Flowers

Dahlia Day Out

Did a run with the Mt Hood Miata Club today. Our destination was the Annual Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby, Oregon. We met in the parking lot of a Fred Meyer in Wilsonville that was 3-1/2 miles from our destination as the crow flies or 10 miles as Google would have you go. But our run leader had mapped out a 35 mile loop through some very windy backcountry roads. And amazingly enough, our 17 car caravan didn’t really lose anyone.

We were allotted an hour to take in the beauty before we headed back into town for lunch. I walked all around both fields of flowers of many colors and shapes for about 30 minutes and then found some shade and a soft drink until it was time to go.

No fancy extra driving to get to Backstop Bar and Grill, just 2 quick miles and then a couple circles of the block to find a parking spot. The conversation was and the food was pretty good. I had noticed a sign for the Canby Ferry somewhere on the the drive and decided that I’d see if I could take that on the way home. It is a neat little 6-car affair that crosses the Willamette River. There were only 4 cars and me waiting to take it. Once loaded and moving they came around to collect the $5 fee. Turns out they don’t take plastic and all I had was three whole dollars in my wallet. So I ended up riding for free. But I felt bad and I think on my way down to Klamath Falls this weekend I’ll take the ferry and offer up a ten dollar bill to make up for it.

Canby Ferry

Azaleas?

We have this stunning orange flowered plant right next to our front steps up to the porch. I had no idea what they are, but they look really great as a pop of color. There is actually another plant exactly like it on the other side of the street near the wall that defines the complex’s entrance.

We were sitting on our front porch the other day taking in the nice spring weather when a car that was leaving the complex stopped right across the street. The passenger got out of the car and walked over towards us and asked, “What kind of plant is that?” I replied, “I have no idea, but you might ask our neighbor across the street. She is outside working in her really nice garden right now.”

As he headed over there the woman driving said, “We are out looking for nice flowering plants because we lost a bunch in the ice storm we had.” I told her we did lose a few plants too. “You could always take a picture and Google it.” Turns out the gardening neighbor didn’t know what it was either, so I said, “Let me look it up.” I snapped a photo and image searched it. “Google says it is an azalea, but it doesn’t look like one to me.” Off they drove.

I was basing my negative on the azaleas we had in our yard back in Aiken, my memories of visiting Augusta National and from TV watching the Masters. But later that day I googled, “masters azaleas” and it turns out I was wrong, that flowering bush is in fact an azalea, but it is a mountain azalea which is different from the domesticated ones in our South Carolina yard. Here is a picture that I found on the Golfweek website taken by Michael Madrid of the USA TODAY Network.