Canby, Oregon - Swan Island Dahlia Festival

For the first time this year we went and visited Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby. So many dahlias!

I am being careful to note that they are in Canby, because the news segment initially called it the Sauvie Island Dahlia Festival and quickly corrected himself after a pained look from the interviewee, but also because there is a major flower market on Swan Island, and these things can get confusing.

(This is even more true because while Swan Island was originally an island, landfill has connected it to the mainland.)

Nonetheless, the dahlias are in Canby, and there are thousands of them.

We only went down one path of rows in one field, but across the street there was another one.

Each field has a path cutting down the middle, with different varieties on either side.

And you are strongly encouraged to notleave that path for photos or picking. I saw many people disregarding the rules, and many trampled flowers. Don't do that.

The other thing we neglected to do was go into the covered area. There were vendors there, but also cut flower displays, and of course boards with paintings of dahlias that you could stick your head through. Every flower festival has those; we should have known and gone. (We did not park in the best possible place.)

We still enjoyed ourselves. One part of the fun is to see the different names of the varieties.

You just know some of them have a story.

One interesting contrast with the lily festival we recently attended was that we didn't notice any scent. This makes dahlias a good option for many with a sensitivity to smells.

Obviously there was variety of color, but it was also interesting to see the variety of petal arrangements, from little puff balls to more tousled ones that resembled chrysanthemums.

That led to a little bit of research that could be fun reading for you"

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/difference-between-chrysanthemums-dahlias-76851.html

https://www.dahlias.com/annualdahliafestival.aspx

Albany, Oregon - Historic Carousel and Museum, Part 2

I saw this painted at least twice at the museum: "This Carousel is run by the Heart and Soul of Volunteers".

I thought it was nice and probably true, because volunteers are always important for things like this. I didn't realize how true it was until we toured the basement.

Yes, volunteers help with the gift shop and as tour guides and greeters, but also, they carve the animals on the carousel.

Even if you do not know how to carve, even if you do not live locally, you can become one of the carvers and learn there, eventually helping to turn art concepts into carved and painted members of the menagerie.

So when the individual animals are known by name, each of those animals has a history. Someone has sponsored the animal, chosen meaningful medallions and designs, and many people have spent hours carving.

That is an important reason to tour the basement. Yes, there is historical information and display there, but also it is a living workshop for a fascinating craft.

Then you can see the animals in the painting phase upstairs, and return to the carousel itself and have a greater appreciation for it.

https://albanycarousel.com/

https://albanycarousel.com/volunteer/

Albany, Oregon - Historic Carousel and Museum, Part 1

I wanted to divide this into two parts because there are at least two different areas that I want to focus on. As a third I will put a bonus here, that a recent article on Albany attractions included the carousel, and except for a parkway, everything was within two blocks of each other. Albany is compact.

The other thing that I appreciated was the focus on the animals.

That is the magic of a carousel, and they really try and highlight the animals here.

There are charts of the animals, including animals that are not yet on display.

It is nice to see that they have names and what those names are, especially when you see how gorgeous they can be.

The tiles on the bathroom walls highlight different animals.

It is clear that the animals get the stage, and that feels as it should be.

 You can love the horses and still be glad for the more unusual members of the menagerie.

 I may have seen elephants before, but that is a frog to the side, and the quail was a first!

When you learn more about the museum, it makes perfect sense that they are highlighted in the way that they are. More on that next time.

https://albanycarousel.com/

Beaverton, Oregon - Tualatin Valley Water District Water Efficient Demonstration Garden

There are at least four demonstration gardens in the general area, and there is a link to more information on them below. The one I know best is for my own water district, Tualatin Valley, located on 170th and Merlo Road in Beaverton.

I knew there was signage, like this one on mulch, but I was surprised to not see tags identifying the different plants.

In photos of lawn replacements, these tufts always show up, but what are they?

Then we saw the structures with not just maps, but lots and lots of different handouts.

This is where I realized that were were not just seeing one possibility for a water efficient garden, but three.

The areas are divided into sunny, shady, and mixed, so you can get different ideas depending on what best suits your property.

I appreciated the variety and clarity of the information available. This allows for self-guided learning at any time.

The traditional lawn is wasteful and surprisingly sterile,  but also not very imaginative.

Building on a wealth of free information available, you can find alternatives that are better for the environment and more beautiful for your own enjoyment.

The transition may still take work and involve some headaches, but can also be very rewarding.

And that is not just referring to a lower water bill!

https://www.tvwd.org/

https://www.conserveh2o.org/sites/default/files/plantguide_demos.pdf