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The Gardens of Mien Ruys - a book review

I don't know how I missed her, but I was totally unfamiliar with Mien Ruys. A beautiful new book The Gardens of Mien Ruys details her life and work. Born in the Netherlands in 1904, she was the daughter of Bonne Ruys, who founded Moerheim Nursery in 1888. She grew up in a liberal atmosphere and encouraged to learn and study. She found great comfort in the natural world around her and learned all the plants in her father's nursery at a young age. After leaving school at the age of 19, she knew that she wanted to work in the garden center. The Moerheim Nursery, in addition to selling plants, had an on-site design studio where they published a detailed catalog and sold landscape design plans to customers. It was in the design studio where Ruys first began to work and she was soon encouraged to venture beyond her country and study abroad. Her father's connections helped her secure a traineeship with Wallace & Sons Nursery in Tunbridge Wells in England. There, she met Gertr...
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A trip to Leavenworth, Washington



Our friends Paul and Cindy are here for the holidays and one of the places they wanted to visit was Leavenworth, Washington. They organized a two-day stay beginning on the day after Christmas. Michael, who has anxiety issues about traveling in the mountains, stayed at home. 

 Although we've been here for almost five years (hard to believe), I'm sad to report that I have only ventured north in the state of Washington one time and that was a very brief visit to Seattle. I had heard of Leavenworth, a little town modeled after a Bavarian village. It is located in eastern Washington and is about a 4 1/2 hour drive from our house in Vancouver.

The weather has been fair where we live and the temperature has only dropped below freezing a few times. As you venture into the mountains, however, the weather changes dramatically. We watched the temperature drop 10 degrees, into the mid 20s, in less than 10 minutes. Also, snow began to appear.

 


At last we arrived in the little town of Leavenworth, population almost 2,000, in the 2010 census. The city lies in a valley surrounded by steep mountains. The town was once a logging town but when the railroad moved out, the town struggled to stay afoot. In the 1960s, the town leaders came up with an idea borrowed from a similar northern California town to change it into an alpine village.

 Every building in town must reflect the architecture -



The town has many festivals throughout the year to bring in tourists. The Christmas light display is a major draw, as we discovered.






Our hotel - the Bavarian Ritz - at night 





Lots of little shops and places to shop, although many of the stores seemed to be carrying the same thing.

 



If you don't like throngs of people and kids running everywhere, I would advise against Leavenworth. It reminded me of Gatlinburg in the Smokey Mountains. Yes, it is beautiful but the over-commercialization and crowds of people turned me off. Especially at night, I would compare it to New York City streets, although I've never been to New York City.

I did love the little park that was situated along the creek on the backside of town. 





 Our hotel is the one with the red roff at the top of the hill -
















On the way home, we took a different route to avoid the traffic on I-5 and I got to see some of the eastern side of Washington which is totally different in weather and terrain. These photos in were taken at a rest stop in Yakima. Quite a difference!






Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. AlisonDecember 30, 2019 at 5:07 PM

    Like Michael, I would have anxiety issues about traveling in the mountains in the winter as well. I dislike snow, especially driving in it. We visited Leavenworth in May several years ago, and it was a unique experience. I don't remember it being particularly crowded, but you were there during the holidays. I hope you get to see more of the Seattle/Tacoma area soon, maybe a trip north for the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in February?

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowDecember 31, 2019 at 8:34 AM

    I can imagine that if there wasn't such a crowd it would be an enchanting little village. Must be all the shops were owned by one person and they bought from the same vendor for all. Too bad. They should try different vendors. Oh well I imagine it was nice getting out of routine for a couple of days. Too bad Michael can't take the mountains. The other side is quite a different drive. Cheers.

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  3. Barbara H.December 31, 2019 at 11:35 AM

    Yes, the difference between eastern and western Oregon and Washington is a little mind-boggling. And then to have the amazing Colombia River Gorge between them! Though I'm glad to be away from the traffic of Portland, I do miss the geographical diversity of Oregon. Glad you got to do a little exploring!

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  4. chavlinessJanuary 1, 2020 at 9:09 AM

    Its nice to get away sometimes, and if visiting friends are the motivating factor, so be it. I've experienced Leavenworth in summer, many years ago. The scenery is spectacular, no matter the season. Although I being around snow, I do love the snow pictures you shared.

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