Bundled up and under cover

In most of the country, Memorial Day represents the first day of summer. People barbecue and celebrate the warm weather. Here we get ready to enter what we lovingly refer to as Juneuary. Bundled in jackets with hands in pockets we huddle against the cold rain and even possibly remember the service people who gave their lives for their country.

Hydrangea closeup

I hope you’re not getting tired of flower closeups. While my recovery from foot surgery is progressing faster than expected, I’m still limited in mobility. The dreary and wet weather isn’t helping my motivation.

Anyway, here’s a Mophead hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla). It’s the hydrangea you’ll see in most northwest gardens.

Raindrops on Purple Smoke Bush

It’s been raining steadily for a couple of days. While the rain may not be appealing to the Memorial Day vacationers who have come to town, it has left the garden covered in millions of tiny round jewels. Here, they’re hanging from the buds of a Smoke Bush, (Cotinus coggygria ‘Purpurea’).

Make sure to visit Lisa’s Chaos for Macro Monday.

Crow harassing a Red-tailed Hawk

With open fields down the hill from us we get frequent views of raptors, mostly Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles. Crows love to pester both of the hunters. Sometimes this happens close enough to get a viewable photo.

A field of Shasta Daisies

Shasta daisies grow wild in this area, often filling whole fields. They’re easy to grow, require little or no care and are wonderfully cheerful. Don’t cut them and bring them inside. I made that mistake once. They have a distinctly unpleasant odor.

Cows eating in Beaver Valley

I believe these cows belong to the Bishop Dairy. They can often be seen grazing in the fields near the corner of Beaver Valley and Egg and I roads. The dairy sells milk to Organic Dairy.

The odd colors and texture come from my having too much time to play around with Photoshop, adding texture and gradient layers. As I recover from my foot surgery, I should be able to spend more time photographing and less on post processing.

Wooden Boat Foundation's Chandlery

According to WiseGeek.com: “Rising out of historical necessity, a chandlery was a store that sold nautical parts, gear, and other commodities to sea-bound vessels.” The Wooden Boat Foundation’s Chandlery  does have nautical geer along with nautical oriented books, clothing and gifts. All this is housed in the Northwest Maritime Center at the East end of Water Street.