Recently, Alyssa visited Portland, and we made a special trip to the International Rose Test Garden. Thousands and thousands of roses are in bloom all at once. It’s absolutely intoxicating and brings me back by scent to a special time in my life. It may be cllche, but there is something I adore about roses. Their elegance, the thorns, the soft velvet of their petals. My favorites are red or yellow.

The rose below was especially striking due to the black edges.