Seen at Schreiner's Iris Gardens - No. 5 - wide shots and chicken dinner facts and photos

How well I remember hoping that I could get that garden hat in just the right spot as I took the photo--visible between the blossoms. Success!



The canopies over the lunch tables and chairs. Just beyond them is the driveway and beyond it, the front parking lot. I've managed to get here early enough each year to park that close so that I wouldn't have to go too far to get to the flowers. The chicken dinners are sold out of that bit of blue you see right center--that's the Gervais Knights of Columbus chicken dinner stand.



That ornamental iron piece is for sale; if I had a yard and some gardens, I'd want one! Those two blooming trees in the distance are the same two seen in the photo above. You can get an idea of the wide aisles in this area. Believe me, once three tour buses show up at the same time, for instance, and lots of private vehicles, in no time at all, this place gets crowded. That's another reason I like to come early, eat my chicken dinner close to 11:30 a.m., take another walk around to make certain that I didn't miss anything, then head back to Portland.



I took this photo to the right of the previous one, standing with the lunch area canopies behind me and the trees alongside the other end of this section of the front gardens, I tried to get as much as possible in this photo, but I really need a wide lens to do it justice. There is a house on the other side of that row of trees and beyond it are the demonstration gardens, also enclosed in tall trees. See other related photos below, please.



I imagine those in charge of the garden design and care are thrilled with this year's outcomes. I am!



I so appreciate the efforts made by Schreiner's Iris Gardens to make this experience as enjoyable and as easy as possible for all of come to partake. Leland and I ate our delicious chicken dinners sitting at the right end of these canopies, near that post beyond the bucket of yellow iris. Both of us were doggone hungry, and I didn't even think about taking a photo! I did manage to say hello to Marsha, a friend from work who is now retired, before digging in. Marsha is the one who told me about Schreiner's in the first place--she comes with friends from Portland each year on Memorial Day.



I stopped on our way to the car and got a shot of the chicken dinner people, every single one of them personable, efficient and dedicated to this fundraiser for the Gervais Knights of Columbus. The two ladies on the right were in the same spots in 2014, happily helping folks with their dinners.



See how many organizations receive support from the money raised by this hard-working group? I love small-town-America events like this!



My 2013 chicken dinner--evidently I was also too hungry to stop and take a photo in 2014! The quantity and quality never decreases!



More of the happy iris. I say that because of how light and airy and upright they looked, like they'd just had a drink of the sweetest water and felt the warmth of an overcast May sun near Oregon's capital city, Salem.



There's a gazebo hiding in that lush greenery. Four benches provide a welcome place to rest your feet, with the added plus of enough darkness to check out your photos on your camera and/or smart phone. Also, I used my zoom lens to photograph Leland as he took pictures in the demonstration gardens. I sat in there twice while we enjoyed this part of the wonderful Schreiner's Iris Gardens.



In between the front gardens where the canopies are up over the lunch tables and the back demonstration gardens, there is a house which we are allowed to walk beside--I think I heard one time that someone in the Schreiner family lives in it, but I'm not certain, so don't quote me. This planting of trees, peace lilies, and azaleas in it's backyard always catches my eye. I adore dogwoods!



Purple delphinium, golden chain tree, and through the opening, you can see the pink dogwood shown in the previous photo.



Another golden chain tree stands on the opposite side of the demonstration gardens. What a blessing to enjoy all of this beauty for the fourth year in a row, with the added joy of my son Leland being there with me, taking photos!



In this photo, you can see both of the golden chain trees and get an idea of how large the space is, with its various colorful demonstration gardens arranged in rows with grassy aisles in between.