Oregon spring

This is the time of year I always discover that the batteries in my cameras are dead. Ironically, MY batteries seem to come alive. So, yesterday the camera batteries were recharged and Rusti and I set off to capture a little bit of the beauty of an Oregon spring day. First, a few shots taken at Commonwealth Lake Park in Beaverton.

This park used to be just a small man-made lake surrounded by grass and an upper middle-class neighborhood. It was always a fun place to go because of the mile-long trail around the lake and the hundreds of ducks, geese and other waterfowl that lived there. If you brought any type of food, you'd have a whole lot of company following you around the lake. Over the last several years, the park has been "naturalized" with indigenous plants, trees, and a marshy area. The birds just love it. I know this because I asked a couple of ducks. They aren't too crazy about the new "don't feed the birds" rule though.

Here's one of the many new duck moms (taking a well-deserved nap) and her pile of children. The ducklings were so tangled up with one another that it was hard to tell where one stopped and another began. Come to think of it, maybe it was just ONE duckling with many heads.

 

Here is Daddy Duck hiding out from Mom and the kids, wondering why he ever got married.

This is my favorite photo of the day, a very regal looking Blue Heron.

This morning I took a walk with my camera around our yard in Salem. Unfortunately, we have no ducks, but we do have some very colorful flowers.

We have a lot more color to look forward to when the rhododendrons and roses come into bloom.

Rusti has started a small herb garden with a packet of mixed herb seeds. It's growing nicely but of course we don't have any idea what's what. I suppose we'll look for recipes that call for a handful of mixed herbs, without any concern for what kind of herbs they are. Could make for some interesting dishes.

See you soon!