Sunday, August 22, 2021

Family, Flowers, and Photos

 Saturday was about Family. While Tom met with a 90 year old cousin he had not seen since childhood and his daughter to share family history at my sister's house in Chehalis, my sister Laurie and I took  a little excursion. 

Laurie and her late husband loved to explore back roads so she knows of ways to go places that I have never been on. Our destination was the Columbia River, but via a route over the river and through the woods and over hills and down the dales. Then there was a stop at a pizza shop to pick up our pizza and salads which were ordered on route.

Food in hand, we arrived at Willow Grove Park on the banks of the Columbia to eat and talk, and talk. 


Talking led to more exploring and she drove us west, down river, to the Julia Butler Hanson White Tail Deer Reserve. 


We saw no deer, or any other fauna either, but the flora was lovely and Steamboat Slew was a glassy mirror. 


The upside down trees made for fun photos.


We had a good day together and Tom learned a few stories from his elderly cousin too. 

Next weekend there will be a larger family gathering of my extended family. Tom and I will have a short stay at the Rockaway Beach cabin first, so I thought I'd better dig out my big DSLR camera and see if it still works. I will need it and my tripod to take a family photo and I haven't used it in a long time. My iPhone camera is so much more handy. 

It did need a charged battery. Then I went outside with it to get used to using it again. I took photos. While my iPhone downloads directly to my computer picture files, it took a while to find where my camera flash card photos went. But I persisted.

A few roses are still blooming. 

The garden is kind of rambly now, but there is still color. Phlox
The vegetable garden is mostly a failure, but Marigolds are indomitable. 
Even scrawny sunflowers are pretty. 


Hydrangea Pinky Winky. 
Charlie/Mewdini found me and begged for a snack. 
Tom's greenhouse/shed is newly painted
and the inside is cleaned and ready for cuttings. 
Our Pineapple Lily finally bloomed after many years. We had to take it out of the ground and put it in a pot in a sunny, hot spot. 

Tom's fancy leaf geraniums glow in the shade. They are happier in the cooler weather we are now having. 

Hardy fuchsias survived being cooked and are now blooming well. 



And there you have another l-o-n-g post of family, flowers, and photos. I'm up to speed on my big camera now.


11 comments:

  1. How fun all the colors of blooms and upside down trees. Cooked by the heat is a good description for us living in the desert...by now we've cooled to 90s most days but summer isn't over.

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  2. I love your geraniums and would love to find some different ones. They are so easy to cut and root. I must take care of my new ones.

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  3. Beautiful post. You are sujrrounded by beauty and color.

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  4. Your camera takes wonderful photos, so you are definitely ready for the gathering. Love all the flowers! :-)

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  5. Family is always fun especially when you learn new stories. Loved the reflection shots. So crisp.
    The shed really looks nice with its new coat of paint.

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  6. I like touring back roads. You found some interesting sites. You still have lots of blooms.

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  7. The garden is lovely, and the pineapple lily is especially so. Your drive with your sister sounds wonderful, a great way to see the countryside and spend time with family.

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  8. Great photos of the reflections in the water.
    As always your flowers are gorgeous. That Pineapple Lily is amazing.

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  9. Wonderful photos. Thank you for sharing!

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  10. I’m really impressed. Everything looks so beautiful! I’m so happy for Tom. What a very special time.

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