~Bloedel Reserve~

My parent were here visiting a couple weeks back and although the weather wasn't stellar, it was nice enough that we were able to go out on a couple of "field trips". The first was to a place called the Bloedel Reserve. It's the former estate of a lumber magnate and his wife and now is a public garden. The estate is 150 acres in total, with about half of that developed gardens and the rest are wooded areas. Much like the Chase Garden I blogged about last month, The Bloedel Reserve is dedicated mostly to native plants and natural plantings. Our walk started at this gate house which is a more recent structure and serves as a gift shop and starting point for tours.


The most formal plantings in the whole garden are around this gate house and even those have a natural feel with the drifting heather.


From the gatehouse we followed a bark path which marks the trails throughout the garden and headed for the sheep sheds.


Past the sheds there were bulbs here and there in the grass


Past the meadow, we entered a more wooded area.


And we were greeted by some wildlife..not a bit scared of us.


We passed this beautiful red flowering currant - I've got one in my yard but it sure doesn't look like this!


We soon came to a beautiful area known at the Bird Marsh


And we did see a few water fowl including this pair of geese


It was a very pretty spot I could have stayed at for a while


But we kept moving into an even more heavily wooded area via a trestle bridge and elevated boardwalk.


Which had what I think is the family symbol embedded in it.


I was so proud of my Mom for walking the whole 2 miles of trail, even in the slightly steeper wooded areas with not much rest. Having my Dad at her side probably helped :-)


No matter how long I live here I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing the beautiful moss covered surfaces of the Pacific Northwest forest.


I get caught up in details like this moss covered stump


At the base of this tree I found a little treasure trove of mushrooms


Not sure if they were edible but they sure were cute!


What struck me in this area were the many shades of green. Can you count them all?


But there wasn't just green..there was some color along the way too. Like these native bleeding hearts.


And "skunk" cabbage which reminds me of calla lilies.


Here's a view of the neat boardwalk that allowed us to walk over some wet areas where the skunk cabbage grows. Keep in mind...this was someone's "yard" at one time.


As we emerged from the woods we saw a beautiful weeping willow


It is really an idyllic setting


And it flanks the drive up to the former Bloedel home


Here's another shot of the willow from a different angle


There was a plant sale going on that day. I'm not sure how, but I didn't come home with anything!


We were able to tour the first floor of the house. I loved this beautiful bouquet made from items on the grounds. That's Mr. Bloedel in his searsucker jacket on the wall.


Behind the home is a beautiful view of Puget Sound


To the side of the house and down a little hill is an overlook to a waterfall


We followed a trail from this point and walked through this beautiful little stand of birch trees


This trail leads to a beautiful spot called the Christmas pool. It was a gift to Mrs. Bloedel from her husband.


This area has more perennial flower plantings than many of the other areas because they were things she liked. Like this beautiful hellebore.


The pool is lined in pretty spring blooming natives as well


Including these pretty pink fawn lilies. I bought one like it at a plant sale a few weeks ago. I really am envious of the space to let these kinds of plants naturalize. My little yard just doesn't allow me to let things go...I have to corral them! lol


Next we crossed over a little bridge


And up the side of the creek


Then into another wooded area which had a lot of pretty groundcovers like this mix of pulmonaria, oxalis and bleeding heart.


More beautiful moss covered trees in this area


And I spied some trillium


We came across a beautiful old rhododendron along this walk


I love these little oomphaloides and I love their name too!


I'd love to have one of these Mayapples (podophyllum). I love their shape.


There were so many little "wild" flowers. These yellow dog violets were so cheery.


Lots of places to stop and sit throughout the garden


Towards the end of the trail we got a glimpse of the backside of the beautiful weeping willow


And found ourselves at the Japanese garden


The cherry trees were beginning to drop their pretty pink petals


The Japanese Garden features a guest house & zen rock garden


I loved the checkerboarded stepping stones


The gate leading out of the Japanese garden - that is black mondo grass flanking each side of the walk.


Leaving the Japanese garden and heading towards perhaps the most interesting part of the Reserve...the moss garden.


Most every other low growing vegetation was removed from this area and moss transplanted in


The effect is amazing. We were told its very hard to keep it up


There are a few other plants including the skunk cabbage..but they seem to really blend in with the greenish yellow moss theme


At the end of the moss trail is a reflecting pond where you can see mirror images of the firs that tower around it. The Bloedels are buried in this area because it was a place they loved.


Back down the moss trail


And our tour was over! Here are the front side of my parents...I seemed to lag behind them the whole time :-)


Hope you enjoyed the walk! I'm joining in for Mosaic Monday over at Little Red House. Go check it out.

Flashback Friday ~School Days

I'm planning on attending my 25th High School reunion in a few weeks so thought I might show you some random school pics my niece found in a photo album at my parents house recently. My how time has flown!


And a few shots from my spring flowers


My roses (that survived) are far away from blooming. This is a bloom on a little mini I bought at the grocery store.


I love these little fuzzy pasque flowers.


My little mini path all freshened up with new dirt. Thanks honey!


Snowflake and red primrose


The bleeding hearts are starting to bloom


Daffodils enjoying a minute of sunshine


For my Foodie Friday contribution I'm showing Chocolate Milk French Toast. It was as yummy as it sounds.



Chocolate Milk French Toast

3 eggs, beaten
1 cup chocolate milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
8-10 pieces bread - french or brioche would work best.
butter for pan

Combine beaten eggs, milk, sugar, and extracts in a shallow pan (like a pie plate). Lay bread in pan to soak up liquid. Flip to get both sides. You can poke your bread with a fork to make sure it soaks in. Transfer bread to butter pan and cook on stove over medium high heat until done on each side. Repeat until bread is used up.

I served with strawberries sliced and mixed with 1/4 cup sugar & 2 Tablespoons maple syrup plus a sprinkle of powdered sugar. The chocolate flavor is not overwhelming in this but gives it a great taste. For a stronger chocolate flavor you could add cocoa to the milk/egg mixture.

If you have a flashback of your own that you'd like to share please add your link here and LINK back to this blog.


I have thrown out the Great Cooking Magazine Challenge again. The date is May 8th. I'll have Mr. Linky up on the 7th since the 8th is Mother's Day. The idea is to try something new out of a cooking magazine. But rules are made to be broken so if you don't have a magazine any new to you recipe will do. Can't wait to see what you will try!

Happy Easter 2011!

We celebrated Easter with too much good food


Too much Candy!


And a little tie dying! This is the third year I've tried this technique. It's so much fun to see how they come out. Using silk from ties (or other silk fabric) cut pieces big enough to wrap the eggs, then tie the ends with yarn.


Then wrap the egg in a white or light color piece of fabric. I cut up an old pillow case. Pull the fabric close and tie the end with another piece of yarn. Put all of the eggs in water with 1/4 cup vinegar. Boil for 20 minutes. Let cool in a colander before unwrapping eggs.



You never know what you will get! The wrinkles in the fabric leave white gaps, but it kind of adds to the swirly pattern.


I like how this pastel paisley came out


The twisty marks at top look pretty cool on some.


Last year I blew a few eggs so I could keep them. I didn't take the time to do that this year and I will hate to throw them away!


Once the eggs have cooled and dried use a little dab of cooking oil to give them a shine.


Word of warning! I don't think the eggs dyed using this method should be eaten. The dye isn't necessarily food safe and it seeps through the shells.


That's a good excuse to keep them around for a while after Easter :-)


For those of you that care - there is a new Egg Pocking champion!!!!!


Yes that IS my hand! Read up on egg pocking HERE if you haven't got a clue what I'm talking about.

Flashback Friday ~Bok Choy Salad

For Flashback Friday I have this vintage photo to share. It just makes me laugh...


Flashing back to a family favorite recipes as well. This is a great salad for a crowd or holiday. Consider it for your Easter table. I promise it will be a hit. The recipe comes from my friend Belinda who is one of the best cooks around. I think you can find it online, but she's the one that introduced it to my family so I give her the credit!

Bok Choy Salad
my friend Belinda



Salad:

1 Bunch Bok Choy Cabbage

6 Green Onions

Chop bok choy into bite size pieces - use the whole thing. Slice green onions. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Topping:
2 pkgs ramen noodles (use the seasoning packet for something else)
1 small package slivered almonds
1 stick butter
2 tsp sesame seeds

Brown crushed noodles and almonds in butter. In the last couple of minutes add the sesame seeds and brown without burning. Drain on paper towels and cook to room temperature. Reserve until ready to serve salad.

Dressing:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Refrigerate and reserve until ready to serve salad. When ready to serve combine topping, salad and dressing then toss. Serve immediately.



If you have a flashback of any kind, Easter or otherwise please add your link below!


I'm joining in for Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum. Check it out!

Mosaic Monday ~Mushroom!

Spent Saturday exploring a new (to me) garden, The Bloedel Reserve, with my parents. At 150 acres there were a lot of woods too! More pictures later, but wanted to share the fungi I found.

I'm joining in for Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. Check it out HERE.