Weekly Photo Challenge: Sun

When I saw that the topic was SUN for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, I just had to laugh.  The sun doesn’t come out that often in Oregon, where I live.  And when it does in the middle of the summer, it is way too hot for my lyme infected body.  So I have to stay indoors and keep my body cool.  So I went through my archives today to see what I could come up with.  Hope you ENJOY the show.  As always scroll down to see larger versions of the photos.

This first photo is of a building in downtown Portland, I like the little bit of sunshine popping through the buildings and trees.

A sunny fall day at a local park in Canby, Oregon.

Chris and I were driving on some old country roads early one morning, I just fell in love with the setting of this house (farm). I like the long shadows of the fence.

Sunset in Newport, Oregon.

Steps walking up from Yaquina Head beach to the lighthouse.

A Maarn Dahlia with the sun shining on it.

Sun was shining on these research vessels on the Willamette River in Astoria.

Near sunset in a park in Canby, Oregon.

Jakesprinter SUNDAY POST: Culture

Jake you nearly had me stumped this week because I really didn’t think I had a lot to offer this week … until I told Chris about Jake’s topic of culture.  She thought for a moment and then said agriculture.  We live in the part of Oregon that is known as the Central Willamette Valley.  We are right on the 45th parallel, which is just perfect for a lot of grapes, hops (beer), nuts and flowers.   The 45th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 45 degrees north of the Earth’s equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The 45th parallel north is often called the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole, but the true halfway point is actually 10.1 miles (16.2 kilometres) north of the 45th parallel because the Earth is oblate, that is, it bulges at the equator and is flattened at the poles.  At this latitude the sun is visible for 15 hours, 37 minutes during the summer solstice and 8 hours, 46 minutes during the winter solstice.

When we drive the countryside we see plenty of orchards, nursery and tree farms.  Here are a few photos from some of the agriculture right around where we live.  I hope you ENJOY.  As always scroll down to see larger versions.

Grape vineyard. Wine is a big industry in Oregon.

Hops. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer. Oregon is the second largest hop producer in the United States.

Hazelnut orchard in the winter.

Schreiner’s Iris Gardens is over 75 years old. Their gardens are spectacular. They grow 100s of varieties.

Swan Island Dahlias. Largest dahlia farm in North America. Located in my home town of Canby, Oregon.

Wooden Shoe Tulips farm.

Hazelnut (Filbert) on tree.

Wednesday Song Title Interpretation: Pink

This is my entry for Rois Wednesday Song Title Interpretation:  Pink.  I did it in the format by using a slide show with lots of variety that I do my Theme Tuesday, since I didn’t do one this week.   Since Spring is almost here I thought I would feature all pink flowers of various varieties.  ENJOY the show!

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Hugs and blessings,

Cee

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast

This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge is Contrast.  This is what I have come up with.  Hope you enjoy the show.  As always scroll down for larger photographs.

Black and white photos always makes for a great contrast. Woodenshoe Tulip Festival, Woodburn, Oregon.

Another example of contrasting colors – blue and orange.

Selective color is another great way to show of contrast. This dahlia is called the Bodacious Dahlia at Swan Island Dahlias. The black part is actually red.

Contrasting colors of yellow and purple. I used daffodils as my example because springs is starting to blossom.

Another dahlia tuned to black and white.

An example of big and small…another sort of contrast. Big car, little wagon.

Sunday Post: Pleasure

Pleasure: describes the broad class of mental states that humans experience as positive, enjoyable, or worth seeking. It includes more specific mental states such as happiness, entertainment, enjoyment, the pleasure principle describes pleasure as a positive feedback mechanism.

As inspiration to all of you then post your best article here photo, video, music or writing Tell me how you define PLEASURE..
Happy Sunday Post …..Jakesprinter, see his blog.

Here is my entry for pleasure.  Hope you enjoy the show!  As always, please scroll down to see larger versions.

No doubt omeone will have a pleasurable omelet with these farm fresh eggs!

A rider taking pleasure ride on his bike@

A family, including their dog, having a pleasant day on the Columbia River. Photo taken near Cascade Locks, Oregon.

Windsurfers taking pleasure with the strong winds on the Columbia River near Cascade Locks, Oregon, USA.

Chris takes pleasure in photographing the dahlias at Swan Island Dahlias here in Canby, Oregon, USA. Shes using the Nikkor 18-200 VR lens.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Indulge

The WordPress weekly photo challenge this week is indulge.   For me I have three specific indulgences my lattes, chocolate and Swan Island Dahlia Fields.  So hopefully you will enjoy in some of my indulgences.  I hope you ENJOY the show!  As always scroll down for enlarged photos.

This is my fun Indulgence! My Nikon D80 and Chris’s D60 camera.

Latte from a neighborhood coffee cafe! Awesome!

100% pure chololate!!! I mix this in with Wilton Dark Choloate.

Melted dark chocolate that I used to make coffee bean chocolate bark! Yummy!!

Another bunch of flowers to be sold. Taken this past year at Swan Island Dahlias.

Oppps, I almost had the entire cup. I purposely tried to save the pattern to take this photo!!!

Swan Island Dahlia Field a couple of years ago near sunset. Notice how tall the dahlias get.

Here are some other entries I loved for this week:

• Chris Donner, Mystery Writer
• The Sacred Cave
• 2012 – On The Bench
• Latebloomerbuds
• Joakim /knudsens
• Chronicles of Illusions
• Mae East by Shannon Hadley
• Suburban Misfit
• Digital Catharis
• The Urge to Wander
• Northern Narratives
• Ungemaltes
• A Memory Bliss
• Changeversations
• Stephen Kelly Creative

WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Regret

For this week’s WordPress challenge, I had a hard time coming up with ideas.  I hope I have posted a few things that you might think apply.  ENJOY!!  As always scroll below to see the photos enlarged.

With this snow storm a couple of years ago, Chris and I really regretted getting rid of our shovels and scrapers when we moved here. Our normal snow fall is less than 2 inches. This storm was 18 inches.

This is our side patio and it’s gorgeous. I reget not sitting out and enjoying it enough.

This is in an old pioneer cemetery in Portland, Oregon. The setting of for Daniel Wright’s resting place was among the huge Douglas Fir Trees.

Close up of Daniel Wrights broken headstone. I just thought the plastic rose said it all.

This is the view from my rear view mirror as I leave Swan Island Dahlias. I always regret leaving there. It’s so peace and beautiful.

Here are a few of my favorites for this week.

• Lost In England
• Late Bloomer Buds
• Ruth E Hendricks Photography
• Argentum Chloride
• Fenland Photos
• Creativity Aroused
• Half Note
• Tin Can Trailer
• Kate Hobbs
• Rural Route Runner
• Wake Up and Smell the Lassi
• Shambolic Living
• Abstract Unknown Boy

Flowers Galore

Since it’s been raining for nearly two week now…I need a burst of summer.  So I’m uploading flowers.  Hope you enjoy the show.

Scroll down to see larger versions.

Schreiners Iris Gardens in Brooks, Oregon.

Woodenshoe Tulip Fields, Woodburn, Oregon, USA.

Primroses photographed at a local nursery.

Cherry blossoms, photo taken at Portland’s Japanese Gardens.

Photographer at Swan Island Dahlias, Canby, Oregon.

Wildflowers, daisies.

My life was about survival, not living

This cold, both Chris and I have, is real a nasty one!  We’ve both been coughing and sneezing all week.  This thing is really effecting our lungs.  I’ve been sleeping a lot.  Chris has had to work.  Fortunately she telecommutes and only has to walk to her home office.  But it has really worn her out.   Today, I’m finally starting to feel a little bit better.  I’ve been awake all day (yippee).  And I can actually walk from one room to the other room and not get out of breath or cough for five minutes afterwards.  Anyhow, I’m sure you all know what a bad cold is like.

One thing I did think about yesterday, and don’t really know if I can explain it right.

Yesterday I felt really bad and thought I would die.  Then I felt so guilty because I was complaining about a lousy nasty cold.  Then I realized, that I was actually “healthy” enough to know what it feels like to be alive.  That is a unique feeling for me.  That made me really think about the last 25 years of my life.  I’ve really had to fight just to stay alive.  My life was all about survival, not living.  Now that my Lyme Disease is under control, I’m actually starting to feel alive.  I’m not really sure what I want out of my life yet, but I do know I want to live and feel alive.  That was kind of a real cool feeling.

So I’m going post a couple of my favorite dahlias from Swan Island Dahlias here in Canby, Oregon.  My home away from home in the late summer time.  Dahlias are all time favorite flower.  Hope you enjoy the show!

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Blessings

Cee

It’s the end of the week and I’m out of ideas!

Have you ever had a day where you just didn’t know where to begin with your blog?  I’m having one of those days.  It’s the end of the week and I’m out of ideas.  I’ve worked hard this week and I’m worn out and tired.  I thought of some ideas, but they all seem to hard to think about, write about, or find a photograph or two to go with it.  So I think I’m going to search for a quote and come up with a photo or two from my library that might go with the quote.

“I do not exist to impress the world. I exist to live my life in a way that will make me happy.”
― Richard Bach, Illusions

A couple of photos come to mind when I saw this quote.  Animals who always seem to be happy.  Here are two young alpacas that I took a couple of years ago, when the owners of the alpaca farm let both Chris and I in to photograph them.

The other two photos that I’m thinking off, I took at Swan Island Dahlias.  One of my favorite places in the whole world.  Those of us who get to participate in our passions are truly living a blessed and happy life.