Saying Goodbye...Again

This weekend I went to Hood River to help scatter my friend Scott's ashes in the Columbia River where he loved to windsurf. It was the second of three ceremonies we will do to honor Scott. The first one was an intimate gathering at his favorite surf spot on the Oregon Coast earlier this year.

 

 

It was an emotional and beautiful weekend, filled with stories, tears, laughs and lots of good friends. That is one of the things that keeps hitting me about Scott - he had  A LOT of friends. The way he lived his life impacted a lot of people. He made an impression with his dry wit, his athleticism, his strong work ethic and the twinkle in his baby blue eyes.

 

On Saturday afternoon, his community came out to the shores of the mighty Columbia River, to his favorite windsurfing spot, to honor a friend, a dad, a husband, a co-worker and a darn good windsurfer.

 

God beams showered his wife Heather as she scattered Scott's ashes. Simply amazing.

 
One of Scott's friends sailed his windsurfer, as Heather and his son Zane looked on from the shore. I know Scott was smiling down on that!

Everyone wrote a message to Scott on a river rock and threw it into the river along with a red rose, symbolizing love.

 

This winter we will scatter Scott's ashes on Crystal Mountain, his winter playground. And we will once again say goodbye to an amazing guy. Until we meet again.

 

 

Three Florists' Delight

Last week I wrote about colorful, delightful dahlias. Within the last week, I've learned about a new variety -- the café au lait dahlia -- that is the favorite of three of my favorite florists. First, my sister Jill of Starflower in Portland posted the above picture on Instagram with this caption: "If I were to buy myself flowers, it would be these girls."

Jill created this amazing, dramatic bridal bouquet with café au laits as the hero.

The next day, I bumped into Tess of July Floral Design delivering weekly flowers to Volunteer Park Cafe, and she told me about a bloom she's especially excited about right now - the café au lait! She told me "They are the IT flower!"

 

Tess designed these gorgeous arrangements for a party last week.

And a couple of days later, my friend Maura of Casablanca Floral posted these pics on Facebook with the following caption: "Aaaah these café au lait dahlias are sumptuous. They make me want to get married again (to the same man!)."

These gorgeous blooms have definitely gotten the attention of three of the most talented floral artists I know. I love how each of them uses them in their own unique way.

Keep your eyes out for these beauties. I've yet to see them in person, but I hope to sometime soon.

Tea Speaks to Me

Tea is my constant companion. It picks me up in the morning. It keeps me company during the day. It comforts me like a warm hug. The messages on my Yogi tea bags this week have been especially comforting and inspiring, so I wanted to share a few with you.

 

I feel like the Universe is speaking to me through tea! What speaks to you?

Dahlia Delight

 

The dahlia garden at Seattle's Volunteer Park (aka my happy place) is still in full bloom. Here are some happy blooms to brighten your day! These are the unfiltered versions. Pop over to Instagram for the artsy versions!