Tu-Lips

Spring in the Pacific Northwest can be cruel - everywhere there are flowering trees and daffodils, but the sky is a leaden gray and rain makes nearly every trip down the dock into a sprint.
We stay dry - what with great rain gear, umbrellas, a car, and frequent trips to town to to the big city. We often bring back flowers from the grocery store, and place them in the small vase which is a souvenir of a trip to Finland while the boat was under construction. The odd background is made up of boats and boathouses. Any manifestation of spring is appreciated here.

Seattle Sculpture Garden

We have been making frequent trips to Seattle from our Bainbridge Island moorage. Today we rode the ferry over early to spend the day with good friends, and one of our stops was the new sculpture garden at the north end of Seattle's downtown. Just completed, this new park covers about eight acres, divided into three portion by a major city street and a mainline railroad. Broad walkways and lawns bridge the traffic, so that as you walk the garden, you are hardly aware of the cars and trains.
This large, red-orange sculpture by Alexander Calder is perhaps the best sited of the artworks. In reality, the site and the vista are the most impressive features of the garden.

Parade of Cherries

Typical spring weather here, with rain showers punctuated by sun breaks. Bainbridge Island is a spring garden wonderland. We have a raking view along the south shoreline of Eagle Harbor, and every day the distant vistas feature new bright spots which are one or another type of cherry tree come into bloom.
Early on in my study of horticulture, I learned that there is a parade of cherries in the spring. The earliest, which include some plums and prune trees, flower in February or earlier, and the last well into May. Each variety has its own distinct kind of showiness, it's particular color and arrangement of bloom and tree shape. When I was responsible for my own and my clients' gardens, I almost dreaded the quick passage of spring, since it meant more work than could possibly be accomplished. Now spring is entirely welcome, and the blooming of each successive cherry species is a new delight.

The Wooden Schooner

While we have been moored in Eagle Harbor, a local boat builder has been restoring this wooden schooner at our dock. We are fascinated with his work, and admire the long, sleek line of the boat. Recently, he took it out for a test sail, and then tied it to the dock just across from us, so that now we see it whenever we look out.
I have squinted, photographed, and sketched, looking for the right composition for a painting of the boat. At times, I have wished I could paint the boat itself, since the orange protective paint on the new wood is a little jarring. Somehow, this boat will find its way into a painting, but in the meantime, I post this photo to give you a flavor of our vistas in gray, rainy Eagle Harbor.