[mae]

Spring weather and blossoms seem to make it a little easier to stay separated from the world of human activity. Beautiful images!

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

[Linda W.]

Gorgeous flowers! I don't know what I'd do without my walks. I can't walk more than a half mile because of ankle problems, but the time outdoors is so important. On rainy days I feel depressed because there is so much sad news.

I carry a mask with me to wear if I hear someone coming near. I'm glad it is spring, for sure!

[diane]

I'm glad you cannot out and into parks for lovely walks. You ar doings so well. The flowers are just beautiful.

[Veronica Lee]

Your beautiful flower photos made my day, Sallie! I would love to have joined you for your lovely walk!

[ellen b.]

The view of Eugene is special. Love seeing the different varieties of Rhododendrons, so pretty. That Dogwood shot is gorgeous. Dogwood is one of my favorites. Glad you could have a nice long walk with your daughter. We are appreciating time with loved ones so much these days. Glad you are making the most of your earlier time on this side of the states! Happy May to you.

[Dina Johnston]

Beautiful shots! Love the pink dogwood. They were my mom's favorite

[A ShutterBug Explores]

Wonderful 'damn' walk lol ~ beautiful photography of nature that you enjoyed so much ~ am glad you got out and then had family to visit with ~

Be Well,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

[Amy Franks]

Rhododendrons are lovely, we have a tree outside our front door that is only just starting to lose it's leaves now that it's Autumn.

[Pat]

Wow, Sallie! Everything is gorgeously blooming there! I love all the flowers!

Our spring in Colorado was cooler than normal this year and we had a hard freeze, so there isn't that much blooming where I live as yet. Also, the peach trees on the Western Slope of Colorado lost their blossoms with the freeze. So sad there won't be as many Palisade peaches at the end of summer.

[Carol]

I'm in heaven looking at your flowers

[Karen Pixel Posts]

Hi Sallie,

Beautiful blooms! I finally got out for a walk in the woods yesterday after being in for 2 moths!

[Alan Bates]

Having places to go walk sure makes life easier on this isolation. I love all your blooms. I think you are about two weeks behind us.

We don't see too many rhododendrons in public gardens here but people have them in their own gardens where the conditions are right.

Tulsa's Botanic Garden was shut down by the virus precautions. I sure missed it this spring.

[junieper/Jesh]

What a flower feast, Sallie! so, are the first flowers you showed Rhododendrons? They are all quite beautiful. Nature does not know about the virus, haha, so it displays its spring beauty anyways. Happy you had these opportunities. It's strange but nature walks increase the noropenephrines in our body that help us feel good about ourselves and are a safety against depression. Many thanks for sharing this beauty with All Seasons, stay well and happy, Jesh

[Bob Bushell]

Beautiful images, it is great somewhere is open.

[Lavender Dreams]

We had lots of rhododendron and mt laurel in NC and I love seeing it early in the Spring! What gorgeous photos you took of the city! WOW! Well, our state parks opened today so we hit the Florida Trails this morning! It sure felt great to be out and of course all we saw were a few bikes, no other hikers on our trail. Take care and enjoy the Spring. We are having summer weather here early! Hugs!

[Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade]

So many lovely flowers and bushes. I love the yellow rhoddie I'm not sure I've seen one that color before.

[Sherrie]

Hi,
Awesome shots of your walk...thanks for
sharing...Have a great day!

[bill burke]

The flowers are amazingly beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

[Wally Jones]

What a terrific Spring time post, Sallie! Thank you.
The flowers and scenery are absolutely gorgeous!

All the best from your "second home".

[// Heidrun]

Wonderful nature ways for walk. I would like to walk more - but my bone marrow edema in the right hip stops me. I make short walks and short tours with the bycicle.

...stay healthy. Happy MosaicMonday

[Sondra]

Aw lovely flowers! I've never seen the rhodie in Yellow really special! Glad you got to visit your daughter and take that walk good times are made in gentle moments.

[Shiju Sugunan]

Lovely blooms and I like the effects!

[EileeninMD]

Hello, Sallie
What a beautiful walk. the blossoms and plants are all looking beautiful. Gorgeous views. Lovely images and mosaics.
Take care! Enjoy your day, have a happy new week ahead.

[Stevenson Que]

These photos send me so much joy Sallie! All these beautiful flowers, bring so much peace to my heart. the Dogwood blooms are just lovely and just found out that they grow into big trees too! Love it! Thank you so much for sharing Sallie and also thank you for your kind words on my blog and hope so tee you on Timeless Thursdays :)

[Linda P]

Oregon city and surrounding area looks attractive and it was good to see it from the heights as in your first photo. The rhododendrons and the dogwood look beautiful and the black walnut tree magnificent. A stroll along the by Fern Ridge Dam ended your walk well. No wonder you enjoyed your walk.

[Lady Fi]

Fabulous shots of your flowers!

[Penelope Notes]

Beautiful pictures all but I especially like the dark forest tunnel that looks so mysterious. I realize more than ever, what a precious gift it is to have a simple walk with your daughter. In fact, that is just what we were planning in the near future … with masks and distancing, of course.

[Angie]

Sallie - spectacular spring photos. That pink dogwood is mesmerizing. I am so glad for you that you have been able to get together with your daughter. Yes, these are things we will never take for granted again.

The social distance requirement is awkward for me and takes conscious effort. When we were ready to hike the other day, a car pulled up to us and rolled down the window to ask a question. Before I even thought about it, I stepped forward. This is going to be hard.

Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

[Margy]

Wayne and I love to visit Eugene, especially for University of Oregon sports. We enjoy football, basketball and especially softball. The last trip we brought our new RV and stayed at Armitage Regional Park. We think it is a great place to stay. We found a grocery store parking lot and took an Uber to the campus for softball. That was so much easier than trying to find a parking spot near the stadium. We missed all of that this year with our RV still in Arizona and the games cancelled. - Margy

[Cathy Keller]

Just amazingly beautiful floral photos! Thank you for this! Brightened my day! Have a grand week!