Big Pink

This dahlia resides in what used to be our dog pen years and years ago ....one the dogs never saw fit to really use much.  Now it has been all cleared out and planted this year with many dahlias.  They were generously given to us by a neighbor of my son's in Portland.  His neighbors were moving so they were selling lots of things.  This was in the spring.  We did buy some tools and other things , but they gave us a bunch of dahlias.  Big R planted them in  the old dog pen area.  Most came up and this is one of them that I've made into a more painterly image.   
   It's also a tribut to his lovely neighbors....Last month the husband died...very very sad as they had just moved away to be in a new smaller place and live out the next phase of their lives.  He never really got to fulfill that dream and his lovely wife is now having to get the home they had in Portland sold...she lives in the new home .  A lot is on her plate.  They were lovely neighbors who kind of took our kids under their wing when our kids bought the home across from them.  I will always remember their kindness and their dahlia presents to us.