I Beg Your Pardon

I only promised you a rose garden.
We took the kids (kicking a screaming) up to the International Rose Test Garden this afternoon.  The rest of Portland had the same idea as the park was jammed and we had to hike up a hill after parking by the reservoir.

The roses were mostly in full bloom but there were a few beds that look like my roses - leaves but little or no buds yet.  That made me feel a little better.

Nutmeg had fun posing with the flowers

 

and enjoyed herself more than the boys did.

I always enjoy looking at the roses in the Gold Medal portion of the garden and this year the

Julia Child (2008) was my favorite.

1941's Neville Chamberlain made me snicker,  

I felt it appropriate that none of the blossoms were very lovely

This one had me choked up and then I read the history of the rose and I did cry.

Then we stumbled upon the Holocaust Memorial.  In all of our visits to the Rose Garden we had never known of the existence of this monument.  It was built in 2004 which was after we did our initial and most thorough explorations of Washington Park so I will let the oversight pass.

As you enter the memorial there are bronze sculptures scattered on the pavement, a suitcase, teddy bear, pair of glasses, a book, a baby shoe, a broken violin, and a doll.

 

When you reach the wall there is some history of the holocaust, memories of a child, and the names of loved ones who perished in the "Shoah."

We were able to explain some to the children what happened and how evil it was and that we have places like these to remember never to let something like that happen again.

It was a special place and I hope to be able to visit again.