April Camping

Sunset on the lower place. Stunning vistas of weather, color and DEER! Jon said he saw deer everywhere he turned.

 Love spring over here in Eastern Oregon. Everything is colored in stunning shades of greens and up in the hills there are only a few flowers blooming. Next month, the  hills will explode with the other colors.

 Jon was amused to find a previous camp site under water. This one was from a few years back when Tony was home. Jon was going to use the rocks for a new spot, but they were really slimy.

 Jon did get stuck more than once. This was his 'first' mud run. Not too messy, just pretty wet.

 Jon noticed there were frogs everywhere this trip. He recorded a short video of frogs peeping. It was so loud and there were so many, it sounded like one noise!! This frog looks like his black markings are a smile!

 Jon really tried to pose some of these frogs. But, staging a frog shoot  needs cooperative frogs. Which, they weren't.

 Here is Jon's Bronco on its last camping trip before Kodiak (the newer brown one) is released from the shop. Jon effectively buried the front end deep in the water and mud. Thankfully, Steve was able to release it from the murk in about 30 seconds. Which made everyone very happy!

"a perpetual astonishment"

              Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment.  ~Ellis Peters

Today (well, yesterday) the Ann Voskamp  prompt for gifts to find was 'Three gifts budding/blooming." I have so many, I had to do a photo thanks! 

 

 The two photos above mystify me. Outside of the fact I can't change the red tulips to the proper orientation, these photos were taken only two years apart..the mystery? They are in the EXACT same location in my garden. And in 2012, these red open petal tulips were somewhere else. VERY strange. The red ones are this week in 2014, the yellow were in 2012.

Two of my daffodils from Aunt Kathy's yard. Most of the daffodils are done, but the different varieties are popping out and I'm finding several in my cutting garden. I particularly love daffodils. They seem to be shouting out "He is ALIVE!" with their trumpeting blossoms. 

 

 One of my favorite things about tulips is how they close up at night. So the fairies have a place to sleep~or so I have been told!

Also from Aunt Kathy.

 This actually turned out rather clever. I have had this 'basket' for quite a while and these particular tulips have been in a bad place. I don't really want to move them, but I  need to mark where they are. So, I placed the basket on them and they look pretty good!

 The next few photos are my flowering trees. Hopefully, this year they won't get frosted and we'll get fruit from the pink peach tree and the white pear tree...and blooms from the lilac buds!

Another perpetual astonishment for me is this blog. It is sooo hard to get the blog to look as pretty in the public view as it is in the one I create. So, apologizing in advance!