Barbie

I know a girl
Who’s fair and pretty
She sprinkles hashtags
Like confetti—
Blessed and grateful
Live laugh love
Her heart’s pure gold.
She’s a shimmering dove.

And I look in the mirror
At my dark hair
And at the shadows
Everywhere.
Blessed or unblessed?
Give try share
Heart on my sleeve,
Crafting castles in the air.

The Birds

The Birds

The nightly nightmare from my window could rival the du Maurier short story and Hitchcock film.

Fall Trees

Heavily filtered photo of autumn trees.

Reading the Signs

I love reading the signs in various forms of artwork when I'm walking around Portland, Oregon.

Here's the beautiful "Troubled Hearts Can Heal" mural by Adam Brock Ciresi.



Another piece of art I like a lot is this neon sign with the message, "There's so much beauty it could make you cry," inside Tender Loving Empire.



The signs at WILDFANG change often. I like this message about euphoria that was up this past weekend.



I like this thoughtful quote by Angela Davis at the Blackfish Gallery: "I'm no longer accepting the things I cannot change...I'm changing the things I cannot accept." When I pass it, I always pause and reflect on it.

Mosses and Trees at the Olympic National Park

I was inspired by this one word tweet by @OlympicNP to share a few photos I took at the Olympic National Park last year in July. The park is incredibly beautiful, and I had such fun there with my husband exploring the mossy forests.

Heceta Head Trails

Here are a few photos taken near the Heceta Head Lighthouse trails on the Oregon coast.

Grow your own way

I'm amazed at the directions these trees grew in. These photos were taken last month at the Tryon Creek State Natural Area.

Berry Picking

We went to pick some blueberries, boysenberries, and marionberries at a nearby farm. It was quiet and peaceful. It was nice to have an escape outside. I made a lovely galette with the berries and some fresh apricots.

Late Spring Blooms

Here are a few photographs of flowers taken during my walks.

Oregon Checkerbloom

Raindrops on a Rose

Columbine Flower

Bush Anemone

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Here are a couple of photographs I took at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden this past weekend. It's a lovely place when the flowers are blooming.

Reflections at the Crystal Springs Lake

 

Azaleas

Flowers and A New Leaf

There have been some signs of spring here in Portland though many days have felt as blustery and cold as winter. I brought out my sundresses a month ago, but still have yet to wear them. Today, the sun is peaking out from behind the rain clouds, and I feel like spring is in the air. I'm not quite sure if I'm falling for another one of Mother Nature's tricks or not...

Flowers are blooming all the same. Here are a few recent photos from my walks near home.

A pretty beach strawberry bloom:

A saturated photograph of a little buttercup:

A delicate iris in the park:

A new leaf unfurling in my window garden:

hummingbird

More Photos of Cherry Trees in Bloom

Here are a few more pretty photos of the blooming cherry trees on the waterfront in Portland, Oregon.

Cherry Blossoms on the Waterfront

In Portland, the prettiest time of the year to walk on the waterfront is when the cherry blossoms are blooming in March or April. The trees are gorgeous when they're in bloom.

I wish the city would plant a few new trees each year and eventually cover the entire stretch of the waterfront park. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Trees and Hellebore

Here are a couple of photos from my recent walks around Portland, Oregon.

The first was taken on a misty day in Forest Park.

This second photo of hellebore was taken during a walk near my home.

In the Forest

A couple photos taken along the Macleay trails in Forest Park.