Spring in The Abandoned - Pink Saturday

Last Spring I took this photo of pink blackberry blossoms.  These are Himalayan blackberry bushes, who's blooms are usually pure white.  I am of a mind the pink hue found in blackberry flowers of The Abandoned, might be due to the strange nature of the place. I have never seen pink Himalayan blackberry flowers anywhere else.

This flowering plant has the softest leaves in the world.  They're so soft one might think they really are the ears of a sweet little lamb.

These beautiful pink roses are found outside the commons area--the remnants of a once-lovely garden space.

For more fabulous pink stuff, join Bev at How Sweet the Sound!

WARNING: You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker. If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Gazebo Lichen Heart - Guest Heart Thursday

After years of exposure to the wind, rain, snow and then a fire set by vandals, which robbed it of its support--the Gazebo finally fell flat.

Yet, even in the final destruction of this graceful structure, one can find beauty in this heart-shaped lichen.

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday!

WARNING:  You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker.  If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Girders - Weekend Reflections

Part of the magic of this place is the great, silent, unoccupied space.  Here one can find an abstract bit of magic in a puddle, fresh from our unusually torrential spring rains.  A bit of reflected beauty in a vast space.

For more wonderful reflections from around the world, be sure to visit James at Weekend Reflections.

WARNING: You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker. If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Heart over The Abandoned - Guest Heart Thursday

It is no surprise to those of us who love this magical place, to find a heart floating overhead.  Sissy and I saw this on our last walk.  Spring is advancing quickly--as you see there are no leaves this day.  Clytie says with a few days of sunshine, these trees are now bursting with green. 

Can you see the heart?  The Abandoned is full of them!

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday!

WARNING:  You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker.  If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Trillium Heart - Guest Heart Thursday

On our last walk through the forests near The Abandoned, Sissy and I found this lush green heart of Trilliums.   There are four flowers here, growing closely clumped together!  As children, we were taught that when you pick a Trillium, it takes seven years to grow back again.  This is no old wives' tale.  It actually takes many years for the plant to recover after it is picked, or disturbed. This is one reason I worry about the clearing going on in The Abandoned.  These beautiful flowers are everywhere and many are being destroyed, or badly damaged. 

This morning, I also learned some additional things I didn't know about Trilliums.  The first is, when the flower reaches maturity, it attracts ants.  The ants take the seeds from the flower to their nest, where they eat the fleshy part of the seed and throw the rest into their ant garbage—from which the plant grows.  Ant “garbage” is rich in nutrients, so the seeds have a great place to thrive.

The other fun fact I discovered is that in the early 1900’s, the Trillium was called the “Beth Root” and that in the early 1900's, a tonic made from the root of the flower was used for medicinal purposes!

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday!

WARNING:  You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker.  If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Beauty in Miniature - Weekend Reflections

I love to discover unexpected surprises as Sissy and I walk together.  Along the railing of a lost bridge, we find Beauty in Miniature--tiny worlds, all their own.

Small places where the sunshine sparkles into darkness, revealing exquisite lichen.  One wonders if faery lands could be seen if one could only peer a little closer.

Overhead, clinging to its fragile gossamer roof, there is sparkling loveliness in abundance here. 

Have a lovely Easter weekend everyone!

To see more wonderful reflections from around the world, visit James at Weekend Reflections!

WARNING:  You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission.  If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing. 

Knot Heart - Guest Heart Thursday

The forests near The Abandoned are full of great trees.  From a nearby public park, you can walk through a stand of old growth fir and oak.  Their beauty is stunning.  Some of these oaks are taller than most city sky scrapers.  Do you see the heart?

Eons ago this tree lost a branch and now wears its heart for all to see.  The licorice fern draping the side of the Knot Heart was once harvested by Northwest American Indian tribes.  They used the root both raw and cooked. The root is sweet, but is thin and fibrous and was often used as an appetizer for children who would not eat.  Apart from its use as a pleasantly flavored chew, it was seen as a famine food and was harvested when there was a shortage of better foods.   Yes, it really does taste like licorice.

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday!

WARNING:  You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker.  If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Magic in The Abandoned

It is amazing what one can find in the bright sunshine of The Abandoned. 

Even in the smallest things...

It's magic!

WARNING: Think twice about visiting The Abandoned without permission. You risk getting arrested for trespassing.