For this weeks challenge I’ve selected the soothing, luxurious tones of purple and lavender. Although it is considered a rarely occurring color in nature, the photos in my archives that are of large swaths of color are in the purple family.
Pacific Sunset (Long Beach, WA – USA)
Born of the blend of two primary colors, purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red.
Crescent Creek Sunset (Willamette Pass, OR – USA)
Purple uplifts the spirits, calms the mind and encourages imagination and creativity. The chair below is one I spend hours in writing, blogging, and reading. It is big enough for two people – or one person and a beagle!
With a nod to creative fun, purple has special meaning on Harriette the Frog that my sister enjoyed riding!
Albany, Oregon Historical Carousel and Museum.
Purple is associated with spirituality, the sacred, higher self, passion, third eye, fulfillment, and vitality. It is said to help one align with the whole of the universe.
Above, Hydrangea in various shades of purple, below a single purple tulip.
Lenten Rose ~ Hellebore ~ Wake Robin
Lavender suggests uniqueness and specialness rather than the deep mystery of purple. Lavender represents beauty and femininity. Light lavender shades have a sacred place in nature, with lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers considered delicate and precious.
From the vastness of a Pacific Ocean sunset to the tiny blossoms of Primrose, Lilac and Sweet Alyssum, purple symbolizes magic, mystery, spirituality, the sub-conscious, creativity, dignity, royalty – and it evokes all of these meanings more so than any other color.
Those who regularly visit my blog know I’m a child of the wild. Though in my youth I may have been a wild child – these days I’m a happy old lady who feels blessed to live at the edge of wild places.
Mature Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Mature Turkey Vulture (Cathartis aura); part of a crowd of feathered gleaners feasting on the beached carcass of a young Pacific Dolphin (not endangered species).
Cape Disappointment State Park, Ilwaco WA
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla)
Brown Pelican Flock (Pelicanus occidentalis) ~ Long Beach, WA
Young Black-tailed Mule Deer
Crescent Lake, Oregon High Cascades
Wishing everyone safe travels as we navigate outward once again. Please stay safe.🐾
Thank you to the Rambling Ranger for this opportunity to revisit favorite sites!
At the grassy dune edge of the beach, all manner of life leaves signs of existence. Spots of bird and mouse footprints, dots of sand being tunneled up and falling in on itself. So many patterns of unseen life.
In four plus years walking this beach, I’ve encountered only two stranded starfish. Notice the sweet daisy flower pattern in the middle. Spots and dots abound in our natural world.
Little daisy flowers flourish in the wet grasses here. Sometimes pure white, and often shades of pink to lilac, they are a cheerful spot of light on overcast days.
Subalpine Daisy Erigeron peregrinas
I will close with spots and dots of light dappling on the surface of Crescent Lake, Oregon.
Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Please mask-up and stay safe.🐾
Amy invites us to walk through gardens this week. Though I have enjoyed other public gardens, the one I love most is the one I have created over the thirty plus years I’ve lived at my home in Vancouver, WA. Here are a few highlights.
Mexican Orange – Choisya ternata framing Lilac
Above, spring blooming shrubs along the front gardens by the street, below a foundation planting of large Rhododendron bloom in the front yard. After the Rhododendrons fade, a glory of mop-head Hydrangea provide interest all summer into fall.
Rhododendron
The pond and water stream are a major feature in the back yard. Comfy outdoor furniture is available to lounge in the shade.
Pond and water feature.
Below, three shots of the view north from the pond sitting area.
