A Gorgeous Day and a Lovely Walk

Wow...after the deluge yesterday it was amazing to have such a crystal clear day! Well eventually - it was very foggy first thing. It was chilly - mid-40's (7 C) but blue, blue sky. 

We went for our usual Sunday morning hike in the Hoyt Arboretum in Portland. What a joy this time of year to see so many plants waking up! I found these amazing catkins (I forgot to actually see what kind of tree it was...a birch or alder I'm assuming) which are so much fun to look at closely. 

And the extras: Oso Berry or Indian Plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) - one of our earliest native plants to bloom. The other is I believe a flowering plum - it's early for the cherries. There was one lovely blossom glowing against the darker trees. 

What a joy to be able to be in such beauty! 

I spent a couple more hours in the garden tidying up this afternoon. The cats even came out to play :-)