Barns – Page 19 – Sequim Daily Photo

Victor’s Lavender

Over the years I’ve heard interesting lavender talks at the Sequim Lavender Festival. Last weekend I heard one of the best yet at Victor’s Lavender. Any lavender farm is pretty by its nature and Victor’s is no exception. But Victor’s Lavender has one special difference: Victor Gonzalez.

Victor is an expert in growing and propagating lavender which he freely admits he learned through trial and error. He came from a farm family that legally emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. when he was 15 years old. His strong work ethic eventually landed him a job at a local Sequim farm whose manager was interested in growing lavender, a plant Victor had never heard of. Failures taught Victor one lesson after another until he was successfully propagating tens of thousands of plants. Today he not only produces lavender plants and products commercially he also consults internationally on cultivating lavender, including trips for the USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer program. Click here for more information about Victor. He’s an interesting guy!

Here’s the front view of Victor’s operation. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the police car parked in front.

The stuff of dreams

The Sequim Lavender Festival planted stars in my eyes before we moved here. So many of the lavender farms have that dreamy, picturesque beauty that fills lifestyle fantasies. For me it’s almost Martha-Stewart-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland. Too crazy good to be true. But it isn’t, at least during Lavender Weekend and most of summer. This is Oliver’s Lavender Farm.

The location is glorious and the grounds are so well groomed. A place this gorgeous needs a combination of staff and obsession. And a fistful of green thumbs, too. I love wandering through such a beautiful farm. Before moving here I held high hopes that some of it might rub off on me.

This is the home that greets you as you arrive at Oliver’s. Really, can’t you just imagine moving in? Help me, Martha!

Barn at sunset

I’m taking a break but will re-post some favorite shots while I’m gone. This is the barn at Clark Farm.

Clark Farm

The Clark Farm, in the distance, has a prominent and very nice looking barn. The Clark family is one of the oldest pioneer families in the area, having settled in 1853. The current elder generation opened a sweet bed and breakfast, Clark’s Chambers B & B while their son raises organic meats and poultry.

Atypical barn

This is not your typical barn. In fact, I’m not sure if it technically is one. It’s part of the Davis Sand and Gravel operation and beyond its roof are conveyor belts and other apparatus you’d find in a quarrying operation. No cows. Just big piles of gravel and such.

Easy pickings

In a place like Sequim you don’t have to look far to find interesting barns. This one is nestled not far from Costco, which means it’s in walking distance from West Washington, our main street.

Nestled in clouds

I love the view from the road where I took this shot. This was during a break between storms when the lower part of the Olympics was shrouded in clouds. Tomorrow I’ll show you another view from nearby.

Note to locals: If you’re curious about the explosions you heard around 1 o’clock today, here’s the story. Three unexploded phosphorus flares from Canadian Navy exercises washed ashore beneath the Dungeness bluffs. The U.S. Army buried and then detonated them.