Old Growth Beauty

This is one of the incredibly beautiful Cedar trees which grow in the canyons and woodlands surrounding what once was The Abandoned.  It is beautiful.  The trees grow big and graceful.  If I were to stand next to the cedar tree you see here, I would be dwarfed by it's sheer size.

I love this place--these forests.  There is such incredible hidden beauty there. 

Forest Pond

This is the pond Daddy built.  It was a dream which came true.  It is still there, near my childhood home across from where the Abandoned once flourished.  It has a new name now--El Grande Point. 

I love the forests which still grow undisturbed in the canyons and hills which surround what used to be The Abandoned.  I hope this progress of building houses will not destroy the pristine beauty of the existing woodlands and wetlands.

Have a sweet weekend, dear Friends.

Mama's Garden

This is a picture I took of Mumsie's garden last Summer.  It is so beautiful.

I was visiting there a few days ago, and you would not believe the construction that is going on where The Abandoned once stood.  There are houses everywhere!  Those houses weren't there the last time I visited just before Christmas.

I call them Mushroom Houses, because they pop up like a flock of shrooms.  It is almost frightening how quickly these houses are being built.  And they are HUGE homes.  The next time I visit, I'll take a picture to show the incredible progress they've made.  It is abandoned no longer.

Have a lovely day, sweet Friends!

Icy Prickles in The Abandoned

This is the purple star thistle, which in the summer grows to over four feet tall.  It has a lovely purple brush-like flower and the bees enjoy a tasty meal when it is in bloom.

Here you see that winter has covered this stickery fellow with a few icy points of its own. 

Happy New Year, dear Friends! 

Dreaming of Bigfoot

Years ago, back in the mid-1970's, there was a report of a sighting of the Oregon Bigfoot in the hills near where I lived as a child. 

Awhile back, I was watching a program about Bigfoot.  It was said that one of the signs they've been living in an area, are bent over trees, such as you see above.  This is from the beautiful forest of my childhood.

LOL  I think the idea is funny--but on the other hand, wouldn't it be wonderful if this last bit of forested area, complete with old growth trees, is actually home to such a critter?

I like to think about it, that's for sure.  Have a lovely day!

Gnarly Oak in The Abandoned

Here is another of the ancient oaks found in the forests surrounding what once was The Abandoned.  I adore oak trees--They are like dear old Grandpas.  I still hug them when I can.  This picture was taken early last Spring.

With our record rainfall, the moss is growing thick and green on the trees.  The forest is a magical place right now.  though the leaves are gone it is beautiful.

Have a lovely day, sweet Friends!

In the Green of the Forest

Here is a wonderful old tree found in the outskirts of what was once The Abandoned.  The forest is still untouched--yet I fear that may not last long.  There are now parcels of land for sale along the tip of the Canyon.  The forest as we knew it may not survive.  In the meantime, here is this old man tree in the green of the forests of my childhood.