Dear Liza,
It has been sunny all week! I stayed inside for a few days to work on my story, but yesterday Grandpa Nelson and I walked almost seven miles!
We headed straight south, down 33rd Avenue. This took us through the Sunnyside, then Clinton, neighborhoods that I have walked so often. We enjoyed seeing the cherry blossoms leaping up against the glowing blue sky.
We kept heading south, through the Richmond and Creston Kenilworth areas. It was fun to notice how different neighborhoods had been built at different times. The Victorian houses of the 1890s became Craftsman style in the 1910s and Ranch styles in the 1950s. It was like an architectural history lesson.
Then we came to the Reed neighborhood, at Steel Street. By then we were three miles from home and ready for a snack, but there were no (Gasp!) coffee shops around! It was weird.
But we persevered, heading west a few blocks, past what was once the edge of town. Right by a tiny stream crossed by “Harry’s Bridge”, we found the “Berry Good” fruit stand and got some juice to keep us going.
We finally arrived at our destination, the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. This nine acre garden full of flowers, waterfalls and small lakes was founded in 1950 by some dedicated flower lovers when two “Cynthia” rhododendrons were transplanted to this spot.
The land was donated by William Ladd in 1917. You will remember his name from Ladd’s Addition and his donation of land for our Laurelhurst Park.
Tomorrow, I will tell you about the loveliness inside the garden!
Love,
Grandma Judy
