Saturday Rain Break

While Friday afternoon turned sunny and warm, and we were able to work outside, Saturday's forecast of wind and rain storms all day had me restless and experiencing cabin fever. 

Then suddenly it cleared off, and checking Weather Underground, I saw that we had an opportunity window to get out before the next front rolled through. It was about 10:00 when I said, "Let's go!" and we drove over to the nearby Highline Botanical Garden. 

Red Flowering Currant (Ribes Sanguineum) in the parking lot. 

 Beautiful rusty metal entry gates. 

 So much stuff erupting from the soil this time of the year. 

 Temporary pond, created by the heavy rain of last night and this morning. 

 The water is turned off in the stream bed during the winter. 

 Hellebore hang their heads, and are past their prime, but are still lovely.  

New growth green lights up in the sun. 

 Color contrast with red new growth of astilbe. 

 Japanese maple tree flowers.

 Rodgersia popping up. 

 Double hellebore

Pretty blue Pulmonaria

 May apple emerges like butterfly wings, slowly opening their umbrella like leaves. 

 The pond

 The shady, woodland path

 Hosta emerging

 Trillium

 Erythronium, a lovely little lily family, commonly called Fawn lily or, in mountain meadows, avalanche lilies. 

 Lots more of our native trillium.

 Towering rhododendron. 

Fern fiddle heads emerging. 

 Worth the whole trip, Elda's big red trillium. Elda Behm's Paradise Garden was the inspiration for this garden when her home and garden were going to be wiped out by the third runway addition to the Seattle-Tacoma airport. Volunteers moved many of her plants and started this garden, which is now supported by the City of SeaTac. 

 Hosta spikes poking up. 

 Magnolia

 A green haze is appearing on the deciduous trees and shrubs. 

 I'm afraid these walkers are going to get wet. The clouds are moving in. 

 

 Quince

 Service Berry tree (Amelanchier)

 We were headed to the Japanese garden when the first rain drops fell. We could tell from the darkened sky that it was going to pour, and it was going to last, so we scurried back to the car. 

 And now, two hours later, it is still raining, and it might get very windy before the day is done. We'll  have to enjoy our garden from the inside.

But at least we got a chance to stretch our legs. That's about all we need today. We are tired from walking everyday and working in the yard. 

I'll be happy now to stay home. And I got to play with pictures!