Colour My World Lavender - And a Bit of White

Every year at this time my thoughts turn to a certain fragrant herb,

and all the different things I want to do with it.

 

Of course it helps that,

as I walk through our garden daily,

 I am greeted by the sight (and sound)

of happy, colorful and very busy bees gathering pollen from our own 10 lavender plants.

~

But still, somehow,

 my summer doesn't feel totally complete without at least one trip to a PNW farm where I can

wander through lovely fields of purple and white...

 

But where to go this year?

One year I went to Hood River,

2012 saw me in the Yamhill area.

And there--of course--have been other farms;

there's just so many to choose from in the beautiful PNW:)

Such a difficult decision...

 

But then, this week, I ran into a little bit of info that was just SO enticing,

SO wonderful,

SO exciting...

I just had to go and check it out:)

 

 

And that's how my best friend and I ended up today

in gorgeous rural Polk county--

home to one of my favorite highways

(the King's Highway),

awesome Baskett Slough NWR,

a beloved covered bridge and waterfall

(the Ritner Covered Bridge and Little Luckiamute Falls),

several historic areas that I love...

and

Lavender Lake Farms.  

 

There we spent some glorious moments under the warm summer sun wandering through

the field gathering fragrant lavender to take home

and enjoying the happy bees there

(really--I love bees and don't mind getting close up to them at all).

 

And some glorious moments in the farm's wonderful gift store where they have an

 incredible amount of mostly lavender products--

for the bath, body, tummy (yea!), house and more!

Lavender is truly an amazing herb!

And, yes, I ended up with some really neat things to bring home

and some ideas for how to use my own lavender:)

 

 

By the way, do you know the OTHER reason this time of year makes my thoughts turn to

wonderful fragrant lavender?

Well it's Lavender Festival time of course!!

That's right--this very weekend--

yea, I LOVE this time of the year:)

 

AND I love, love, love lavender

AND this family owned lavender farm!

 

 

Hum...wonder what I heard about that enticed me into visiting THIS particular lavender farm.

LOL...

yep, now I have my very own 'Aimee' plant to love and nurture --

and to remind me of a summer day spent in beautiful rural Polk county.

 

By the way, do you know how relaxing lavender can be?

Tee hee--my best friend does now:)

 

Lavender Blessings to you,

Aimee

 

Photos:

All taken at Lavender Lake Farms, July 2013.

 

Notes:

A BIG thank you to the people at Lavender Lake Farms for all their friendly assistance today

and for giving me permission to take and post photos on this blog, As is always the case, unless otherwise noted, I am not in any way associated with the farm except as a satisfied (and very happy) visitor! Should you want to pay them a little visit this month (or during Lavender Festival) their website is here: http://www.lavenderlakefarms.com/index.htm.

They have some special events going on also this month:)

 

Morning Garden

This morning overcast skies and cooler weather greeted us--

and it felt SO good after all the hot weather we've had!

I am sure our plants were thankful too for the brief respite-

the roses and some other plants look pretty stressed right now...

of course that might have more to do with me not watering them

as much since my last BIG snake sighting:)

Aimee and snakes DO NOT get along.

Shudder...

 

 

My most recent plant purchase---

not a very good photo I am afraid

(sigh)

but this is one GORGEOUS  plant--

the pretty flowers look just like velvet--

I kid you not!

LOVE it!

 

Found the formerly 'missing' kiwi--

this year's crop will be smaller but we'll still have more than enough:)

 

 

One thing that is doing fabulous this year is our hydrangea--

it loves the extra light it is getting this year since a nearby willow was cut down.

 

 

Sadly, our lavender should have been harvested before this...

but wasn't because of the heat.

Aimee and heat don't get along either:(

 

Oh well...the bees are loving it...

and I even found two dragonflies on it this morn.

Aimee and bees

and

Aimee and dragonflies get along quite well:)

 

We grow mostly culinary lavender

(about 10 or so plants).

Last year I dried it by hanging small bunches of it under our kiwi arbor.

It dried perfectly and smells heavenly!

Hum--I wonder if heaven smells like lavender.

 

Roses...love, love roses!

 

 

Blueberries---

this morning I caught a two-legged creature happily munching away on them;

I joined him :)

 

 

And with that I wish you adieu.

Hope you have a day filled with peace and joy!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

Short + Sweet

 

June 26, 2013 evening

My DH picks me a bowl of yummy, juicy, sweet homegrown marionberries to eat--

which I do:)

 

 

June 27, 2013 morning...

someone needs a healthy snack too.

 

 

No bowl needed.

 

Mmm.

 

 

I am always glad to trade some of our yummy Oregon berries for a few photos:)

 

And now it's time for me to get to watering and other tasks before the heat gets really bad.

Stay cool my friends, stay cool and safe.

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Sad, sad day in Arizona.

May God be with those who have lost family members fighting the wildfires there.

 

Chillin' at the Beach with the DH + Dear Daughter Dog

A too warm Friday led

to a too warm Saturday...

which then called for a just perfect trip to the beach,

 

 

A whole lot of other people it seemed had the same idea...

(totally normal when the temps go up in the valley)

but surprisingly we got 'front row' parking at a favorite stop,

(a rare find whenever the sun shines on a summer weekend at the coast)

we didn't encounter any coastal traffic jams

(a rare happening when the temps go up in the valley

and the sun is shining on a summer weekend at the coast)

AND

(and this is a BIG 'and')

we actually spotted at least one motel with a vacancy sign.

Yep--big shockers I know:)

 

At the beach the temperature was perfection--

and I do mean perfection.

The sky was clear--

except for a very, very few little clouds quite a ways out to sea.

The surf was perfect

and so...

 

was the sand

and these footprints:)

 

The Farmer Boy was happy...

as was DDD.

 

 

In fact, the DDD was VERY happy...

and so was her mom-me!

 

 

And now the question is...

how will we cool down tomorrow?

 How are you staying cool?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos: central Oregon coast

 

 

Celebrating Midsummer: Pt 2 (AKA -- At the Beach)

This actually was going to be post 3 of a series,

but since we're now into our heat wave

and since very soon I will feel like a wilted flower.

I am posting it today--

because looking at photos of the beach at least makes me feel cooler--

 

Stay cool my PNW friends...

cool and well hydrated!

 

No trip to the northern Oregon coast would be complete without some time at my favorite beach...

besides it seems like such a Scandinavian thing to do on Midsummer:)

 

 

Yes, the native grasses really are that tall!

 

 

First glimpse of the ocean...

I wonder if Lewis + Clark felt the excitement we still feel today?

 

A photo to the left over the field...

LOVE this area:)

 

Almost there...

hurry up grandma!

 

 

Hang on Papi!

 

 

Grandpas make great playmates....

and they make pretty good sand towers too!

 

 

Midsummer wildflowers at the beach...

SO much beauty!

 

Hope you are enjoying some beauty wherever you are today:)

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

Photos taken on Oregon's north coast.

Celebrating Midsummer (AKA Another Reason I LOVE Astoria)

What's a girl to do when she is hungry for some Nordic pastries?

Well, if it's the weekend closest to the summer solstice,

she heads to Astoria of course:)

 

And this time she headed there with her blue-eyed Farmer Boy

and her green eyed, blonde flower loving youngest granddaughter!

 

 

After a wrong turn,

a bit of a walk

and a trip over a pedestrian bridge suitably decorated for a Scandinavian festival,

we arrived in time for a quick peek at the flag raising taking place outdoors.

 

 

LOVE the traditional costumes...

 

 

Inside it is a Nordic-lover's shopping paradise,

but with a wee one in tow I never ventured there...

my Farmer Boy could save a LOT of money if we always had a wee one along:)

 

 

No matter---I have many Scandinavian hand crafted items already,

AND I did take time to grab the ESSENTIAL Norwegian krumkake and a Finnish pinwheel (tart).

YUM!!

Sadly the line for aebleskiver was too long and so I just may have to make

myself some later this week

(they're actually quite easy to make).

 

 

The festival is held in a pretty setting at the county fairgrounds.

This is in the Midsummer Pole area --

for those that may not know,

that is a large pole with a cross piece that has been decorated with flowers and greenery.

Oh--and topped with a tiny rooster:)

It is quite fun to watch them raising the pole and all the dancing that follows it!

 

 

Sorry we missed that this year...

it would have been fun to see our little one dance around it,

but after a little coaxing from me,

she did do some dancing to the awesome live music of

                                                    Harold Haugaard and Helene Blum,

as did other children there!

If you'd like to hear some of what we heard follow this link to the Festival website...

http://www.astoriascanfest.com/

 

After the pastries and some music it was on to the Barnefest...

where our wee one played a lot of games...

 

 

and won some Viking treasure:)

 

 

And then it was time for some fun in the sun at the beach...

but since this is already SO long,

that will have to wait till another time.

Wishing you a Monday filled with many blessings,

Aimee

 

Information:

You will find a link above should you want more information on this wonderful celebration

of Astoria's Scandinavian heritage.

 

 

 

 

A Few More Scraps from My Scrapbook of Life

The other day, a friend and I were on a trip to get some business done,

 when I realized we weren't far from a favorite café where we had eaten a time or two before...

it wasn't hard to talk her into a detour.

 

 

I had some organic Jasmine tea--

out of this wonderful little tea pot...

unfortunately my smartphone's camera wasn't too 'smart' (accurate) with the true color.

It was a beautiful light, soft green--reminiscent of some vintage items I've seen.  

The tea was AWESOME by the way...

made even more so by the 'lovely' pre July 4th weather we were having outside:(

 

Outside,

besides the not so lovely rain and gray skies,

we were treated to a variety of lovely colorful flowers in a variety of unique containers.

It helped make the day seem brighter!

 

Do you see what I see?

Yep, that REALLY is a toaster being used as a planter!

I've never seen that before:)

They also used old sifters and some other kitchen related items...

cute ideas for a café that used to be a general store

(or possibly a farmhouse or rustic cabin)!

 

I should have taken a photo of what we were eating,

but I was SO hungry that the delicious roast beef sandwich was gone in minutes...

maybe even seconds:)

And then -- not too long afterwards,

so was the yummy lemon cookie...

I LOVE lemony desserts!

I LOVE eating good food in a historical, country setting too:)

 

Here is their website in case business or pleasure brings you out their way as it did us

http://southstorecafe.com/

 

 

 

An earlier trip under sunnier skies

brought my hubby and I to the coast.

And wouldn't you know it,

not too long into our trip,

as we were passing some farm fields and hillsides where the lighting was beautiful,

I clicked the camera shutter...

only to discover, 

my camera battery was dead--

sigh.

 

I did catch a few beach photos with my phone,

but I definitely need to take the time and play with the settings.

Still it was better than nothing:)

 

And last,

but not least,

 

 

On an even earlier visit... 

my sibling's cute Cornish Rex kitty taking-

a cat nap:)

 

Ah! The sun has made an appearance...

time to go!

 

Happy Summer Solstice to you!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Scraps in the Scrapbook of My Life

The sky is fascinating today...

it seems to be changing constantly.

I am SO tempted to drive up to my favorite hiding place on the mountain...

but that will have to wait because today is taiyaki day.

 

 

We've been trying to get some things done in the garden recently.

Yesterday my DH spent hours in the main garden (which isn't much of a garden),

mowing the weeds down till it looked awesome!

I only wish our drain field was located elsewhere because I have dreams of having a

raised bed potager garden like this one there...

http://miaslandliv.blogspot.com/2013/06/irises-lilacs-and-rhubarb.html

 

 

One of the things we're been doing

(we being my best friend and I, but mostly my best friend)

is spreading mulch--a yearly chore,

chopping down a tree

(yep--just us women folk),

pruning and trying to get the wildflower garden weeded.

 

 

One thing that is doing awesome is our lavender--

we have about 10 plants (mostly culinary) and I wouldn't mind planting

more because I love it that much!

The bees seem to love it too:)

Speaking of wild things...it seems like we are getting more of the colorful butterflies this year..

I have spotted red ones and a yellow one.

Butterflies bring sweet memories of my grandma...

I miss her.

 

 

A bit closer view of one of the flowers in the wildflower/perennial beds.

Since I am not watching my dad right now --

he fractured his ankle while on vacation and I don't have the physical strength to pivot or lift him--

I am trying to get up earlier and get more done.

It is starting to pay off...

but there is SO much left to do--

isn't that always the case?

BTW--prayers for my dad would be appreciated.

Actually prayers for all of our family would be appreciated right now...

 

 

The roses are looking great this year...

no deer munching on them yet:)

 

 

Another thing I am really enjoying are the daylilies by our upper pond...

SO beautiful no matter the weather!

 

 

And last, but not least,

a recent visitor to our place...

she brought her beautiful sister too!!

LOVE those little gals:)

 

So what do the pages in the scrapbook of your life look like lately?

Blessings,

Aimee

 

 

Wish me luck with my taiyaki....

it's my first time:)