Eugene Park Tour - State Street Park

I visited this park out of alphabetical order because I stopped by on my afternoon walk. State Street Park is in an adjoining neighborhood -- where the streets are named after U.S. states.

Walking down the sidewalk, I spotted some wildlife.

The main feature of the park is this baseball diamond. Beyond the ballfield is some nice grassy area, part of it is shaded by huge trees.

In the far corner is a playground with swings and climbing structures on a nice cushion of bark for the kids.

It was very quiet the day I was there. I hope to return when it's full of kids having a great time.

Unusual Grief Ritual

My counselor urged me to put some effort into a grief ritual, as a way of honoring my mother-in-law, Joany. I came up with three things:

First, I wrote the blog post about Susie.

Second, I arranged and rearranged and cared for the bouquets of flowers Dale received from his workmates. As some flowers died off, I took them out and rearranged what was left, eventually combining the two bouquets into one. I thought of it as peeling off layers of feelings, caring for the dying, and releasing what was left.

This week I did something I don't usually think of as a grief ritual. I baked a loaf of zucchini bread using one of Joany's recipes. While preparing it, Dale and I talked about his mom and how she loved to make food, especially for guests. Her kitchen was one of her happy places. The zucchini bread was aromatic and very tasty!

As I ate my piece, Joany loved me back.

Hearts really do follow me around.

Horse Lover's Paradise

It's a busy day in the equine world!

The artist has crammed a lot of experiences into this 500-piece Artbox puzzle by CraZArt . The stable scene is absolutely charming. 

Edward and his kids have a thriving business, and all hands are on deck keeping the place clean and the horses fed and watered.

The practice racing track is busy with the horses and riders, wearing matching silks as they speed in the dirt.

The dressage course is busy too. Maybe a little too busy! My guess is that it'd be awfully dangerous to have that many horses and riders on the course at the same time.

The bright autumn colors of this puzzle made this a joy to put together.

Low and Glow

This photo was taken earlier in the month when smoke from the wildfires was lingering.

August 03, 2021

Sympathy Sunflowers

Dale's officemates sent a second bouquet of flowers. These are seasonal blooms, featuring three beautiful sunflowers shining among purple and green accents.

They brighten up our dining room

The sunflowers are beginning to shed now. The petals forming their own little flourishes.

#flowersforfriday

Throwback Thursday: Boardwalk

Over the years, I've taken many a walk on the boardwalk that surrounds the marina at the Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho. There were years when I needed to go often to catch a breeze, clear my mind, and get some distance vision.

I liked going in the off-season when the marina was less than pristine, the skies were overcast, and the tourists were scarce.

Everything felt like it was waiting ... waiting ...

... holding steady.

I remember taking this photo. Standing on the boardwalk, half way down the western stretch, the sun  following the Spokane River, lowering itself behind the hills. It cast this glitter on the water. I had a strong sense of my mom's presence. She'd been gone for 10 years.

Light glittering and dancing on water always reminds me of her.

Coral Reef

I've done a number of fishy puzzles lately. This Coral Reef that I finished on Independence Day is another fantastical scene.

This 500-piece one-dollar puzzle is another in the Artbox series by CraZArt. It has the added bonus of having sky, land, water and underwater scenes. 

There's an extensive variety of animals, including this vibrant seahorse.

Man enters the picture with a sunken pirate ship and a treasure chest full of booty. If you look closely at the overall scene, you may even find two scuba divers!

Try It Too-sday: Celery

It's time for another Try It Toosday! The day I recreate a photograph that caught my eye. This is number 18 of the 21 I hope to complete this year.

Today the beauty of celery is seen close up. Here's my version:

And here's my inspiration photo that I found on ‎January ‎24, ‎2015. I don't know who the photographer is, but they have a wonderful eye for the beauty in simplicity of form and color.

Roses and Lillies

Dale's officemates have been very generous in their outpouring of condolences since my mother-in-law passed away last month. His former boss sent us this lovely bouquet of deep pink roses.

and light pink lilies. The flowers fill our living room with a lovely aroma.

Thinking of both Dale's mom, Joany, and of my brother who died two years ago. This would have been Mark's 62nd birthday.

Eugene Park Tour - Amazon Community Center

Dale and I continued our Eugene Park Tour by heading over to Amazon Park. We didn't wander around the park proper that day, so we'll be back to explore other parts of the large park later on. On this evening, we stopped by the Community Center, located within the park. We felt a little lost until we saw the big marquee sign.

The parking lot by the center is shielded by these huge shade trees. It's a lovely setting!

The center itself has three buildings and a courtyard. Because we got there in early evening, all the buildings were closed for the day. We were like little kids peeking through the window of a candy shop as we wandered up to the buildings and peeked in.

click for larger image

The first building houses the preschool. It was filled with colorful cubbies and small-people furniture. The second building holds the art studio. There was evidence of a ceramics class, with rows of potter's wheels in the center of the large room, and encouraging words about being an artist hung on the walls. The third building with the bright orange doors contains the main office and several meeting rooms. 

The doors were locked that day, but it's nice to know that when we stop by during regular business hours, we'll be welcome.

Sunset: August 18, 2021

 

Eugene, Oregon
Bethel Neighborhood

#tonightssunset

Patchwork Puzzle

Here's the first puzzle I put together on the 4th of July. Dale was out of town helping his mom, and I wasn't feeling very festive. So I spent the day putting three jigsaw puzzles together.

This is called Patchwork Quilt. It's one of my 300-piece, one dollar puzzles. This time by Cardinal. It's a typical, decent quality for this caliber of puzzle. 

I thought this puzzle would be hard and frustrating, but it turned out to be an enjoyable build instead. I especially liked looking at the details in the fabrics. I don't think any two are the same.

And check this out. There's even a sunflower.

#flowersforfriday

Throwback Thursday: Sunflowers

I'll continue with sunflowers this week by looking back to 2014 and 2016 when I attempted to grow some sunflowers in my yard.

From bud

to bloom.

Click for larger image

Growing up side-by-side

And making homes for six-legged friends.

#throwbackthursday

Omelet

Breakfast food prep. Again, those colors are so pretty together!

It tasted good, too.

Try It Too-sday: Scattering the Love

It's another Try It Toosday! The day when I try to recreate an image that caught my eye online. This is number 17 of the 21 I hope to complete in 2021.

Today's photograph is a kissing cousin of my inspiration image. My proportion is off a little. The original looks more like "legal size." I used an 8.5 x 11 inch background. I didn't notice the difference until I reached the photo editing process. Ah, well.

Once again, I used materials I had on hand, rather than attempting to duplicate the original. I call this a success!

My Version

The inspiration photos is from Dreamstime. 

Inspiration Image

#tryittoosday

Concert in the Park

At the end of July, Jodie invited her dad and me to a concert in the park, sponsored by her place of work, Willamalane Parks and Rec. Since Island Park is in our neighboring town, not in Eugene, Dale and I don't consider it as part of our local Park Tour. We actually visited this park a few years ago. It's quite pretty, with lots of green space and this natural amphitheater sitting right along the Willamette River.

We brought along our folding chairs and a ground cloth, and set about enjoying the shade and the atmosphere. 

I honestly don't recall the name of the band. It was just my kind of music, though. They played plenty of oldies from the 60s and 70s. I was able to sing along with many of the songs.

This little girl was completely into the spirit of the evening. She danced and did cartwheels and got other kids to chase around with her.

This is the type of activity Dale and I missed out of last year. We're glad we're finally starting to get to know our community a little better as the pandemic emergency eases.

Good Advice

As the summer winds down, and the gardens mature, I've begun decorating with sunflowers. They look bright and happy in the midst of all this heat and the smoky skies from the northwest wildfires.

As a bonus, I can seek their advice.

Honestly, the "bright, sunny & positive" is a bit of a stretch at the moment.