Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Today I celebrate one year as a DCP Blogger! It has been a great experience. I have enjoyed all of the friends I have met, learning new things every day from other bloggers, and looking at my world in a new and different way. I would especially like to thank all of you who have stopped by and visited. You have made me happy to share Sequim. Today I am sharing our annual “in the lavender” photo. Joining me are “baby girl” and “my big boy”, the shining lights of my life.
This smiling lady was a volunteer at Angel Farm. They had a French Theme with food from Cest si Bon. As you can tell by her shirt, she belongs to Soroptomist International. It takes a lot of volunteers to make the festival happen. I have posted other Lavender pictures on an additonal page (under the picture on the right). By Wednesday I promise to move on to something else.
At the farms today there were lots of people with cameras…and why not! The lavender was in it’s glory. Rumor has it that the power outage was due to a fire at the Luella substation. People lost power from Diamond Point to Carlsborg. Fortunately it stayed on at my house. I had quilters here and they do like to have their machines running. We will see tomorrow when the PDN comes out. We are small enough here that we do not have a Saturday paper.
Those of who live in Sequim awoke to soggy skies this morning…our Sunny Sequim had changed. By afternoon the rain had stopped. On my home from class, I stopped by Angel Farm and took these pictures. The fragrance was heavenly!
The thumbnails show…1) a sign to welcome you to the farms…don’t forget you need an admission button which will get you in to all the farms, 2) the deep purple banner that marks the entrance to each of the farms, and 3) some of the many colors of lavender available.
Each year agricultural students at Sequim High School design and make these wonderful baskets. Some hang from the street lights…others like this one sit on the ground. A quality flower basket is not cheap to produce. Local businesses help sponsor this project. This one was sponsored by Hurricane Coffee Company. Wooden barrels of lavender will go out this week.
4 more days until the Lavender Festival and the Quilt Show
I am home after a week of sewing, classes, finishing UFO’s, quilt shows, shopping, etc. etc…and I am inspired. Since 1991, with one exception, I have traveled to Sisters, Oregon for the Quilters Affair and Quilt Show. I am never disapointed. Today I have included three thumbnails of projects I worked on while there. The first is the quilt pattern “Square Dance”, by Martha Thompson. The fabrics had been cut out for a long time…once I finally got it pieced, I discovered the yellow was too bright for the other fabrics…so it turned in to a perfect quilt to practice machine quilting. After the show, I will block and bind it.
The second thumbnail is one of the reasons I love digital photography. If you are unsure of block or value placement in a quilt, simply take a digital picture and you can instantly see where you need to make a switch. Can you tell where the value placement is incorrect in this wall hanging?
The third thumnail is a pattern I tested for Beach Garden Quilts a couple of years ago. At the time I was having a devil of a time with my points. It was put away and it was only last week that I finally got it all put together. The pattern is called Eagle Harbor Summer. I love the secondary patterns it creates. None of these quilts will be in this year’s show…tomorrow I will show you ones that will be.
It’s time to feature another of the lavender farms that will be on tour during the Lavender Festival, July 20-22, 2007. Jardin du Soleil is one of the prettier farms. The fields roll down gentle hills and have large walking pathways. This farm grows some of the larger varieties of lavender and has a “still” to distill esential lavender oils. If you visit their website you can find receipes using culinary lavender. Their website also shows the lavender in bloom. My photo is just beginning to show the wonderful growth we have been experiencing in the last couple of weeks.
If you notice some little white spots on the lavender in the front of the photo…this is the infamous spit bug. They are universal the world over and don’t hurt the lavender…just look disgusting. Fortunately in just a few weeks they will be gone.
it is time to start featuring some of the places that will be on the farm tour during the Lavender Festival, July 20-22, 2007. Angel Farm is just down the road a piece. As you can see their lavender foliage is starting to grow and it won’t be long before you can see buds starting to sprout. I could tell you all the things I love about Angel Farm, but it would probably be best to read the great story Betty Oppenheimer wrote in the link above.
At my place, I already have one variety,James Compton, in bloom. If you take care and pinch the blooms back, this one will last the summer.
I will feature another farm next week.