A Little Oregon History

Many of you may have heard about the Oregon Trail; so this is a little history lesson. One of these days I will take some pictures of the actual end of the Oregon Trail. It's where my grandson and daughter live. Right now it is having a big transition. It had a large paper mill right on the river. Originally it was sacred fishing grounds for the Indian nation and now the land has been returned to them. The paper mill is coming down. The governor just had a ceremony to dedicate the land last week. 

Jane Kirkpatrick is a local historic fiction writer that writes most of her stories about the Pacific Northwest. I have a book on my "to be read" pile about women in history along the Oregon coast. I am looking forward to reading it, as I read the first of the two book series several months ago. I didn't realize there would be a second book and I was left hanging; so glad she will finish the story.

Well another place she has written about is Aurora, Oregon; which is very close to Oregon City. Oregon City is the end of the Oregon Trail. Just down the road by covered wagon a religious group settled. It has remained a small town with many antique shops, a few places to eat, and a sweet little museum. Every once in awhile I like to venture there just to browse and have lunch. It's about 30 miles from where I live and right along Pudding Creek. 

"The colony was established by Dr. William Keil, a Prussian‑born tailor, apothecary, and preacher, along with followers from the Bethel Colony in Missouri. Keil had rejected organized religion to create a primitive Christian community based on the Golden Rule and communal living City of Aurora. In 1856, after moving from Willapa Bay, Washington, he purchased a donation land claim on the Pudding River in Marion County, naming the settlement after his daughter, Aurora City of Aurora+1.

The Aurora Colony grew from about 250 settlers who left Bethel, reaching a peak of over 600 people City of Aurora. The community was known for its orchards, crafts, and German traditions, and its members practiced the principle of “From each according to his abilities; to each according to his needs” Old Aurora Colony."  Quote taken from my search online.

Jane Kirkpatrick's trilogy includes: A Clearing in the Wild, A Tendering in the Storm, and A Mending at the Edge. All about Emma, a young woman that settled in Aurora and a part of Dr. Keil's group.

The museum has different events throughout the year. In October they have a quilt show. One year I actually entered a quilt square into a contest and got chosen to be part of a quilt they auctioned off for a fundraiser.  The museum hosts Jane Kirkpatrick occasionally for book promotions too.

Saturday my "live-in gardener" and I went to the White Rabbit Bakery for lunch and a little browsing, but I couldn't help myself; I had to snap a few pictures just for you.

If you ever visit Oregon and you love a bit of history; Aurora, Oregon is definitely a peaceful, pretty place to stop for awhile.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Gardens - Roses and Pansies

 I have been visiting a lot of gardens lately. It is indeed garden season, which is my favorite season. Here is the original rose garden for Portland, Peninsula Park. It is in full bloom now and just gorgeous! The day I was visiting this garden there was a wedding taking place in the gazebo in the background. What a beautiful place for a small, intimate wedding.

It is Rose Festival time in Portland right now. That festival is always centered around rose season and so beautiful.

But sometimes I must just savor what is out my backdoor.

We seem to have a lot of pansies this year.

The birds are certainly enjoying the little bird bath and sunflower seeds.

I was gone over the weekend and the feeder was half empty when we returned.

A Child in a Garden

by Ethel Romig Fuller in Kitchen Sonnets

Once I had just half an hour

To frolic by myself;

Presto! By a lilac bush

I changed into an elf.

I whispered to a ladybird,

"I really am a child!"

But the disbelieving thing

Shrugged it's wings and smiled.

A dusty bumblebee and I

Robbed the honey crocks

Of the Canterbury bells

And the hollyhocks.

And beneath a pansy plant-

A place no grown-up knows-

I pirouetted with an ant

On my elfin toes.

Then down the spice-pink-bordered path

Mother came for me;

The elf became a little girl

Ready for her tea.

This is what I imagine a childhood should be like in the garden.

Happy Spring Garden Days!!!

Sending love,

Marilyn

David Hockney

 On the first Thursday of every month the Portland Art Museum has a free entrance day. Off my "live-in gardener" and I went, as I wanted to see the temporary exhibit of more than 100 pieces of art by David Hockney. 

This was David Hockney sitting in two different chairs viewing bouquets of flowers. Each of those flower pictures also showed up individually around the room.

What a variety of techniques from collage, video, photographic art There were whimsical child like drawings to very intricate personal artwork of friends and lovers. There were scenes from Yosemite, British landscapes, his dog Stanley, flowers, swimming pools, and intimate pictures of people. And then there were paths, which fit in very well with my word for the year (Path/Adventure).

Here is Stanley.

I was enthralled by the different art techniques he so creatively used to express his artistic talents.

And a swimmer for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The museum recently built a new entrance to the museum and added a small French style bistro/restaurant. We stopped there for a bite to eat and a pot of tea. For a little while I felt like I was in Paris. They even served and sold tea and jellies from my favorite teashop in Paris, Mariage Freres. Their baguettes, which they made, were amazingly good.

The park outside the museum was so pleasant to walk through both to and from our car.

Two books completed recently, both about young girls that grow into womanhood in different ethnic lives. One is from Iran and the book is The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali. The other is from China and the book is Teagirl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. This second book was a re-read from several years ago. I read it to refresh my memory for a presentation I am doing at TeaFestPDX the end of June. I really enjoyed both books. 

Now I wrote this post a couple weeks ago and forgot to say "Publish".  The museum exhibit was amazing and the books were too.  Already I want to return to the museum before the David Hockney exhibit leaves the museum.

Sending love,

Marilyn

More Gardens in Springtime

 OK, I know, I keep sharing gardens in my part of the world. I am finding gardens is my thing in springtime for sure, but maybe even in other seasons too.  This post is picture heavy, but enjoy!! I certainly enjoyed snapping pictures and enjoying each cloudy, spring day.

Adelman's Peony Gardens was the goal this week. You know I am always up for an adventure.

I did come home with 6 peony buds, which are now in full bloom in my apartment.

They are perfection and don't really look real, but they are.

But, we found a new garden too. My daughter, Jill, took us to one near her house, the Rare Plant Institute. It has a sale one weekend a year in their greenhouses. The parking lot was full of plant lovers and kids too. The kids may not have been as thrilled, but what an amazing adventure to learn in the garden.

There were several ponds at the top of the hill. Whew! I made it up the hill and was greeted with this beauty. Oh how I love calla lilies.

They also had a vineyard and were doing a wine tasting. In the distance you can see the greenhouses and parking lot.

I don't know what this plant is called, but my daughter took a small one home. I will be watching it grow in her garden now. This is the plant she went for. It was quite spectacular. She is creating a pink and black garden in front of her house. How fun and what a combination of colors. 

We were greeted by this sea of rock garden flowers. Oh how I wished I could bring a bunch of them home, but sadly my little patio is already full.

No matter that only one peony bouquet came home with me, it was a delight to my soul.

What is delighting your soul this week?

Sending love,

Marilyn