Master Gardeners Trip Wrap

Well, RoyAnne kept us hopping so it was difficult to do much posting while on the master gardener's tour!  Additional stunning sights were the Butchart gardens in Victoria, unbelieveable work by a woman who took her husband's abandoned quarry and created a sunken garden in the 1920's and the private home garden tours we took. 4 different homes, each with a different approach. some were more like jungles, others gems of perfect pairings, edgings, art.  i guess before this trip i did not fully appreciate that gardening was as artistic and creative as it is. the combining of colors, textures, and taking into account seasonality of blooming, it is amazing what can be done and what affect it can have on the viewer.

A fun evening was spent at a tea house where we were served "high tea", english style. i learned that high tea refers to tea served with warm something (in this case, warm sandwiches). we all got a bit dressed up for it. very lovely, and i loved the variety of little finger foods served with it.  it was actually a full meal, just in small different tastes. lots of different teas to sample, of course.  i decided that Goshen needs a tea house.  anybody want to start one with me?

We also went to Calipino in Vancouver where there is a suspension walking bridge across a gorge, some 200 ft. in the air.  and it sways.  ack!  scary but fun.  the last day of our outing was spent as a free day in Vancouver, and everyone was on their own. RoyAnne and I went to Granville Island, a big farmer's market area, and Gastown, a historic district.

Sad to depart Vancouver, but off to Portland, which is quite exciting too!

Jordan picked me up at the airport on Saturday at 10, then i got to tour the new homestead.  and it is pretty much a city homestead, complete with three chickens and a woodworking workshop that would be the envy of any home woodworker.  i was suitably impressed.

We drove through the Columbia River Gorge, and went to the other side of Hood River, which i had never seen before. it is high desert, completely different looking than the Oregon I always picture, of lush, green forests. it looks more like Wyoming to me. Dry, rolling hills.  we visited a war memorial there that is an exact replica of Stone Henge! (in concrete, rather than in stone, however). Very interesting. built in 1920 by Sam Hill (what the Sam Hill?) as a memorial for WWI fighters who were from that county.

Today we are going to Astoria and the coast because it is supposed to be about 95 degrees here today and not fit to be outside.

Vancouver

Greetings from lovely British Columbia!  I am on Vancouver Island, in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia.  Vancouver Island has the claim to fame of the most pleasant weather in Canada.  due to the pacific waters on 3 sides, it remains temperate all year round, with no snow or freezing weather.  flowers bloom year round, people can golf all year.  it also never gets hot here either.  lots of humidity which makes the plants grow to colossal dimensions. everything is green and cool.  temps have been averaging about 62 degrees.  my idea of heaven.  i forget i have dry eyes. no heat or air conditioning needed. alas, my big plans to move here are defeated in the face of real estate price tags.  the average 3 bed, 2 bath ranch fetches $1.5M.  Vancouver island is considered one of the highest priced real estate areas in the world.  (I expect Monaco is right up there with them, so i've seen both pricey places in the same year). its where rich Canadians go to retire.

Vancouver Island is a 90 min. ferry ride from Vancouver (City), BC.  it was a great ride, with lovely jewels of islands along the way. Vancouver Island is a gardener's dream. it is filled with botanical gardens and private homes with sumptuous gardens.  apparently anything grows here.  We visited 4 private gardens and all i can say is, I give up trying to garden.  my pitiful attempts pale in comparison.

I have lost track of how many public gardens we have visited. The folks on this trip are die hard gardeners, that much i've learned. 31 people, most are master gardeners or at least quite dedicated to their gardening.  their knowledge never ceases to amaze me.

our guide the last two days was Joan.  what an original she is. she looked like a gnome, and i can picture her spending her life outdoors, loving every minute. She was a walking encyclopedia of horticulture and area history and lore.  she grew up on a farm in the area and knows everyone it seemed.

I'm excited to go whale watching tomorrow morning and then to the last garden of the trip.