Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Willamette Valley

Last Thursday and Friday we returned to my homeland to visit my mother and appreciate the beauty of my valley.


On the way to Mom's, we stopped for a picnic lunch at Champoeg State Park on the banks of the Willamette river.
 Trees grow lush on the river banks.
This tree has been designated the Pioneer Tree, because it was prominent when the the first provisional government in Oregon Territory was formed here in 1843.





I'm one of those people who like to try to identify the crops growing in the fields as we drive buy.  It's my up bringing, my heritage.  We passed huge fields of beans, corn, squash, berries, vineyards, grass seed and grains.  But we also found some special treats.

These fields of poppies were on either side of the road.  They are being grown for the seed.  When you buy seeds off the seed racks, chances are they came from Oregon.







 Another big crop in Oregon is Christmas trees.  We found these planting in the hills on the way to Silver Creek falls.
And more flower fields!






One mission I had on this trip was to come home with some right out of the field Willamette Valley berries.



 Whatever is grown here, you can count on there being lots of it!
 The berries were delicious!

7 comments:

  1. I just LOVE your photos, Linda! It looks fantastic, everywhere you go. The colors are spectacular, the fruits look scrumptious!

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  2. Your photos are beautiful. My husband and I drove through this part of the country about four years ago. I think it is one of the most beautiful, lush parts of the country.

    Those poppies and berries are perfect specimens.

    I have to laugh a bit. I think your Everlasting Alliums are not real. I thought they were, but told you they didn't look real. Then I saw them in my gardening catalog today and had to laugh. I do love them. They must really catch your eye when they are in the garden.

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  3. what a fun place to visit, we are now in seattle-redmond area and the weather is nice. drove by tri-cities areas and by yakima to pick up some fresh fruit. nice and cool weather instead of hot was a treat!

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  4. These are wonderful. Those fields so beautiful.

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  5. No doubt it is best I don't see those fields of poppies. They would likely take my breath away, never to return. It only takes one of those gorgeous beauties to make me catch my breath. Imagine what a field of them would do.

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