SPRING COMES QUICKLY TO PORTLAND

One week after writing about the spring buds, and now I'm astonished about the riot of blooms in my neighborhood. We got a gorgeous, sunny day in Portland for President's birthday weekend and I looked out at my backyard and noticed the outside thermometer reaching towards 60 degrees today. After exercising Penny with Beau at my side looking at her chase umpteen tennis balls into the park like she was nuts, we went for a stroll in the neighborhood with my camera to capture things already in bloom. I just looked at the 10-day forecast and as of Wednesday, we have nearly a week of projected sunny skies to look forward to.

This rhododendron cascades down this backyard wall. A week ago, there were no blooms there at all.

Heather begins blooming in December and seems to be at its peak now. I have about six or seven heather plants on my driveway side garden.

This is one of two bald eagles that I managed to capture soaring over Kenilworth Park as we were beginning to cross the street. I knew there was a hawk living there. Is it possible that a bald eagles are in residence too!

I photographed this pink tree a week ago. It's much pinker today

The same with this delicate tree right behind the pink one. The yellow was barely discernible last week.
This huge shrub soaring over the roof is a white camellia. I've never seen so many camellia bushes in one area.

Here is a red camellia in full bloom. This is about four blocks from my house.

I've never seen this yellow ground cover flower but it's gorgeous.

Here's a row of crocus plants on the side of a Victorian house near me.

On the side-yard of that same Victorian is this hedge carved into the shape of a large bird.

A small rhododendron in the front yard of a house a few doors down from me.

More crocus at the edge of a rock garden.

There's this really cool ranch house that is in need of restoration. On the corner of this house's lot is this cluster of daffodils--the most blooming I've seen thus far.

This tree is surrounded by groupings of daffodils, which probably began to bloom today.