Rhodies

The rhododendrons in my lawn are at the peak of their bloom.

We planted these forty years ago and they are now giants. This one must be about twenty feet tall or more.

This one is my favorite. Light pink with a watercolor effect on the petals. Thirty four years ago we had experienced an ash eruption from Mt. St. Helens and all of the blooms were coated with muddy grey ash, like a coat of thick paint. Volcanic ash, unlike rain or snow, doesn't go away very quickly. Every time we mowed the lawn that summer we kicked up a big cloud of ash. For the rest of that school year, the students wore ash masks to school and recess was held indoors. That was 1980, it doesn't seem like it was that long ago.