Portland Has it All

Field of Wildflowers ©Lynne Buchanan

Lupine ©Lynne Buchanan

This was my first visit to Portland in the spring and it was so beautiful.  My friends drove me through the Columbia River Gorge to this incredible field by the side of the road that we wandered all over.   Flowers covered the field and for a moment I forgot about droughts and other problems facing our planet, although they said even here there was not enough snow this year.

Hood River Rocks ©Lynne Buchanan

The Alchemy of Water ©Lynne Buchanan

After the field, we drove on to a little overlook of the Hood River and climbed through the trees to the rocks.  Watching the water fall over and around the rocks, finding its path in the beautiful light was magical.  I especially liked studying fall into crevices and then spill out on the other side, transformed by the flow of water, something that we take fore granted but which we should cherish as the source of life that is it.

Mount Hood with Clouds Approaching ©Lynne Buchanan

There was snow on the top of the mountain and the trees looked so beautiful dusted in white as the 

dark ominous clouds hovered over our heads.

Under the Burnside Bridge ©Lynne Buchanan

Rainbow over the Hawthorne Bridge ©Lynne Buchanan

When we got back into town, I decided to walk up and down along the Willamette River.  A storm was approaching, which added a lot of drama and made the lighting conditions interesting.  First part of a rainbow appeared, then part of a second, and then when I continued past the Hawthorne Bridge, I saw the full rainbow over the bridge.  I was about to change my lens to the widest one, when the skies opened up and I had to take shelter.  

Waterfall, Portland Japanese Garden ©Lynne Buchanan

Japanese Maple ©Lynne Buchanan

The last day together, we returned to the  Portland Japanese Garden.  Last time I was there in the fall and there were no leaves on the Japanese Maple, nor were the plants in bloom.  It was so spectacular. The gardens were beautiful in the fall too, though the explosion of color in spring is quite different.  Looking forward to returning to Portland again soon!  You can experience every weather and lighting condition in a single day, which is quite unusual.