Stairway to heaven

This lovely garden is located on the property known as Melaluka Lodge in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area.  Formerly a leper colony and now used for retreats, the lodge was built by a doctor for his daughter who had contracted leprosy while they were on a mission to the Hawaiian Islands.  The house sits at the base of a hill and the garden that inspired this painting surrounds the entire south side of the dwelling. North of the lodge, the gardens give way to manicured lawns, a tennis court and swimming pool and ends in a sheer basalt cliff carved by the mighty Columbia far, far below.