Edgefield, Life Love and Trilliums

We attended a Volunteer Training Workshop for the Friends of Multnomah Falls on Friday.  It was held at McMenamins Edgefield in the ballroom.  This place is actually magical.  It was built as a poor farm in 1911, it was also a nursing home when I took my Girl Scout Troop to visit in 1982 hoping to cheer the residents.  The big building was being faced with demolition when the McMenamin brothers stepped in, in 1990, and bought it and then proceeded to spend years fixing it up and now it's a destination boutique hotel and brewery with several restaurants in the buildings.  

The most amazing part of this place is they hired a bunch of artists and just let them paint murals and paintings all over the place.  The mural in the ballroom is one example.  Our presentation at the meeting was about waterfalls and canyoning.  :-)

Shirley took my phone over to the window and snapped this photo for me.. the pink Magnolia is gorgeous against the old brick of the building.

Look at what the artists did to the exposed pipes!!  LOL!

After a nice session and pizza and salad for lunch in the ballroom we headed out in the beautiful afternoon.. a closer look at the pink Magnolia.  :-)

This is the side of the main building and you can see their water tower.

Behind the main building is the Power Station which is a bar and restaurant.  The main lodge building has the Black Rabbit which is their nicest eatery.

There is a patio by the Power Station where you can dine outside when the weather is fair.. it's a popular spot and the BBQ grill is in action.

Our 49th anniversary dinner was at Bumpers Grill & Bar - our "go to" place for steak.  I had filet mignon and Dayle had the rib eye.. he tried it for a change but is going to go back to the filet next time.  The steak is laid on a pool of the most delicious bordelaise sauce.. yum!!

We shared a creme brulee for desert and they stuck a candle in it for our anniversary.  Nummers!

I'm so enjoying the special daffodils in our big pot that I ordered from Breck's.

Our Star Magnolia is in bloom.. I love it.

Aren't these flowers something else?

Here is what the buds look like and they emerge from a fuzzy casing.

I was out this morning walking around the yard taking photos of the emerging flowers and saw this Japanese Skimmia in bloom.

The Mahonia is blooming too.

Another new variety in the big pot is opening.. but they aren't fully open and their heads are still bent.  I'll show you a better photo when they hold their head's up.

Richard painted the backs of the steps up to the deck red as the wood was old and didn't look nice.

Dayle took a trek out into our woods to photograph the newly bloomed Trilliums for me.  Pretty!!  There is Creeping Myrtle ground cover in our woods.

They are SO pretty right when they bloom before bugs and bunnies start munching on them.  

Do you have Trilliums where you live?  They should never be picked or they may not bloom for another 7 years.  

I guess that's all my news on this end.. what's new with you?
((hugs)), Teresa :-)