Tulip Time

Of course I can't just share one image from the beautiful tulip fields in the Skagit Valley.  We had a glorious afternoon to roam the fields and enjoy the bright colors and fantastic scents.

Weekend Reflections: Dali's Tulips

For more weekend reflections visit Newton Daily Photo:

White

the white tulips are

echoes of clouds

on the ground

Tulip Town

It may officially be the coldest April on record for our area, but the rainbow hues of tulip fields warm our hearts, if not our chilled fingers and icy noses.

This was taken at Tulip Town, Skagit Valley.

A Man and His Dog

They're coming back empty-handed, but something tells me the dog always has a good time anyway.

Haiku #10

sun warms the valley
except where they are, fingers
cold with the harvest

Barn in the Meadow

(It's not a meadow, but my lovely 5-year-old daughter came up with the title)

Gold and Grey

The old barn basks in the evening sun,

kissed and shining as if young again.

Petalsoft

Here is one more picture from my very talented friend Chad. These are my daughter's hands cupping the pink tulip.

Escape

My friend Chad took this picture of a pink tulip trying to stand out from the crowd. Everyone wants to be an individual... even tulips.

Orange Creamsicles

These tulips are so richly vibrant, they look positively decadent! Somehow, though, I don't think they'd taste as good as they look. And people might look at me strangely if I started licking tulips. Don't they look good enough to eat, though? Um... maybe it's just me.

Anyway, these tulips were at Roozengarde in Skagit Valley. Roozengarde is the largest grower of tulip, daffodil, and iris bulbs in the world. I wish I could find an actual statistic, but I know a vast majority of tulips and daffodils in the country come from Skagit Valley, so chances are good if you're buying tulips in Florida or New Hampshire or Ohio, they were grown in Skagit Valley.

If you're ever in the Pacific Northwest in the spring, I highly recommend visiting the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. There's no experience quite like being surrounded by acres and acres of brilliant, alive color.

The Eagle

It's thanks to MaryBeth of Stanwood DP that I got this shot of a bald eagle surveying his territory. This post of hers prompted a conversation between us that resulted in her invitation to show me where the good eagle spots are. Voila! Thanks again, MaryBeth!

Although he's in a tree, whenever I see a bald eagle I'm reminded of the poem "The Eagle" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Field of Snow...

...Geese, that is! A huge flock of them landed obligingly in a field with a nice view of Mount Baker in the distance.

MB from Stanwood DP showed me around her neck of the woods yesterday. We were actually looking for bald eagles, but this was my favorite shot of the day.

Thanks for the tour, MB!