Woodland, Oregon in Bloom

We've relocated again, this time to Columbia Riverfront RV Park in Woodland, Washington.  As the name suggests, we are right on the Columbia River. It's a nice place, close to Portland, Oregon and the location is good for seeing Mt. St. Helens, the Columbia River Gorge, the northern Oregon coast, the southern Washington coast and Mt Hood. Should keep us busy. Oh, and there's a great contra dance community here, so we'll be dancing a lot. Had our first really great dance last night in Portland, with music from Joyride.

Although most days are rainy here right now, it was somewhat dryer yesterday so I bolted outdoors to see two local springtime attractions: the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens and the Holland America Bulb Company Tulip Festival, both of which were in full bloom.

These are two views of the front of the Lilac Garden, which as you can see also has rhododendrons, azaleas, dogwoods and other flowers, tress and shrubs. The gardens are the creation of Hulda Klager, who lived in this house that has been preserved very much as she lived in it.

Her specialty was the cultivation of lilac varieties that range in color from white to dark purple, including a yellow and a bicolored variety, which I had never seen before. 

Bi-color lilacs.

 Yellow azaleas.

Rhododendron.

Next stop was the Tulip Festival, which I gather is simply peak time for this company's tulip crop. They have a demonstration garden and a gift shop, surrounded by fields of their crop tulips.

Folks here in southern Washington really love their flowers. Landscaping is lush and colorful. Such a change from the southern California views we've been seeing all winter.  We'll be here for about a month and then we're heading up to Sequim, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula.

Now I'm off to bake a crumb cake for breakfast!