The Oregon Garden

Instead of blowing a bunch of money at all the clearance sales at Portland clothing stores this weekend, we decide to head south into the Willamette Valley. Bye, Portland!



This is the town of Aurora, in Marion County (where marionberries are from).



We're taking the long way to get to Silverton, home of the new Oregon Garden. We stop
and have lunch in Woodburn, an old logging town that's having a sort of Latino renaissance. The old downtown is now very Mexican.



After lunch, I ask for "una paleta de coco" and snap this photo of the Virgin of Guadaloupe chatting up the Holy Infant of Prague.



I finish my popsicle outside, where even the old town square looks like a Mexican zocalo. Nice.



I lost count of the number of nurseries (and 7/7/07 weddings) we passed.



This is Mt. Angel, an old German town.



Here's where they have the tulip festival and Oktoberfest.



We finally hit Silverton.



The Oregon Garden.



I didn't take that many photos because it's just too hot.



Even the frogs look overheated.



Cypress and basalt columns. I would like these in my backyard.



This is what every park in Oregon looks like.



The Oregon Garden is disappointing to me. I think it's too new -- just five years old. I'd like to see what it looks like 10 years from now.





Things need more time to fill in.









There's nothing here that I didn't see on the Beacon Hill Garden Tour.



And that didn't cost $10.



Unfortunately, we're too late to go inside the Gordon House down the street. This is the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in the Northwest, I think.



It looks cool inside.



They have a nice view. I love the Willamette Valley.



So verdant!



And bucolic.



I'm not exactly sure what "bucolic" means, but I think this qualifies.









It's kind of like Middle-earth out here.



Good-bye, Shire!