Just Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons grow like weeds in NW Washington State - yards are filled with them - there are hedges of them - and gigantic old bushes.   Plus they grow wild in the woods too. I've seen some Rhododendrons that are at least 20 feet tall and just as wide - you could make a good hide-away inside. 

 Magnificent hedges

 A hedge of Rhododendrons at Lake Paden City Park

 A front yard with Rhododendrons and Azaleas

          

At the entrance to Broadway City Park

The variety of colors is absolutely amazing!!!

This is the most common color - I imagine that this was what was mainly available before they started producing Rhododendrons in the many colors.  I like how this one has been trained up into a tree shape. 

I'd never seen a yellow Rhododendron before - but this one obviously has been here a while, since it is so big.

 I love all the pinks!

 And the lavenders 

We discovered this unusual one in the The Big Rock Garden City Park - since then I've seen several others like it - but this was the first time I'd seen it. 

 Pale, pale pinks

 So many pinks!

I love the freckles on this one.  

This one is about 15 feet tall and is in my neighbor's yard - right next to where we park our car - so we get to see it all the time.

I hope you enjoyed the Rhododendron tour.

Mosaic Monday

Mosaics were made with ipiccy.com and picmonkey.com

Weather Predictions

I'm fascinated with the old sayings about weather.  Farmers and fishers often relied on these signs. They are often called Old Wive's Tales by some - but I'm not so sure I like that title.  Here are a few 

Red sky at night, sailors delight.

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning

A wind from the south has rain in its mouth.

When clouds look like rocks and towers, the Earth will be refreshed by showers.

Halos around the sun or moon indicate a rain or snow (in winter) real soon.

Clear moon, frost soon (Autumn saying)

Mares' tails and mackerel scales make tall ships take in their sails.

All photos were straight out of the camera - the only editing done was a little cropping

A Storm Coming In

Magnificent clouds in a bright blue sky

 The clouds are darker and thicker now

 And here comes the rain!

This all happened in less than 10 minutes  -  when a storm moves in off the ocean it moves fast.

Mosaic Monday 

The Alaska State Ferry

Friday evenings the Alaska Ferry departs from the Bellingham terminal.  We often take a picnic and watch the cars finish loading and then wait for the whistle and the departure.  We've been doing this for the 14 years we've lived in Bellingham  

 Often there are boaters that gather to watch the ferry depart.  This was the most unusual pair we've seen so far.  He is on his paddle board with his dog.

 She has their necessities in her backpack - let's hope neither one of them fall off.  I wonder what that little pink item is near the back of her feet.

 And another question - how would he get the dog back on the paddle board if the dog decided to take a swim? 

The Coast Guard is not going to like them being so close to the ferry as it is departing.

 And kayakers are also coming to watch the departing ferry

 They are even closer to the ferry.  The Harbor Patrol will be along soon, I'm sure.  The kayakers and paddle boarders surely must  be aware of the dangers of being so close to a large vessel when it is under way.

 Quietly across the bay the sailboaters enjoyed the lovely evening.