This was the first time we went to the Florence Rhododendron Festival and it was a very nice and familiar drive to Florence. This event looked a lot like Sturgis on the coast with thousands of Motorcyclists. We tried to stay out of the more densely packed areas and started with lunch at Mo's seafood house then went to the Florence event center to look for the Rhody Show but were a bit early...
... so we ventured into the Arts Fair and were greeted by this short grey statue.
Inside Sharyn found the "
Given Back Bird Houses" exhibit.
"Our bird houses are made from dead wood or driftwood, and sized according to various song bird nest dimensions. Each one is hand signed with the date the wood was Given Back to the wild birds."
The bird houses are terrific and you can go to their
website to see more pictures. they ARE very cool.
It was a small show with some interesting work like this stained glass...
Some great paintings by John Bradley...
... and as we walked out into a festive day even a nice woman in costume.
We were too early for the Rhododendron show we went to Gallagher;s Park to enjoy the flowers there...
... and they were all rhododendrons like this purple...
... and this very red..
...exquisite beauty.
I liked this pale yellow/white one...
... but they were all wonderful to see ...
... and some were still blooming...
... and some barely starting to bloom.
I really liked this one for the colors.
Some were passed blooming and forming new growth...
...with new green leaves forming over the red...
... or the time when the petals drip leaving what I call a Rhody "Spider.
"
While this pink one was in full bloom...
... this red bud was about ready to come out.
From every angle they are beautiful ...
... and even from a distance they can take your breath away.
Just for fun I tried a close-up shot of this tiny flower.
They decorate the sky...
...then fall to the ground like a red carpet...
... or become white stars to guide the way.
On the way back home we stopped to see the old Mail Boats next to the road. They were freshly painted by a local Artist...
...and they were fun to see all painted after seeing them earlier in pretty drab condition...
The boats are on a commercial property next to some wetlands on the banks of the Siuslaw river and the grasses were well fed this year and very beautiful with the green demarcated by many small rivulets...
... and the grasses looked like soft green clouds...
...and an occasional log, this one looking like a huge planter for flowers.
There was one more boat named the "Bronco" that was tiny compared to the others...
... and not much larger than these big buoys. All in all it was a very good day getting out with Sharyn and taking pictures and otherwise enjoying a warm Oregon day.
Quote of the Day ~
"Being on a boat that's moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what's important and what's not." ~ James Taylor
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