Flowering on a Windy Day

Despite forecasts of rain, yesterday was one of the brightest days we’ve had in months. Unfortunately, winds gusting to 50 mph made birding impractical, so, instead, I headed to Pt Defiance Park’s gardens.

Though, there are no roses yet, the garden is lined with tulips that beautifully reflected the day’s sunshine:

Purple Tulips

And though the Iris garden was looking rather dilapidated from recent heavy rains, several blossoms look like they must have just opened:

Purple and White Iris

Naturally, I couldn’t leave without checking my favorite, the Rhododendron Garden. A lot of rhodies were just just opening,

Rhody Bud

but there were certainly enough plants in full bloom

Pink Rhody

to make the walk through the woods a real delight,

Red Rhody

if you were able to ignore the sound of falling branches smashing into the underbrush.

When I returned home, ready to tackle more of my Malheur shots, I discovered that the electricity was out, out for the next three hours, as it turned out, confirming my decision not to sacrifice the present merely to reflect on the past.