The girls and I just rolled in from a lovely trip to Oregon, spending time with my aunt, who answers to the nickname “Aunt Lilac” when her great nieces are around.
Aunt Lilac and Uncle Bishop hosted us for a whole week, not only feeding us well, but also feeding my camera well! Shutterbugs cannot go hungry in Oregon; we feasted on many breathtaking sites.
Site One: The Bishop’s Close Elk Rock Garden in Portland. If you’ve been reading my blog a while, yes, this is the same magical garden I listed two years ago as #2 on my 8 Things We Love about Oregon post. We still love it!
Won’t you stroll along with us?
Fallen petals from the blooming magnolias blanket the path like over-grown snowflakes.
All the trees — not just the magnolias — seem magically magnificent in this garden.
From a distance, the buds on the camellias look like peonies. But up close, the delicate petals reveal their own enchanting beauty, reminding us of pink tissue paper.
The little sister delights in gathering fistfuls of petals and dropping them into the water near this little corner bench. I try to take a picture of her in action. She’s a water-lover, as I’ve mentioned before, and is quite enthralled with everything watery. Well, that is until she accidentally puts her foot — brand new shoe, sock and all — right into the water.
Sometimes shutterbugs must surrender the camera, console the soggy, and inspect shoes for stray salamanders.
Thankfully, Uncle Bishop knows just how to lift a little girl’s spirits, and he warms her bare toes in the pocket of his fleece jacket.
So the stroll through the Bishop’s Close ends happily after all.
Starlight Writer 