I SEE THE BEAUTY AROUND ME

One day this week I took a much needed relaxing stroll around the Clackamas Community College campus gardens after work.  Since it stays light so late right now, it enables me to have a nice stroll and take photographs.  And so I did just that.  I not only look for lovely flowers, but also seek unique shapes and textures as well as try to find a different viewpoint.

The pink flowers made me think of gowns ready for a girl to don and dance around.

This one on the right is just ready for July 4th!

Boom !! sizzle!!!

I am hearing fireworks again!

I love this in close view of the calla lily.

It feels so soft and calming.

The light was shining through this leaf and enhanced the red veining in it.  

I could see a tree in this leaf!

Do you see it?

The red thorns on another plant were so unique and the pinkish fur on the branch added even more texture.

I am not sure if these are dahlias or not,

but was so struck by their very unusual coloring.

You see them as I saw them in the garden.

This soft pink flower has such lovely veins.

A star sits at its center. Notice the little tiny bug?

The plant on the left has such unique coloring and I love the spiked look, like a punk plant.

The red/pink leaf is so cool and I love the hair along its edges.

I enjoy the soft layers in this rose.  It makes me think of silk.  I can almost imagine being wrapped up in its delicate petals.

Tie-dye leaves!

Love 'em!

Here is the sunrise, soft and colorful!

That is the end of the stroll.

Find a garden and take a stroll of your own!

CARS IN THE GARDEN

While I visited the Iris Garden, they were having a small auto show.  I enjoyed it as they were all older automobiles. These kinds of vehicles have so much personality.  I would have loved to have driven off in one!  I cannot tell you the ages or types of these cars (I am sure my friend Lisa N, could!).

Such a lovely blue.  This car makes me think of the cartoon movie CARS.













This truck was such an unusual color. It was kinda peachy.  It had a lighter peach color flames on the front but not easy to see.

This one looked so racy, I almost expected it to say VROOM! VROOM!

This one reminds me of an old man going through a mid-life crisis!
Trying to look younger with the hot rod engine. 

This black one is so sleek.  He speaks:
Who's the man!

This one is similar to the top one in color.  I love the lines.  I sense this one is a female!!

Black with blue flames.  Cool.  I am sure many a guy would be drooling over this truck.

Now this is a hot rod!!!
Sizzlin'

What a sleek, sexy girl.  I am sure when she goes by many a head turns to do a double take!

I never have seen this color of car before.  Is this color plum? 
It does look very similar to the first car!

This one looks like an old style race car.  I am not sure if the engine really fits.  I think i would prefer the older look and smaller engine.











Which is your favorite?  I would love to go on a picnic in the first one!!!

THERE ARE OTHER LOVELIES IN THE GARDENS

There were other flowers in Schreiner's Iris Garden and I want to show you these lovelies.

In the photo on the left I was just pressing the button to take the shot when the bee flew in!

Lucky me!

The shot on the right happened because I was chasing the bees around these flowers.

They probably thought I was a pest.

Bees just are expected when you are around flowers, so I ended up with some bee-utiful shots!

I do not know what kind of flower is on the left but I love the spiky texture.

On the right is a poppy with a--you guessed it--bee on it.

I love the soft, paleness of the photo on the left, yet still retaining the lines.

The columbine on the right are so pretty and all over Oregon, or so I was told.

I was told this (above) is a dogwood.  I love the shape, textures and color.

 

Such wonderful color God painted into these flowers.

It brightens the landscape and my outlook.

The flowers to the left were so beautiful and their blend of purple/blue colors was brilliant and stood out in the garden.

I loved the close-up peak into the center of the rose on the right.

Pretty in pink...

and a sunrise in a flower

Last but not least, one of my favorite shots.  This flower was brilliant in color and seated upon its throne was a perfectly contented spider.  I like to think it is a female.

I do hope you all enjoyed seeing the rest of the gardens.  And I do hope you like my photographs.

SCHREINER'S IRIS GARDENS

I visited Schreiner's and discovered that there are many varieties of irises!  I never knew.  It is located at 3625 Quinaby Road N.E., Salem OR 97303.  I drove down 99E (McLoughlin in Oregon City area) and turned right onto Quinaby, then just follow the signs to Schreiner's.  There are other gardens along the road, so remember the name.  It is up over a bridge and on the right. 

I spent 3 hours here taking it all in and shooting photographs.  It is bloom season right now!  Here are a few of the photographs I took.

The colors are so lovely and vivid.  In some of my photographs, I focused on the entire flower, and in others I focused on certain parts to show the shape, movement, color,lines, etc. in a more artistic way.

Wouldn't you love to have these colors brightening up your garden!

Before you even arrive at the gardens you can see miles of irises growing in fields!

Such color!

Boy, if I could afford it I would buy at least one of each color!

Beauty abounds.

The orange iris looks like it is singing.  See the mouth open and tongue exposed.  Or is it just me seeing that?

There are dark-colors and light colors and in-between colors!!

God sure knows how to paint a picture.

Now to show you my "artistic" views.

 

I even gave each photo a name!

To the left is Blue Curls, to the right is Feminine.

The one on the left is Flirty and on the right Gold/White.

 

Left-Peachy Keen.

Right-Anemone.

I entitled this one above-Sunrise.

The one to the left is Watercolor.

On the right is Black Hole.

There were other flowers in the gardens as well.  I think I will save those photos for another post.

I hope you enjoy the photographs and maybe make a visit to the Gardens yourself!