Wild Violets & Stargazer's Decks are Swabbed!

I told you about how each Spring our farm yard bursts forth with fields of wild violets?  Today my sweetheart and I went out and took some photos and he got down on the ground with his scissors and cut a whole bowl of these tiny flowers for me to arrange in my tiny vases.  Awww.. isn't he darling?  I just wish you could smell the amazing fragrance of these little precious blossoms.  The colors are pure white, light lavender, lavender and dark purple.  The colors are in this first photo.

Here are the white ones in their natural habitat.. the farm grounds.

Here are some of the white and the purple. 

A close-up of the bowl of flowers hubby brought in while I was washing the vases and filling them with fresh water.

Now I must tell you.. you have to put each and every tiny little flower in one at a time, so making four vases of bouquets took some time.  :-)  The vase below is a favorite of mine, I found it at an antique show in Hood River.  It's a hand holding the flowers molded out of glass and the top rim is milk glass.  Charming!

I put all 4 of my little vases on a vintage jadeite glass plate - my "wild violet vignette".  The littlest vase is a tiny cream bottle that was once used in restaurants and had a tiny waxed cardboard top pushed down into the rim with the name of the dairy on it.  Are you old enough to remember those being used in restaurants?  I am! :-)

While hubby was picking violets I was looking about the yard and saw this branch with lichen on it.. isn't it amazing stuff? 

The daffodils are all open and happy! 

I have added 3 more little crocheted eggs to my basket.  The speckled one in the center, the green one in front and the pink one to the right of the blue one in back.  I plan to do another one or 2 today.  :-) 

::hitting rewind:: to the last few days with hubby and our boat, Stargazer.  She's moored at Portland Yacht Club of which we've been members for many years.  The club is located on Marine Drive not too far from the Interstate I-5 and it's bridge that crosses over the Columbia River to Vancouver, Washington.  He purchased new dock lines, a new sail cover and a new wooden tiller.  On Friday he scrubbed the topsides of the cabin and cockpit and decking.  When going down the companionway ladder into the cabin he slipped and fell onto the cabin floor on his back and hit his head on the ladder.  He laid there stunned for a moment and went.. "Wah wah wah".  :-)  Being a tough old bird, he went back to work and finished the cleaning.  He went back yesterday and fitted the new sailcover and installed it and put the lifeline covers back on that he'd cleaned and put on the new dock lines.  He did this all alone fighting the currents and wind.  Then he installed the new tiller handle.  He also scrubbed the hull down to the water line.  What a guy. The PYC moorage chairman commended him on how nice the boat looks, all set for opening day!

Next he will be tuning up the motor, and then we'll take her out sailing!  The teak on the boat needs to be refinished and that is on his agenda - it has to be done in nice weather.  Here's hoping that we have a better summer than last year!

Isn't she pretty?  I lived aboard her for 4 months in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington state one summer.  I singlehanded her there, it was a memorable experience.

Dayle snapped this photo of Mt. Hood in Alpen glow on his way home after working on her all day.  This is the view from our sailing waters in the Columbia River.  ::sigh::  It's so lovely to sail here on these waters with the mountain looming beyond.

Today we're both taking time to relax and recharge from our busy lives.  We were supposed to go to dinner at our son's house, but his good friend invited he and his family to his birthday party, so we'll hopefully see them next week instead.  I hope you're having a fun and enjoyable weekend!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)