Early Riser...07/20/11...5am...49°...Almost sunny

Pat and Ruth, food always puts a smile on our faces.

Awoke early after seven hours of sleep, seem rested so on with the day...But first I have to drink coffee, scrabble, surf the net...Think!..(my kids would say this is scary)

Had a great day yesterday, exhausting but fun...First our weekly "write group"... Started many years ago by serious writers, who voted new members into the group after listening to their writings and observing their personalities...different kind of group now, we are serious and careful about new people, but we are a varied group, including poets, memoir writers, seasoned writers, snowbirds and newbies...keeps us fresh, always new faces, sometimes fleeting, other times they come and stay for the duration...Never any pressure...sometimes it is not about writing at all, it can be a support group, conversation over lunch, recipe exchange and a friendly game of scrabble...It happens every week all year long.

After our potluck lunch, that resembled a smorgasbord, Pat and I were off to the Garden Club meeting...(Pat said I dragged her along, really she was more than willing) This month it was held, up the Lostine River Canyon, at the home of Lael Prazeau...Under threatening skies 15 ladies toured Lael's lovely gardens filled with flowers of all kinds, nary a weed in sight... Much of her garden today was about the different textures and colors of green and unusual plants...I have never seen so many different sedum's except in the spring catalogs...blooming now were annual poppies, columbine, dianthus and spirea... Iris's have finished blooming and day lilies are about to burst...We have stopped planning garden club around blooms, just doesn't work...As the skies opened up and the rain started, we scurried into Lael's spacious home with magnificent views of the Lostine Canyon...The gardens and home are lovely but it didn't end there as we were treated to scones, fresh from the oven, with lemon curd and strawberry toppings accompanied with iced tea or coffee...I hope this turns into another recipe exchange...Photo's will have to wait for another time, as I missed the opportunity before it started raining...Thank you Lael for sharing this beautiful spot.

Home finally at 5pm, exhausted from talking and laughing...Loved every minute of it...~OWAV:))