“Looking West From Meadow”
Heatherwood Spring
It is nice to live in the country. Heatherwood is surrounded by small farms with hay fields, horses, cows, chickens and rabbits. Red-tailed hawks constantly hover above in wide circles looking for their next meal. Coyotes cry out in the evenings. The surrounding hills and our neighbor’s homes are a nice backdrop for our Heatherwood garden. We enjoy the peaceful, bucolic countryside.
“Future Garden Room”
Heatherwood Lower Garden
Throughout our Heatherwood Garden, we have designed several sitting areas that have a nice view of the garden and the surrounding hills. This area is in the southwest corner of the property looking east over an in-process garden room area and toward the background bluff. As we fill in the planting areas around the lawn and behind the chairs, this sitting area will be a secluded peaceful retreat. It will be a special place to watch the morning sunrise or a late afternoon’s amber glow on the garden and bluff.
“Japanese Garden Entry Path”
Heatherwood Winter
Blue skies on a winter day raise my spirit. I walk out our front door and turn to my right and see the glorious blue sky above the sunlit ridge. The warmer temperatures are melting the snow. Trees and shrubs are now free from snow. Ground covers are peeking above the snow-patched ground. The partly snow covered pathways entice me to walk through the garden. As I walk along the path I stop to touch and inspect the various plants that have been under snow for the past six weeks. I look and see new buds forming on the tips of the branches. I continue and stop multiple times to just look around me and contemplate the garden’s beauty and the changes that will emerge as the seasons of the new year progress. My spirts rise.
‘Cherry Allee”
Heatherwood, Mid-Autumn
Our first light snow dusting is over. The sky is as blue as it can be. It’s a beautiful and crisp mid-autumn day. There is no better place to be than strolling through the garden.
The perennials in Mary’s “bright & shiny” garden are spent, but still have a hint of their summer color. Their textures and shapes still provide a lot of interest. I don’t have the heart to cut them back. Besides, the spent flower heads leave seeds for the birds as well as spread seeds to make a fuller garden for next year. I will wait until early spring to cut them back.
The leaves on the Pink Flair cherries are turning to their dark red mid-autumn color. It won’t be too long before the branches will be bare. Winter is not too far away.
“Oregon Wine Country”
Dundee Hills, Oregon
It was a hot 90 degree day as we traveled around the Dundee Hills above the Willamette Valley. As we drove between wineries we enjoyed the beautiful scenes in the wine country. The sky was bright without a cloud. Rows and rows of grape vines spread across the hills. We saw this huge live oak on a crest of a hill and just had to stop and enjoy the bucolic countryside. And, the wine was wonderful!!!
“Neighbor’s Willow”
Heatherwood View
Our neighbor’s willow tree brightens my day. Most mornings while I am waiting for my early morning coffee to brew, I walk to our living room window and look over our garden and up the hillside above. This willow always draws my gaze. Even on a dreary early spring day, the tree’s brightness is a harbinger of a good day ahead. Thank You!
“Lenticular Sunrise”
Heatherwood Winter
Winter is the season for amazing sunrises over Eastern Washington. Winter is the time when we have many cloud covered skies. This one with a lenticular cloud formation hanging above the tree grove silhouette was spectacular this morning. It triggered my imagination to visualize a large spaceship looking for a place to land. It was an exciting way to start the day!
“Wireless Zelkova and Meadow”
Heatherwood Winter
This tree is one of a pair of Wireless Zelkovas that frame a neck of grass which connects two of our larger lawn areas. This one anchors the meadow, and its twin sister anchors the crabapple grove. Together, some day in the future, they will form an arch over the lawn path.
“Foggy Sunrise”
Heatherwood Winter
Fog and early morning sunlight create a wonderful ethereal scene. Layers of fog and low lying clouds cover the valley below our home. The distant hills provide a dark hazy background silhouette in the middle. More low lying clouds obscure the Selah-Yakima gap and additional cloud layers cover the morning sky. Winter sunrises and sunsets are a special gift to start and end a day.
Many may think that the above image could be an abstract painting. It is not. The image is straight from my camera with only a very small amount of contrast added. Magic happens!
“Sunrise Through Cherry Tree”
Heatherwood Winter
Another beautiful Heatherwood sunrise, what more needs to be said! Thank You!