Have Pen and Camera, Will Travel: July 2020

Still not much travel even though Oregon, like other places, tries to open up a little. Anne and I are being very conservative—no sit-in restaurants, very little shopping, no real trips. We have been on the lookout for ways to get out of the house. We’re not fans of wild camping, but we did consider taking Morse, the travel trailer, to a formal RV resort on the coast. We stopped considering it when the Oregon coast became a Covid-19 Hot Spot and we saw pictures of filled campgrounds crowded with campers with no masks and not maintaining social distancing. We did finally decide a trip to The Oregon Garden with friends Scott and Jane Thompson (in separate cars) would be doable. That three hour visit is the kernel of this post, along with telling about a Scottish garden we’ve visited several times. Mostly pictures without much commentary.

If nothing else, I hope this post bring a little color and brightness to a quite dark time.

The Oregon Garden, Silverton, OR. www.oregongarden.org

Opened in 1999, The Oregon Garden is an 80-acre botanical garden with more than 20 specialty gardens (such as the Evergreen Garden and the Children’s Garden). The garden has four miles of ADA paths and usually operates a guided tram ride. The garden is open 365 days a year and is lovely any time of year.

I usually visit the garden two or three times a year for flower photos, but this time I was particularly interested in the garden’s Covid-19 adaptions, including

Visitor’s Center was closed until July 10th,

This isn't the Visitor's Center; it's a garden shed.

Hours restricted to 10 to 4 daily,

For a while I had my ducks in a row.

Only 300 guests in the garden at any one time,

The tram is not operating,

Drinking fountains are turned off (bring your own water),

The crow on the right was teaching the young one how to feed.

Only restrooms by the entrance and the Children’s Garden are open, and

Masks are required in indoor public areas and six foot social distancing is expected in all areas.

Using a special photo program.

The local statue of Nessie.

The four of us maintained appropriate social distancing and then enjoyed a picnic lunch (we each brought our own) at different ends of the picnic table. A lovely and successful trip.

Kailzie Gardens, 2.5 miles from Peebles in Scotland’s Borders region, www.kailziegrdens.com

In better times when Anne and I have visited the Scottish Borders we have spent time at Kailzie Gardens (pronounced kay-lae), a private garden in the Tweed Valley. The garden dates from 1812 and is currently owned by Lady Buchan-Hepburn of Peebles.

This is a spectacular 17-acre garden consisting of both woodlands and walled formal gardens, including greenhouses. Kailzie also hosts Tweed Valley Ospreys (an osprey observation area open Easter to the end of August) and Kailzie Courtyard Cafe. The gardens are usually open all year, but this year closed in March and didn’t reopen until July 3rd.