After a good nights sleep at the resort and a filling breakfast, we headed back into the garden for a few more hours. The day was showing a change in the weather, with a chilly breeze in the air and clouds on the horizon, so we tried to see as much as we could before it began raining. The rain ended up holding off until we arrived home later that day. The pictures are out of order, the first two being our lunch stop after the garden at one of our favorite spots, Chipotle.
Chicken fajita burrito bowl! YUM!
Signs of spring were all around us in the garden, with trees flowering and thousands of daffodils blooming.
There are
20 gardens to walk through, not including the Oak grove with the signature 400 year old oak, wetlands and rediscovery forest. I will attempt to list them: Entry water garden, rose garden with over 40 varieties of roses, Chez garden (an eclectic display of ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials), pet friendly garden, NW garden, native garden, Silverton Market garden which celebrates agricultures significance in Oregon, children's garden, axis garden, conifer garden, a-mazing water garden, bosque with four brick reflecting ponds, honor garden, sensory garden, home demonstration gardens, lewis and clark garden, dinosaur garden, iris garden, valley garden and drought tolerant garden. This is spread over 80 acres with many pathways, stairs and views of the valley beyond. There is also an education center, pavillion for events, greenhouse, visitor center and the famed Gordon house, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Every season holds its own magic in the garden, with colors and form revealed.
Frank Lloyd Wright house. Tours available with separate entrance fee.
In the rose garden.
A sculpture mae by a local artist, Rip Caswell, who has a foundry down the road from us in Troutdale.
Silhouette of the 400 year old oak tree.
Part of the Silverton Market garden.
The Oak Grove. I was walking through here on my own and was able to witness a hawk who caught a squirrel and was flying away clutching it. Wish I was fast enough to get a picture.
Bridge over the A-mazing Water garden.
We got a kick out of these planters in the Children's garden. Lauren kept calling them Papa and Grandma ;-). Is that what retirement is all about??? Not so with my folks, they are busier than ever.
Hobbitt house in the Children's Garden. You can crawl through it or run over it. Wouldn't this be great for the kiddos in the backyard??! It's just a big pipe with dirt and grass over it. Hmmm, where could I fit that?
Being green :-) Recycle, reduce and reuse....even your bathroom fixtures! There use to be an old piano with plants growing out of the keys and top, but that must of rotted enough to dismantle it.
Papa and grandma still sitting there, taking time to smell the flowers :-)
My lovely Alyssa Nanette, growing into a young lady.
My mischievous Lauren Noelle, always a look of mischief in those pretty brown eyes.
Silverton Market garden, wider view.
Train garden within the children's garden. Operating hours, 10 to 3. It even has realistic noises and goes over a bridge and through a tunnel in the hedge.
Still sitting there....
One of my favorite trees, the corkscrew willow.
Sand play area in the Children's garden where kids can be archeologists and excavate dinosauer bones.
Alyssa loved this pathway that wound through a 'forest' of bamboo.
My girls, on top of the hobbitt house.
Another example of reusing. Old tools and bicycle parts to make a gate!
Bosque. In the summer the planters are filled with 80 plants.
Wood tree fort with cute cutouts in the railing.
An old Schwinn bike, very much like the one I had as a young girl.
A visit to China. In this room there are Chinese characters that children (or adults) can practice drawing with water on slate tiles. They dry quickly, so if you mess up, just wait a minute and try again.
Musical area
Inside the 'stomach'. The balls are supposed to represent the enzymes that break food down.
Still in the stomach. You can crawl in either end of the digestive tract.
This wood cutout shows the anatomy of the face, in and out. The front side shows the superficial features, then crawl through the mouth and the backside reveals muscles, ligaments, bones, epiglottis and teeth. Talk in the ear and a tube on the back shows the path that the vestibulocochlear nerve takes to the brain. 
Probably our favorite room in the village is the bubble room. Here you use pulleys to pull a hoop up and over you. It is tricky to keep the bubble from popping once you reach your waist.
Hulla hoop bubbles. I would love to try this outside this summer!
Alyssa did really well making HUGE bubbles!
Each time we go we get the traditional picture in the enormous rocking chair on the porch.
This room is very fun. You move around and your movement and shape is captured on the wall in front of you. The above is our entire family and as you can see, both Harry and I are taking a picture. :-)
Amy, with camera.
Alyssa waving her arms.
Alyssa the acrobat.
Lauren learning about boat safety.
The little grocery store. Hmmm, how many calories are in this?
Lauren learning to weigh her produce on the scale.
Wouldn't it be fun if I could pick out whatver I wanted when I shop with mommy and daddy??
The black tube snakes around the outdoor area, probably close to 100 feet, and you can talk in each end. The other person sounds very far away, but you can hear them clearly.
Want to learn about mitochondria? This is the place.
Oooh, more dinosauer bones!
