Of Berry Farms, Small Towns and Scones

Recently, my best friend and I were back in an area

we had visited last year during our farm tour.

We had a plan in mind that day-

as usual it involved pictures of the region

like this view

and this one of a town mural--
of the soon to happen rodeo!
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Our plan also involved food, specifically fresh baked food;

like this soft raspberry scone just out of the oven

actually it involved 4 of them,

but some were for people that we would see later that day.

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BTW--we bought these at French Prairie Gardens.

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The other part of our plan involved fresh berries and the Koch Family Farm.

They have raspberries there-

rows and rows of them.
And good views of mountains-

a feast for the eyes

and

the stomach.

So much to see there-

shadows cast by raspberry bushes,

and beautiful raspberry leaves.

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What I can't show you are some of the other things we saw -- and heard -- there:
boys and girls with buckets
and their parents,

the farm owner,

birds singing unwritten melodies and
colorful little row flags fluttering in the breeze

(actually I could show you some of these things but I NEED a little sleep).

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And then there are the raspberries ...

I can report they were heavenly-

from personal experience of course.

There were other things too

like BIG and little trees,

clover

and these pretty flowers.

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Somewhere close were horses too;

I could hear them but never found them.

And then there were the strawberries...

rows and rows of red, juicy berries

under a warm, but not too warm, PNW sun.

all waiting to be picked.

.

Summer is SO nice.

Brings back memories of a simpler time.

Blessings from the NW,

Aimee

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Thanks again to both French Prairie Gardens and Koch Family Farms for allowing me to post these photos. If you follow the links above you can see some of the photos I took at these farms in 2009 and contact information:)

PNW Lavender Festivals

Love lavender as much as I do and live in (or are visiting) the Pacific NW?

Well then I heartily recommend some quality time at a lavender farm:)

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See here for the Lavender Festival soon to happen in Sequim, Washington

(Olympic Peninsula)

and

here for one taking place this weekend in Washington's southern neighbor, Oregon

(Gorge and western Oregon).

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BTW---many farms offer open hours outside the festival dates;

check the sites above for further details (and more info on lavender).

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If anyone is aware of a lavender festival in the PNW or outside this region, please feel free to leave the information in the comments area:)

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Meanwhile at my little lavender 'farm', my plants are happily blooming and I am thinking tomorrow, when it is a bit cooler, might be a good day to harvest them. I am also considering planting new ones in the second raised bed (the first one is a wildflower-style garden).

Blessings this eve,

Aimee

Lunch -- After the Lavender

Last year, around this time, my best friend and I visited several lavender farms in Oregon--two in the foothills and mountains southwest of Portland, known as Wine Country (the one in the foothills still to be posted) and the third one in the Columbia River Gorge.

Since lavender festivals will soon begin, in both Washington and Oregon, I thought this would be a great time to include a post on the wonderful café we found not too far from Mountainside Lavender---just in case you're going that way :)

South Store Café is located in the little town of Scholls, in a wonderfully historic building that used to be a store at one time. The interior and exterior reminds me of many of the small general stores I have been in --- in Colorado and the PNW.

Being a country girl at heart, I LOVED it:)

This photo was taken from Smith Berry Barn, a great farm across the street from South Store Café (I will be doing a post on our visit there in 2009 soon too -- as time permits).

Fresh flowers at the table are always a welcome addition to ANY dining experience.
The staff was great--very helpful to us as we were choosing what to eat!
We also were privileged to meet the cafe's owner who was as delightful as the place was:) When I am in places like this, I feel like I've taken a step back into a simpler time--a time when the General Store was often the town's gathering place.

South Store Cafe has both a regular menu and daily specials.
We ordered this INCREDIBLY yummy salad off their daily special menu--it was a heavenly mixture of nuts, cheese, fresh greens, and dressing!!!

Then we had the Reuben sandwich, also off the daily special menu. I can truthfully say that it was the BEST Reuben I have ever had! Wish this cafe was a lot closer to home, but maybe someday I can take Farmer Boy --who loves, loves, loves Reuben sandwiches--there:)

On warm days there is nothing better then a cold, icy drink -- this was a fruit granita and it was awesome! And then the pièce de résistance (for this time of the year)---strawberry shortcake!! And again, the BEST one I have ever had--fresh, just perfect berries. A sweet, deliciously yummy, shortcake to go with them and whipped cream. Just looking at this photo, which isn't even a very good one, reminds me of it and makes me hungry for more:)
Well thats it for now...
I hope you enjoyed our visit to South Store Café---I can heartily recommend it as a great place to go when you are visiting the area's berry and lavender farms!
For more information follow this link to their site--see the above links for my posts on Mountainside Lavender and Lavender Valley (you'll find further links in both of those posts to the farms). I will try to post a link to the Lavender Festivals soon:)
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Blessings,
Aimee
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Photos: all taken in 2009.
Posted by the kind permission of the owner of South Store Café.

The Word on Wednesday: For My Mother

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but is shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because He hath set His love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him My salvation.
Psalms 91 KJV

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Our lives often mirror the seasons of the year.

Childhood being the spring of our lives;

Summer - our youth and early adulthood.

The middle years usher in the autumn

and the senior years, the winter.

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Right now my mother is in the winter of her life--a time that is not always easy.

Just as in the real winter, storms may strike unexpectedly-without warning.

Paths may become more challenging; sometimes seemingly more then we can bear-

on our own.

Days may become grayer; the sunlight may even disappear behind dark clouds of pain and other physical challenges.

And yet--in this darkness --and even in the midst of the storm--God promises to be with us.

Always.

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This Psalm is my mom's favorite--I post it today in her honor, and in honor of God who has, indeed, shown her His salvation.

Love you mom.

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Blessings this day,

Aimee

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Photos: taken at a botanical garden, NW Oregon, during a recent trip.

A Walk in His Gardens: Walking With the Ones I Love

This time of the year means I get to spend more time with the one I love...

time in our gardens,

time at home,

time on the road

and

time in gardens we find along our paths--

the gardens of God.

All very, very precious times.

This is one of His gardens we found along our path the other day...

Douglas Fir trees reaching toward heaven

and the Creator who sustains them

(and us too).

Peaceful, calm, tranquil waters reflect the creation which surround it

and glow from the sunlight above.

Waters of turbulence; chaotic, restless, dangerous.

Nothing reflects here.

Peace above the chaos;

safe despite the perilous currents so close-by.

Bent but not broken;

a triumph over difficult circumstances.

Pointing out some important message to passerbys who will listen to his silent message-

I think perhaps he is saying we need to keep grounded in what we know to be true-

things like love for God and the people around us.

A carpet of flowers,

handcrafted by God.

Created by Him for the children He loves so very much.

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Blessings,

Aimee

Yummy Sandwich

Recently my best friend and I made another trip to find more historic homes and walk through an arboretum. On the way there, we stopped at a Starbucks and ordered sandwiches. The turkey sandwich was good but nothing unusual; the tarragon chicken one was amazing. In fact it was so amazing, I am either going to have to find a recipe for it, conduct an experiment or move :)

Well, I guess there is another option, since moving is definitely out of the question and life has been too crazy lately to do any experimenting in the kitchen or search for a recipe.I will have to see if our closest Starbucks makes it too:)
Do you ever try to recreate food that you get at restaurants?
Blessings,
Aimee
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No I am not associated with Starbucks in any way (hate coffee; love, love, love tea)...but occasionally I grab a tea or snack there:)

Little Granddaughter & the Leaf

The other day I received this e-mail from my dear DIL--

I thought it was SO sweet I wanted to share it with you all:)

“(Baby) and I are outside enjoying what will be a very hot day. So we are taking advantage of the warm air and plenty of shade now. She found a leaf that had fallen and when I told her where it came from she kept trying to put it on the tall tree. Upon realizing that she couldn't reach she settled for placing the leaf on a small tree.

And so it sits,

a fallen leaf on a new growth, and a very happy baby who feels that she has done good.”

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Grandma Aimee agrees:)

Blessings Little One!

Grandma Aimee

(and blessings to my sweet DIL too!)

Photo courtesy of my DIL--thanks!

The Answer to a Prayer

I did something today which may sound silly,

but I didn't think it was.

I asked God if there was anything in particular

He wanted me to take a photo of

to put on the blog today...

and then this happened.

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I feel blessed.

Was there anything today that you were blessed by?

Blessings,

Aimee

The Word on Wednesday: For my Parents

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalms 23 KJV

Blessings, Aimee

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Photo: wildflowers at a PNW wildlife refuge.

The Word on Wednesday

“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.“
Isaiah 40: 28-31 KJV

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Blessings this Wednesday morn,

Aimee

And I'd be Remiss if....

on Father's Day I didn't include a post for my DH:)

In addition to being my blue-eyed, dimpled, strong, hard working,

totally talented and...

totally unpredictable

(but totally lovable)

Farmer Boy,

my DH also happens to be the father of our three awesome kids-

grandfather to our five most wonderful grandchildren

(and they are indeed quite wonderful)

and Alpha-Doggie Daddy to our three pesky, but also mostly great canine critters.

Yea, my DH is a pretty special guy...

~

So,

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Farmer Boy

and a BIG thanks for all you do for us:)

Love always,

Aimee

Father's Day 2010: Of My Father

What can I say to describe my father to you?

I could tell you of his childhood --

an only child

born to a couple who were older then most when they had him.

Raised in humble surroundings,

but taught to value the things most important in life-

things no amount of money can teach.

Things of eternal, not just temporal, importance.

Things like

love and commitment for your spouse

(my parents have been married for over 50 years now),

love for your children

(3 kids--1 in heaven)

and most importantly, a love for his Savior, Jesus Christ.

My dad was also taught and learned well other important things like

getting a good education (he obtained a PhD),

hard work (both in and out of the home),

service (in home, church and the community),

putting other people first

and more.

~

That's my dad.

And I know his parents would be proud of him-

because his children and others who know him are.

~

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Love always,

Aimee

What am I?

I'm bugged.

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Not annoyed,

irritated

or even bothered.

I'm just bugged.

See what I mean?

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Are you bugged too?

Blessings,

Aimee

A Trip to the Past: Down to the Details

It's the details that make all the difference-

in food presentation,

a garden or park.

In photographs, artwork and crafts.

And in many historic homes and buildings.

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I just LOVE those details so I am always keeping an eye open for them--

so I can capture them forever--

in my mind and in a photograph.

~

Memories filled with beautiful detail;

it's what life is made up of.

~

Here are some we made at the Fort Vancouver Historic Site.

Beautiful lattice work and a chair inviting you to sit a spell...

and be at peace.

A tower --

inviting you to come up,

drink in a bit of peaceful solitude and look out on the quiet of nature.

A shiny covered porch with a railing that makes you go 'ah'!

It also makes me think I'm in love with shiny covered porches!

I want to live here...

or maybe just spend at least a few moments laying on this porch.

It's the same thing I want to do in a gazebo.

Windows--high above the ground.

windows for someone to look down from

and windows that make me others look up to.

Details,

yes they do make a difference.

May your life be filled with memories of beautiful details.

Blessings,

Aimee

Trip to the Past: More of the Fort Gardens and Fort

The weather continues gray and unsettled in the PNW, most days, so our field trip this week was changed from a planned outdoors one to an indoors one....that involved food.

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Real food,

a breakfast (in the afternoon) of real whole grain food,

and then a walk around to buy bags of real whole grain food,

off shelves full of the yummy real whole grain stuff!

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And our trip also involved a huge waterwheel.

BIG millstones.
All in and outside a red building full of real people,

who were there for the real whole grain food too.
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But all that will have to wait because we still need to finish our tour of Ft Vancouver Historic Site. I should confess that I've had a lot of guilt over leaving you guys stuck there, in the garden, for so long.

Considering how cold and wet it's been, that wasn't too considerate of me.

I'll try to be better:)

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So without further delay...a few more garden and fort (exterior) views-

This photo reminds me of my need to confess something else.

It's a simple confesssion.

Really more of a statement about me then a confession.

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I love, love, love this garden.

No snakes

(at least while we were there)

No weeds either.

(at least that I saw).

Sometimes I wish I was in the Garden of Eden before mankind had to leave there.

NO weeds or rain, watered at night.

I shouldn't complain though.

Hard work is good for you.

Makes you appreciate what you accomplish.

I am sure that volunteers or paid workers worked many an hour

to make this garden SO beautiful, and

I APPRECIATED their work!

And here are the teepees I mentioned. I've had a love affair with teepees ever since my family vacationed at Kah-Nee-Ta, a resort in the high desert of central Oregon. They have sun there--like 300 days or something. Of course they do have snakes there...

But they also have the best Indian fry bread in the world, hot springs that feed into enormous swimming pools, beautiful Indian dancing in the summer, real teepees and horses.

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But back to the gardens.

I love the yellow here, the split rail fence and the one made of branches.

I wonder if Farmer Boy would mind if we got rid of all the grass and just had gardens.

Probably. He loves mowing grass.

Well not really but he's awful good at it!

And another view of the fort and --- I believe -- an orchard.

--Next it's down to the details---

Blessings, Aimee

The Word on Wednesday

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 KJV

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Blessings,

Aimee