Birds in the Garden

So many birds enjoying the garden...

Quail

Scrub Jays

Hummingbirds

Goldfinches

I'm linking up with 

Seasons,  Wednesday Around the World,  

My Corner of the World, Image-in-ing  

 

Sunflowers in the Garden

I'm back from a much needed blogging break...

The sunflowers in my garden are just spectacular. I'm always amazed that so much beauty can come from a simple seed. Some of sunflowers barely grow and produce tiny, delicate flowers. Others grow taller than my house and produce huge flowers and/or multiple flowers. One single stalk in my garden has over 20 blooms on it!

 

When I saw this particular sight one morning last week, I was struck by the fact that I wait all year for this exact sight. I save my seeds and dream about planting them all winter. In the spring I eagerly wait for the danger of frost to pass so I can plant. Once the seeds are planted, I check daily to see what growth may have occurred. And then when the plants start growing, I get so excited. Finally.... after months and months of dreaming, waiting and watching...I get to see them bloom!

Above is the sunflower and scarlett runner beans during the day

Below is the same scene on the same night at sunset

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Garden Affair

Garden Curls

I love looking for and find garden curls...

I'm linking up with 

Seasons,  Wednesday Around the World,  

My Corner of the World, Image-in-ing  

 

Sunflower Sunday

 I love sunflowers and have been planting them from seed (I harvest and keep the seeds each year) for several years now. This year I had a hard time....I would plant the seeds and something (I'm guessing birds because the discarded shells were left behind) would dig them up.  I had a few volunteers grow on their own and those have started blooming. I had a few that I planted take root and those are getting big. Then I also started some in my green house and transplanted them outside in early June...those are the stragglers, but they are growing. Because of this unintentional staggering, I think I'll have a pretty steady sunflower bloom through fall. I'm kind of glad it worked out this way. 

here are the phases of this particular bloom..,

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Garden Affair

Hiking South Sister

This past week we went to Central Oregon to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary (which is today, July 20th!). We have been talking about hiking South Sister again and made it a reality. 

South Sister is the third tallest mountain in Oregon - standing at 10,358 ft. The trail leading to the summit is 6 miles long (one way) and is an elevation gain of 5,000 ft. 

It's not the most beautiful hike, but once you get to the top, the views are amazing!  The first "scenic" thing you encounter is this beautiful, turquoise, glacial lake.

And then you start the slow slog upward. 

It doesn't look steep from the photos, but it's steep!

Finally you get to the top, but it's still not quite the summit. That's the summit up behind me.

On the summit

Looking at Middle Sister, North Sister

also Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood

I'm linking up with 

Seasons,  Wednesday Around the World,  

My Corner of the World, Image-in-ing  

Orange

 

My favorite social media platform is Instagram. I follow a lot of accounts that do weekly themes, and one of them had "my week of orange".   Here's what I found in my garden and home.

my daughter's violin that is neglected (because she no longer plays)

my first marigold bloom

my first sunflower with a frog I found in my yard

one of my beautiful lilies 

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun, Seasons and Garden Affair

Squash Vines

 My squash plants (zucchini and pumpkins) are exploding right now...so many blooms...so much produce. We are already harvesting and eating the zucchini, but the pumpkins will stay on the vine and continue to grow for another month or two. 

I went out at night and saw all the blooms ready to open up in the morning...

And then went out first thing in the morning to see the open blooms...

I also love the spent blooms...it's so interesting to see how them curl back up after blooming.

The vines themselves are so fascinating and beautiful as they grow. 

I'm linking up with 

Seasons,  Wednesday Around the World,  

My Corner of the World, Image-in-ing