Easter Sunday 2018

That April fool was messing with us Sunday morning, greeting us with an unpredictable weather forecast that kept changing. Would it rain on my morning walk? Would it be a wet egg hunt later, after dinner?  He kept us guessing.

While many people go to church on Easter Sunday, in my more recent years I have turned to my pagan roots and honor the goddess Eostre, for whom the holiday is named. No, that doesn't mean I worship pagan gods, but just that if I find anything sacred, it is nature, and Easter means spring awakening and new life. On Easter Sunday I go in search for signs of that awakening. 

We are fortunate here in the coastal Pacific Northwest that spring arrives when the calendar says it does, and while spring is long and chilly and unsettled, it does burst forth. Easter was early this year, and spring has had a setback or two, but it is happening. And so I set out on my Easter morning walk, letting Tom come with me but only under the condition that he could not talk  about politics or anything practical, but just pay attention to our surroundings. 

A chilly wind was blowing and it was spitting rain, but only a tease, as we walked down hill to Crystal Springs Park.

The greening was happening.

Skunk cabbage in a swampy area. 

Colt's foot and myrtle. 

Henbit, a form of Lamium.

 Oregon grape - Mahonia aquafolium

The springs at Crystal Springs

 The pretty pink salmon berry blooms wouldn't hold still in the breeze.

Trillium, commonly called Wake Robin. 

 Big leaf maple leaf bud ready to pop. 

 Licorice fern grows on tree trunks.

 Indian plum

 Big leaf maple flowers

 Walking up hill through the neighborhood, passing nodding daffodils. 

 And flowering cherry trees. 

 This house and car just looked like Easter. 

In Crestview Park, where we walk almost every day, the cherries have opened this week. 

 Native red flowering currant - Ribes sanguineum 

 Native dogwood

We walked at a more leisurely pace, partly because much of it was uphill, but also to stop and take photos and enjoy what we were seeing.  We walked about 3.3 miles before arriving back home. It was peaceful and  refreshing.

Then it was time to shower and get ready to go to gather with the family for Easter dinner. 

Fresh berries ready to top the dessert.

 The happy eaters, interrupted for a photo. 

That April Fool had teased us about the weather, but by the time Easter Bunny Jake had hidden eggs all over the yard, the sun was shining and the grass was dry and the gang was ready for the hunt. 

 Eggs counted, we were sent out to find more. 

 And upon opening our eggs, we found a few April Fool surprises. I thought of Charley Brown when I opened this one. 

 Tom got a softer surprise. 

 Irene, who found the most eggs, also got the most foolery, including the slug. Fortunately it wasn't a real one. 

 There was good stuff too. 

 And after all of that fun, of course there was dessert: fruit pizza and key lime pie. 

It was a delicious day.