Flowers – Page 45 – Sequim Daily Photo

Clallam County Fair

The Clallam County Fair was last weekend and it was full of all the things you’d expect from a fair, starting, of course, with animals. The swine barn is always a must-visit. Aren’t they just the cutest?

And there’s the lineup of the hardworking kitchen canners.

The quilters strut their stuff.

There are always flowers, simple or exotic, single or arranged.

Things to buy. (Okay. I didn’t purchase and I took a picture anyhow. So far no one’s come after me.)

And, of course, there’s fair food. Good luck trying to find the alien stuff they eat on another planet: anything healthy. It is, after all, the County Fair!

Labor of love

Some people can really make a garden come to life. I couldn’t resist this eye-catching ode to summer.

It’s all about pollen

Although there were fewer avalanche lilies on Hurricane Ridge last Saturday, butterflies were making the most of them. I think this is a Hydaspe fritillary but don’t hold me to it. I didn’t verify it at the visitor center.

Here’s an avalanche lily, the object of much butterfly attention.

The Lavender Festival, 6

The Lavender Festival is a great place to take children. Parents love taking their pictures in the fields, they make excellent helpers picking lavender, and there’s a variety of fun things to do. This little sweetie tagged along with Mom at Lost Mountain Lavender.

Misty, the “Lavender Clown Fairy” (isn’t she cute?), turned balloons into all manner of things for kids at Sunshine Herb & Lavender. A Kid’s Faire was offered at Carrie Blake Park and there were 4-H animals to visit and pet, lavender crafts projects, and treasure hunts plus facepainting and displays. It’s a great family event.

The Lavender Festival, 5

The farms on the heritage lavender farm tour all have gift shops. . .and they’re all fun if you like retail grazing. Above is Lost Mountain Lavender.

Here is Jardin du Soleil. It and Lost Mountain both have new owners this year.

The Purple Haze gift shop is in the building to the right, above. The building in the distance is a rental house for those who want a total lavender immersion. Purple Haze also has a retail store on Washington Street.

Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm is the first heritage lavender farm that you encounter as you come to Sequim from the east. With this gorgeous red barn it’s hard to miss.

The Lavender Festival, 4

You may know that lavender has a reputation in the aromatherapy world as a surefire soothing scent. It looks like this scene is naptime made in heaven.

The Lavender Festival, 3

We’re still waiting for an extended period of summer weather here. After experiencing days that ran from 107 to 112 degrees in Phoenix last week, I find it perfectly refreshing. But I think some of our Lavender Festival visitors may have been a tad disappointed last weekend. This was at Olympic Lavender Farm.

We ended our day with live music at Purple Haze Lavender on Sunday. Light sprinkles stopped long enough for chairs to be wiped down and people to grab seats. But it was chilly and steady rain by the end. And as is the case with our weather here, it cleared up and we had peek-a-boo sunshine an hour later.

By the way, Olympic Lavender Farm is for sale if you’re looking for a new career on the Olympic Peninsula.