Summer in a westcoast rainforest

Yesterday I went for a walk in the rain...the question is what month is it?  July or November?  Yes it was July 16th but the rain was more typical of our November rainfalls.

 The Fraser River has been running very high due to the heavy snow pack we had last winter.

 Tugs have had a challenging time pulling barges up the river...they wiped out the swing span that is 100 years old across this stretch.  It has taken time to clear the barge, it's load and not take the span away for repair.  The trains have been silent for quite a stretch.

 But the succulents are enjoying the wetter cooler weather.

 Their flowers are almost neon in colour and so delicate.

 The fine hairs help hold the droplets.

 I love the colour of this flowering tree.

 This peony is a bit worse for wear, it's outer petals have fallen revealing a feathery centre.

 The marigolds are enjoying the wet days.

 What a lovely contrast of colours.

Here's hoping to some warmer, summer weather soon!

Rita's Garden is just beautiful right now. Today started rather cloudy after a rain shower this morning. I snapped this peony from two different angles to capture some of the raindrop still hanging onto it.The colour of it is just beautiful, it almost sparkles without any sun shining on it.

Her poppies are also beautiful, this one is almost in full bloom.

This one is starting to show it's seed pod.

This one in profile was just lovely with the raindrops hanging onto the petals.

Here is a longer shot of the same flower above, with some seed pods forming. I'll have to ask her to save some for me, I love this shade of pink.

Here is one of the peach poppies just in bud, are not the hairs on the bud just wonderful?

Here are some of her double snapdragons...she really needs a blog to show off her gardening skills, I'll take the pictures and she can do the writing!

When I downloaded this photo I was surprised to see the ant included in the photo. Look at about 3 o'clock on the left blossom.

Farther along the quay I found these pink daisy like blossoms.

I'm not sure what these are the seed pods for, but they remind me of a lion's mane or one of the beards from the guys in ZZ Top!

Are these globes just not perfect? The colour shows off so nicely in the cloudy skies.

Later in the day the sun shone through and bathed the flower in warmth, we've had a very wet Spring, but the flowers are shining through it all.

Leaving the L.A. area and heading into the hills before entering the valley, you can see how brown everything is, no wonder the fires move so quickly when they happen.As you get closer to the valley pockets of green and old Oak trees are seen.

Southern California gets most of its water from Northern California. A lot of riverbeds are dry as you pass by. In the north they a full of water.

This mural along with others is in Springfield Oregon, I like how the quilt blocks are incorporated into the painting. I'd love to spend some time and exam it more closely the next time I visit.

What a creative way to brighten up a municipal parking lot. Hey, the parking is free!

A wonderful collection of saying on these signs.

For all of my quilting friends...

Back home I came over to my friend Rita's place to take some pictures and her cat came out to check what I was doing.

Poppy seed pods are so interesting as they form.

A day earlier Rita had many more poppies in bloom, they don't like the sunny dry weather we've been having and drop their petals quickly.

Isn't this blue sweet pea just wonderful, it looks like it is blushing while having its picture taken.

This peony is just in front of my condo, the colour is almost fluorescent!

I spotted these lilies today when walking after breakfast, are they not lovely?