Category Archives: Sequim Lavender Farm Faire

The Fragrance of Summer Hodgepodge

Summer is upon us and Joyce has come up with questions to get us ready for this season. Thank you, Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. Hello Summer! In the northern hemisphere anyway. What’s something on your summer bucket list? Do you have an actual summer bucket list? If not, use your hypothetical list.

I don’t have a summer bucket list but since we are traveling to Dallas for our youngest siblings birthday party (twins), I’ll be checking off going to Waco and walking about the Chip and Joanna dynasty. That’s been something on my radar to experience. My hypothetical list would include keeping cool.

2. What for you is the defining scent of summer?

Fresh mowed grass and throw in a campfire!

3. What’s a (music, food, wine, or flower) festival happening in your part of the country that you would like to attend if tickets/travel/timing was no object? 

Hands down the Lavender Festival in Sequim. We’ve gone in years past and it is worth the effort.

4. Apparently a military whistle blower claims the US has a UFO retrieval program. What say you? Do you believe aliens are out there? 

Only if you count Angels and Satan’s minions.

5. Besides your wedding day and the birthdays of any children you may have, what are three of your top experiences in life? 

  1. Summer Camps in my teens. God was drawing me/calling me to himself and this time the Gospel became clearer to me and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I repented and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Hume Lake Christian Camp in King’s Canyon, Sierra Nevada mountains.

2. Singing on tour, bringing the Gospel to schools and churches across Great Britain the summer of 1973 and 1974. Not only did these tours add growth in our walk with Jesus but we got the UK travel bug. Dear and I are the singers on the right.

3. Grandchildren!! So thankful to God for letting us be close to our two, Addy and JJ. What a sweet cherry on top of our lives they are.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of lavender, when we were in England in July of 2014 we came across these lavender fields in Broadway (Cotswolds).

This coming up weekend all our kids will be here because our granddaughter is getting baptized on Sunday (that will deserve a whole post next week). We also have a candidate for our pastorate coming to preach. There are other events going on for us to get to know him and his wife and see if he will be the one who God has chosen to be our Shepherd. Exciting times and a very full weekend!

Cedarbrook Lavender and Herb Farm

This is my last lavender farm post this year…it’s a wrap!

This was our last farm of the day and the 2nd farm that was for sale. We enjoyed a meal in the restaurant on the grounds before we walked about the gardens. The harpist was amazing. Just as we were finishing our stroll about the grounds the rain started falling and continued to fall on us all the way back to the ferry home…

This is my last Lavender Farm Festival post. We’ll see what next year holds and if I’ll be back again. After 2 years in a row I think I might be qualified to be a tour guide…

Caught on Camera…

It’s not very often that I end up in a photo because I’m usually the one snapping away. The third weekend in July my bloggy friend Jill came to spend a few days with us. In the course of our sight seeing in Seattle and at the Lavender Festival in Sequim she had her camera clicking even more than mine was clicking. I borrowed some of the photos she took and created the following mosaics…

I’ll start with a mosaic featuring the photographer Jill and photos she took of our daughter Katie. I took the photo of Jill and Katie.

On Jill’s last night with us we prepared dinner at home. Dear barbecued Sockeye Salmon and I roasted vegetables and tossed a salad. The bartender was in the kitchen shaking up some nice cocktails for us, too.

Thanks Jill for sharing your photos with me.

Linking to Mosaic Monday with Mary at Little Red House.

Port Williams Lavender

Many photos few words. I’m in Southern California spending time at the beach with family, eating meals with family, attending a bridal shower for Katie with family. Flag ceremony with my sister-in-law and Katie. Breakfast at Julienne with sisters, sister in laws, nieces, and daughters. Birthday party at the beach for my youngest brother and sister (twins). Don’t tell them I told you they are turning 48. How does that happen? My baby brother and sister are 48! That means I’m getting old. Disneyland with family. Sheesh…I’m going to need a vacation when I get back home.

Now I’ll just breathe in all this beautiful lavender and relax a bit…

On our way to our next lavender farm we stopped at a U-Pick Berry Farm. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this little girl in the berry patches…

Port Williams Lavender

Our next stop will be Purple Haze Lavender Farm. Hope you are all having a nice weekend.

Jardin du Soleil Lavender and Olympic Lavender Farm

Since I still had 4 Lavender Farms to share with you I decided to combine these two farms. Would you believe we missed several farms, too? Sequim really is the Lavender Capitol of North America.

Olympic Lavender Farm

Most of the farms we visited had live music being performed. There was a great variety from Country to a Harp Soloist.

By this time we were so intoxicated with the lovely lavender that Katie would agree to all my photo shoot ideas! “Go sit amongst the bees” “Don’t worry they won’t sting you.”

Jardin du Soleil Lavender

This is a wonderful piece of property with a great Victorian home and garden and it’s for sale.

There was a maze on the property and Katie set out to conquer it…

Mission accomplished successfully. Another maze under her belt!

Time to sit a spell and enjoy my surroundings.

I had to get a shot of Jill with her camera documenting what stood out to her photographic eye.

We ventured onto the garden paths that surrounded the front end of the Victorian residence.

Onward and Eastward we headed to Port Williams Lavender via a U-Pick Berry farm. More adventures to come.

Tomorrow Katie and I leave very early on a flight to California to visit with family who are converging on Orange County. I don’t know if and when you’ll hear from me this next week but I’ll have another lavender farm posted tomorrow. Hope you all have a nice weekend.

Creekside Lavender Farm ~ Our Military Favorite!

Katie spotted this farm and the sign for a free bundle of lavender for those with a Military I.D.  so she made her mental navigating note for us to return after the farms opened to visitors.

Katie wanted a bouquet with a few of all the different varieties of lavender. The hardest part of gathering the lavender was dodging the bees who were enjoying the lavender. Katie has always had a fear of buzzing insects that can bite!

We really enjoyed the owners of this farm. They were so friendly and ready to go out of their way to explain lavender to their guests. Jill got a good explanation of culinary lavender compared to lavender with a strong camphor odor and slightly bitter. If you want culinary lavender buy the augustfolia which has a light sweet smell.

This farm had some rows of pink lavender, too.

When we went into the lavender store at Creekside to show Katie’s military I.D. the lady of the farm made us cry by tearing up and thanking Katie when my daughter told her that Andrew was serving in Afghanistan. Thankfully she had a box of tissue handy…

Katie’s bouquet that she got for free with her military I.D.

Wednesday is a big soccer day in Seattle. The English Premier League’s Manchester United is visiting and having a friendly match against our own Seattle Sounders. Season Ticket holders for the Sounders got a ticket for this game. I’m meeting up with my son and daughter in law to attend the game. I hope to get some photos of Wayne Rooney, Chicharito and others!

Hope your week is going well!