Carved a pumpkin yet?
Category: Celebrations
Three
Today is a mini celebration with three tiny and delicious cupcakes from That Takes the Cake, Sequim’s cupcake mecca. My first post went live three years ago today. Counting this one, that’s 1,072 posts. It’s been an adventure.
I’ve seen more things through my camera than I ever imagined. I’ve done more things, too, in the service of blogging. Peering more deeply at the mundane, stopping by the sides of roads, thinking in pictures, introducing myself to strangers…and, yes, sitting at the computer, all come to mind.
I’ve “met” a lot of interesting bloggers from around the world and seen inspiring, amazing images.
It’s gratifying that people like you visit this blog and that some even make time to comment. And it’s nice, too, to capture bits of life in photographs. Thanks for joining me on the ride!
And since today is sort of about me here’s a selfie of me dazzling the world with my high end Brownie Hawkeye.
Seeing purple
In addition to being a go-to location for u-pick berries, Graysmarsh Farms has a hillside of lavender and sells lavender products. Visitors can walk through the fields to pick their lavender. It’s looking very good this week.
Although I’ve featured several larger farms this week, Sequim also has many smaller operations that welcome visitors during our July Lavender Faire and Festival. The Lavender Connection sells a variety of u-pick lavenders and products.
If you plan to come, visit the Sequim Tourism website for maps and event schedules.
Did someone say “lavender?”
Olympic Lavender Farm was sold to new owners last year and if I’m not mistaken it also has a new sign. The owners have two other lavender growing sites in the Dungeness area in addition to this five acre plot.
The Olympic Lavender farm is 19 years old and plans are afoot to plant thousands of additional lavender plants here this fall. Like many of our other farms, Olympic Lavender has a farm store and a variety of lavender products created with their organic blossoms.
Lavender time
Sequim’s annual Lavender Weekend begins this Friday and I looked around one of my favorite farms, Jardin du Soleil, last week. This was one of the first operations I visited before I moved to Sequim and I was taken by the beauty of the fields and the gorgeous setting. New owners took over the 10-acre farm a few years ago and the lavender looks great this year.
The fields here are beautifully laid out and the landscaping compliments it nicely. During the Lavender Weekend crafts and foods are sold at many of the lavender farms and farmers offer lavender-related demonstrations. Jardin du Soleil will demonstrate lavender distilling.
Like many other lavender growers Jardin du Soleil sells their lavender products, which are organic.
Mount Baker shows the tip of its peak in the distance in this shot.
Happy Easter!
Nearly 20 years ago at the Marin County Farmer’s Market in California I stumbled across a captivating display of decorated Eastern European eggs called “Kraslice.” I’d never seen anything like them before. A mother and daughter sold them each year around Easter and over the course of several years I acquired a small and treasured collection.
These decorated eggs in different styles come from the Czech and Slovac Republics, Ukrane, Poland, or Lithuania. The eggs are first painted and then intricate patterns are etched into the shell. Although primarily associated with Easter, Kraslice have been given on other occasions to communicate love and hope of new life.
Kraslice art techniques are largely passed through families. Click here for more information about Kraslice eggs. I believe this website belongs to one of the women who sold the eggs pictured here.
Superbowl Fever…nope…CHAMPS!!
For anyone not a sports fans living in the U.S., today is the Superbowl football tournament, the end-of-season blowout game for the two top teams. This year the Seattle Seahawks are playing and local fans, known as the “12th man” (acknowledging the value of fans as part of the team), are seriously excited. This collage is a mini-sampling of team support on the Olympic Peninsula. My friend Sylvia, whose hand graces the lower right corner above, proudly sports a Hawks manicure and shared her selfie with me. Quoting Sylvia and most anyone around here: “Go Hawks!”
Update Final score: 43-8 Seahawks!