Oh the things you see...

What a glorious Saturday! The weather was such a treat today that it would have been a crime to spend the day indoors. So I woke up this morning with a game plan of taking a stroll around the park near my home. Christian had already gotten up, and left bright and early to head down to the Jersey shore for a weekend of seminars. Although I would have enjoyed the walk with him, my "solo-ness" gave me the chance to take as much time as I felt fit, and to really soak in the morning's environment. As I had planned, I brought along my trusty little camera to aid in documenting what I saw. I have to admit that even I'm impressed with a few of my photos, and that's a rare thing, being that I am my own worst critic.

Because of the sheer volume of photos I took, I felt it best to combine them into collages. Its something new that I'm trying out, and I have to say, that I think I like it. Here's just a handful of the beautiful and colorful flowers I saw today. Spring has sprung and its stunning.

While I was going through my photos I noticed a pattern. I like taking photos of evergreens. Gee, I wonder why. So this collage is just a few of the shots I took, and frankly it feels like home to me!Nature on her very best of behavior today. I passed by many weeping willows, one of my favorites, as they are the first to grow their leaves in the spring, and the last to loose them in the fall. I also saw the home that was carefully built by beaver's teeth. (For those who don't know, Oregon has a beaver on one side of its flag, and the state crest on the other. They're the only state that has two different sides to their flag. See, you learned something every day.) I walked under a train trestle, and although the shadow the bridge cast upon the ground was interesting, upon glancing upward, there was no comparison. This collection of photos I feel are the quirky little things I noticed during my walk today. I passed by not one, but two different sections of sidewalk where tiny little tots had forever immortalized their hand prints in wet cement. There was a softball game just beginning at the far end of the park. I would have to say that all the girls on team where no taller than my waist is high. The gazebo was my goal to reach, as it is at the farthest end of the park. The photo in the bottom right corner is the underside of the roof to the gazebo. (This is one of the photos I'm pleased with.) I wasn't the only one enjoying the shade under this roof. A mother bird had built her nest, and she was simply watching me from her self-made perch. On the way home I took the residential streets, rather than walking back through the park. I passed a house, that always makes me laugh, because to me it looks like it was built with Legos. Finally, just about a block away from my house at the tail end of my three hour hike, I passed by a stone lion (Yes, I thought of you Peter). The weathering of paint I simply found cool looking. Although there was such wonderful sights to behold, I would still have to say that one of the most treasured sights, after a long day, or a long hike, is to set your eyes on your very own home.