A Visit to Eugene, Oregon

I didn't take many pictures on my trip to Seattle and to Eugene, as I was in 'real life' mode, and not really being a spectator. I also spent most of my time hanging out with folks, rather than touring public gardens. Well, next time! But I had a great time, and wanted to share a few garden-related pix with y'all.


Gray's Nursery was breathtakingly blooming with walls of hanging petunias and spectacular frontage plantings. I had to go in and tell the manager that I'd never seen such a gorgeous display outside of National Parks! I also wish I'd had a wide-angle lens to truly convey the splendour of it all. I stood in the parking lot (out of traffic, of course) for a long time looking at the huge walls of color.


I tried a number of different exposures and angles to try to get a nice desktop-type shot of the petunias, but it was mid-afternoon and brightly sunny. At last, a petunia desktop, which currently adorns my laptop, and is here to brighten your day at work.


I was completely impressed by the numbers and varieties of huge trees on the streets here. Most were types I recognized, but some, like this one, are unfamiliar. Is this a chestnut? Or are those some kind of persimmon? If you know what this is, please let me know.


While a truly iconic Eugene street scene would feature bicycles, I couldn't resist snapping this adorable classic Vespa scooter, parked on a curving curb between two great cafes (Sweet Life and Planet Eugene). The sky and the scooter were the same color, and seemed part of one piece. Olympians getting an iced chai to go?