I wanted color: I got color. A little trip to the valley.

It's always about this time of year when the reality of living in the high desert hits me. As much as I love Bend, I crave having a little more color, more blooming things around. By now, I am sick of our brown sticks, and ready for some greenery. I'm one of those idiots who want to rush out and buy flats of annuals on the first sunny day of spring... only to see them flop and die in the frost.

So what did I want for my birthday? A little trip over the mountains to see some green. And green it was. More than I could have imagined. We visited Silverton for the first time: a charming little town that is exploding with blooms and covered in emerald green lawns. Little pink petals fluttered in the breeze and landed in our hair everywhere we walked. Every house – even the smallest little cottages – had a lush garden. The camellia branches were bending over with the weight of the saucer-sized raspberry pink blooms.

And then we went to the Tulip Festival, where an entire hillside was covered with gorgeous, bright, colorful tulips. It was a feast for the eyes. Happiness.

Funny, everybody asked us where we were from, and when we told them we popped over from Bend (because it was a quick pop; just over two hours), the response was almost universal. "Oh! I love Bend! We really want to live there!"

Except for one girl who said, "Ah. Bend. I like it, but I think it's a little... uh, dry for me."

You got that right, sister.

Here are a few pictures, which can't really capture the richness of it all. Next time I'm bringing a bunch of buckets, and I'm going to buy armloads of flowers to bring back to the shop. Scroll to the bottom for a picture of Jilly on vacation. Our new baby!!