I'll try to upload my pictures later and add them to this post. I didn't take too many although the lavender fields are beautiful. At one farm there was a large family of Quail wandering through one of the fields but we didn't realize it in time and sent them running for cover with our noise. What a disappointment THAT was - I would have loved to get those babies in a picture!
It was a beautiful, sunny day. We like to say that's a bit unusual in the Northwest and after months & month of rain and one of the coldest Junes on record, I think we wake up every morning a bit trepidatious - we're so afraid our sun spell is at an end. It has not, however, quit on us yet and I am so grateful for every opportunity to enjoy it.
When I was a kid, my father used to toss us in the truck and take us camping every chance he had. We traveled up and down the east coast - more down than up, I suppose since the furthest north I remember going was upstate New York but still - a lot of woods, a lot of the Poconos and some Alleghenies trips... a lot of mountains. I used to think there wasn't prettier country anywhere than Skyline Drive in Virginia but then I came to Washington. It is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful out here. Mt. Rainier, even when it's hazy and hard to see, is practically heart-stopping. I know God took care when He made all of His creation but I sometimes think He stopped here for just a little while longer, pulled out His panoramic paint set and set His imagination on fire. Every time you turn around there is another creek, another river, another forest, another mountain. It never ends and just when I think I've seen the prettiest ocean sunset or the greenest clump of trees or the most beautiful snow-capped mountain, someone takes me, I see or I find another one.
Yesterday was no exception. We rode over to Whidbey Island on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry and then drove up to Sequim but coming home, we went the VERY long way and drove Hwy. 101. I love driving Hwy. 101 and my dream is to hop on it here at its northern-most point and drive it as far south as it will go. (I think we'll have to rent a car for that one, though because I'm sure I'll want to fly home!!!) It winds its way along the coast and every break in the trees is another stunning view. I only wish it hadn't gotten dark before we hit Olympia! I even love the metal statues of a cow and her calf that you see a few miles out of Olympia but I could only glimpse their outline last night - it was too dark to see them clearly.
The Lavender Festival -which is what I had started to write about - was a lot of fun. We did get to 5 out of the 8 farms and we walked through the street fair. What I liked about it was there were plenty of crafts people but you didn't feel completely overwhelmed and each farm had different people there. Some of the most interesting, beautiful things... I did bring home a couple of business cards and I'm sure my husband will want to cry at how much money I want to spend but...it was still fun for me! :) Mom had fun, too and we both found a few things that were different enough so we spent some money. We had dinner at the Old Mill Restaurant and it was incredibly yummy. It was hard adjusting to the slower pace (they weren't in a big ol' rush to get us back out the door so...we actually had time to eat some of our food before they came back to check on us and they didn't harass us 100 times during dinner. They did, however, keep our drinks full and our food never got cold!) but once we realized that's what we were moving at, we relaxed right into it. Can't wait to go back there!!
So. For those of you who live out of State, if you're ever interested in visiting Washington, try to plan it around the Lavender Festival (3rd weekend of July) and make your reservations early. Even the EconoLodge had no vacancies! It is so well worth your time and you'll see what I mean about the beauty up here.
Have a glorious Sunday!
It was a beautiful, sunny day. We like to say that's a bit unusual in the Northwest and after months & month of rain and one of the coldest Junes on record, I think we wake up every morning a bit trepidatious - we're so afraid our sun spell is at an end. It has not, however, quit on us yet and I am so grateful for every opportunity to enjoy it.
When I was a kid, my father used to toss us in the truck and take us camping every chance he had. We traveled up and down the east coast - more down than up, I suppose since the furthest north I remember going was upstate New York but still - a lot of woods, a lot of the Poconos and some Alleghenies trips... a lot of mountains. I used to think there wasn't prettier country anywhere than Skyline Drive in Virginia but then I came to Washington. It is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful out here. Mt. Rainier, even when it's hazy and hard to see, is practically heart-stopping. I know God took care when He made all of His creation but I sometimes think He stopped here for just a little while longer, pulled out His panoramic paint set and set His imagination on fire. Every time you turn around there is another creek, another river, another forest, another mountain. It never ends and just when I think I've seen the prettiest ocean sunset or the greenest clump of trees or the most beautiful snow-capped mountain, someone takes me, I see or I find another one.
Yesterday was no exception. We rode over to Whidbey Island on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry and then drove up to Sequim but coming home, we went the VERY long way and drove Hwy. 101. I love driving Hwy. 101 and my dream is to hop on it here at its northern-most point and drive it as far south as it will go. (I think we'll have to rent a car for that one, though because I'm sure I'll want to fly home!!!) It winds its way along the coast and every break in the trees is another stunning view. I only wish it hadn't gotten dark before we hit Olympia! I even love the metal statues of a cow and her calf that you see a few miles out of Olympia but I could only glimpse their outline last night - it was too dark to see them clearly.
The Lavender Festival -which is what I had started to write about - was a lot of fun. We did get to 5 out of the 8 farms and we walked through the street fair. What I liked about it was there were plenty of crafts people but you didn't feel completely overwhelmed and each farm had different people there. Some of the most interesting, beautiful things... I did bring home a couple of business cards and I'm sure my husband will want to cry at how much money I want to spend but...it was still fun for me! :) Mom had fun, too and we both found a few things that were different enough so we spent some money. We had dinner at the Old Mill Restaurant and it was incredibly yummy. It was hard adjusting to the slower pace (they weren't in a big ol' rush to get us back out the door so...we actually had time to eat some of our food before they came back to check on us and they didn't harass us 100 times during dinner. They did, however, keep our drinks full and our food never got cold!) but once we realized that's what we were moving at, we relaxed right into it. Can't wait to go back there!!
So. For those of you who live out of State, if you're ever interested in visiting Washington, try to plan it around the Lavender Festival (3rd weekend of July) and make your reservations early. Even the EconoLodge had no vacancies! It is so well worth your time and you'll see what I mean about the beauty up here.
Have a glorious Sunday!
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