On the trails

I grew up on a dairy farm. One of our summer jobs was to go out in the afternoon into the fields, round up the cows and herd them down to the milking barn. It was always a bit of mayhem at first - shouting certain "code" words at the cows and the dog. Running and circling the herd to get them moving onto the trails heading back down to the farm. Amazingly once they were rounded up and moving in the right direction, the cows would just sort of line up and follow the same well worn paths back to the barns.
When I take my "cow like" dogs to the park, even our beloved Byrd Park back in Richmond, they run around & play, chew their grass and take the same well worn trails. Here are some shots of their new park & the trails..as you can see all the dogs follow the same trails. And they don't usually follow their owners, the pups are totally running ahead, following their noses in search of new scents, butterflies and an occasional small critter.

Cow Dogs

Oops, missed yesterday's post about the dogs as per requested. My day totally got away from me!
Well, Henry & Louisa are loving the new green grass that is springing up everywhere. They are munching down like cows in a pasture.

My dogs are doing well despite their rather recent cancer surgeries. They seem to enjoy the milder weather and their new surroundings. They have a couple of new buddies...which I'll try to shoot pictures of soon... and they all run around like crazy pups in big circles. Their favorite dog friends are Dexter, the Aussie Shepard and Sasha, a Husky, I believe. There's also a man who walks the trails in the park & wears a hat which they recognize instantly and run to him whenever they spy him in the distance. He's great with them, crouches down to pet them and will even take their kisses.

Everything's bloomin'

More pink blooms. The pinks are the most dominant color in everyone's yard. There's a smattering of white and yellow, a bit of purple and I'm starting to see some red tulips popping up. And ahhhh....green green grass freshly cut! One of my favorite scents!

This is the green plant from last Friday's post that starting to turn yellow. I need to find out what kind of plant it is- can anyone help? Everything is in bloom & I'm seeing bees buzzing and it's all so lovely!
Everyone's asking about my dogs. They are doing fine, loving the mild weather here, but I'm post & picture them tomorrow!

Pink & a bit of yellow

The colors pink & yellow always reminds me of Easters from my childhood. The Easter holiday meant coloring & decorating eggs, Easter egg hunts with bright colorful plastic eggs filled with peeps & jelly beans, yellow baskets, chocolate bunnies with pink bows, speckled malted milk balls, a new pink dress for church, yellow flowers on an Easter bonnet, patent leather shoes and my fav pretty little handbag-a basket with seashells covering the top tied with a yellow bow. I saw this pink flower scattered walkway on Saturday with a few yellow daffodils peeking out of the hillside just in time for Easter Sunday. Made me a bit homesick for Virginia & my childhood.

Happy Easter!

A friend took this of me a couple of weeks ago beside this awesome green flowering plant. The woman working in the yard said to check back as the flowers grow & change shape as the season progresses. I'll post it's changing updates. Have a wonderful weekend!

Growing Season

On my way to the dog park, I pass many houses that have their own take on gardening in the city. They use every inch of space - the front, side & back yards & even squeeze in around the public sidewalks. It's quite wonderful to view. For the dogs, loads of new smelling opportunities.

One home stands out for me. This woman is kinda Martha Stewart gone awry in the most delightful way! She gardens every inch of her yard plus around the sidewalk. She plants edibles on one side of the front yard, ornamental on the other and it's mixed around the walk.
In addition, she has a fountain in the back & a chicken coop..a beautifully done slant roof building that also encases a little green house. I think she has five fancy chickens. Would love to see their eggs. Lastly, on the corner is a poetry box, which she lovingly changes the content each week. This week, it's Riveted by Robyn Sarah from A Day's Grace Poems. I've met the owner- very nice and an artist, I believe. When I first saw her yard & poem box all I could think of is my artist gardener friend back in Richmond, Lisa T, whose spirit seems to reside in this plot as well. Enjoy!

Hump Day

Thought I would post some pictures of the more colorful homes in the hood to get over the midweek hump day as it's a bit overcast this morn. Not much is going on so far except Easter is this weekend. Will miss seeing my family and will miss Monument Ave.'s traditional Easter Day.

Blue Gray Day

Well, it started off as a rainy blue day, but now the sun is trying to peek through the clouds. Ahh, there it is - bright sunshine, some blue sky! It really doesn't rain as much here as I heard prior to moving to Portland. A lot of days when I get up to run, it is rainy & cold, but then it clears off for most of the day. It rarely rains hard and the temperature is mild, unless the wind starts blowing. There is a fierce wind here at times.

Above are some shots of blue and gray houses in my neighborhood. I love the diversity of styles & paint colors. It is a cheerful and interesting place to live.

St Paddy's Day

Well, I haven't posted in over a month now. I started to post these pictures on March 8th, but never got back to publish it. The month has been incredibly busy and fun, but I'm ready to get back to this a bit each day. It's a good way to keep a journal of life here.
There's so much to do here. I feel like a kid in a candy store. You can be totally outdoorsy or totally downtown. Just walking around my neighborhood is like a little adventure. Lots to see- cute colorful cottages, beautiful trees, new & different plant like and loads of dogs.
These are pictures from a recent hike above the Gorge. Beautiful fun day and we were above timberline. Awesome view!
Happy St. Paddy's Day!