Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Farmers' Daughter #1's Birthday Excursion!


It's Outdoor Wednesday with Susan at
~~~~~~~~~~

Farmers' Daughter #1 had her birthday back in June
but we hadn't celebrated it yet. Gentleman Farmer and
I told her that she had the choice of plants for her new home
and garden, or fabric from a new-to-us fabric store on
lovely Bainbridge Island. After some weeks decision,
we decided on some lavender plants purchased
directly from the farms in the Lavender Capital of
North America ~ Sequim, Washington.
~*~

Everybody loves lavender!
~*~

After our 2 hour drive to the Dungeness Valley,
the girls were ready to get out and stretch their legs.
They had already spent and hour and a half just getting
to Grandma's house!

Our first stop was Port Williams Lavender Farm.

They not only had lovely lavender, but a beautiful
Rose and Perennial garden as well.









Royal Velvet
A deep purple lavender with shorter stems.
I have two dozen of these lining a walkway thru our yard.
~*~

Next stop is Jardin du Soleil.
(Garden of the Sun!)
This is where we stopped for our little picnic at the edge
of the lavender fields.
We were not the only ones enjoying the pleasures of lavender!
Look closely along the edge of the lavenders
and see an entire family of Button Quail!


The (dozens of) babies were no bigger than a golf ball!

Miss R successfully maneuvered thru the boxwood maze
at stands proudly at it's center ~ a Sun of coarse!

Mama and li'l Sis join her in the Sun Gazebo!

~*~
Now for a stroll thru the shady private garden that surrounds the home.



A cool pool next to the deck.


A beautiful perennial bed.

Larkspur.
~*~

A trickling stream daintily slips off a concrete leaf.
(I can show you how to make one of these someday if anyone is interested!)


Another water feature.
~*~

A gate made from a metal headboard.
~*~

Butterflies delighting in the lavender!
~*~

Now, off to Purple Haze!
We were invited to the orchard first, to visit Bob and Shirley!
Bob shows off his lovely tail feathers while Shirley
hides from the paparazzi!

~*~

Calendula

This is the guest house which can be rented!
What a glorious place to stay!
The End to a lovely summer day
enjoying the delights of lavender,
daughter and grand daughters!

~*~

Farmers' Daughter's Gift!
~*~

"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow."

James 1:17



11 comments:

Christa said...

I love the gift options you gave your daughter. It would be hard for me to choose between the two. I love the gift she ended up with. I think I may have been to that farm many many years ago when my husband and I looked in Washington to move there. Obviously, the Lord closed that door. However, I have friends who live in Sequim. I haven't seen them for a long time and I would love to visit again some day.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures.

Christa

Cindy said...

I, too, know someone in Sequim. The lavender fields are so beautiful! Looks like you had a lovely day with daughter and grands, so fun! My dear daughter lives in NW Wash. Thanks for showing us a snippet of your life.
Cindy S

The B's said...

Thank you for a wonderful birthday outing! It was a lovely day in the "rain shadow" strolling thru fields of my favorite flower. I'll have to post about the present, just as soon as I dedide where to plant them! =)

xoxoxo

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, what an awesome outing!!! Lavender...surrounded by their scent, their loveliness...perfect day :)

Thank you for taking us along. I have always wanted to visit a lavender farm, maybe someday.

Enjoy your blessings,

Maria.

Sharon Cohen said...

I’m visiting because of the Outdoor Wednesday Blog Hop. It’s easy to get lost in the midst of all those links and it may take me all week to read all the posts but your post has proven why it is worth the effort.

You had me at the first shot of lavender but by the end of the post I was so envious of you. So envious and I do need to stop that. Too bad we don't vote for best of the week on this hop. You would be my vote for sure!

I didn't have that kind of a grand adventure this week, but I did catch sight of something in my back yard that made my heart soar. You are welcome to visit my blog and see what I mean if you get the time..

Tete said...

What a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing your day!
Lavender is such a wonderful surprise in the garden.
Blessings- Tete

Stephanie from GardenTherapy.ca said...

what a lovely outing - the lavender farm looks amazing and it sure is fun to see s covey of quail.

Sharon said...

Oh Raeann,

It looks like you girls had the perfect day! What a fun way to celebrate a birthday. I cannot believe all of those rows of lovely lavender. Did I see a sign that says "U-Pick"? What a blessing that would be :) The girls look so sweet in their ponchos (it reminded me of one I had when I was little). Thanks for sharing a special day with us :)

Camille said...

What a GORGEOUS post Raeann! What a precious time with your daughter and grand-daughters! Lavender is soooo beautiful...I love the smell.
Happy Birthday to your girl! :)

Have a lovely weekend!
Blessings,
Camille

Mrs. E said...

Oh... dearest Lady Farmer!
What beauty!!
That lavender is simply amazing!!
Thank you for sharing with us all!!

Love & Blessings~ Miss Jen

Rebecca said...

The sight and scent of lavender always soothes me. What a beautiful place to spend time!