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July 18-21
I got up about six, checked email, ate breakfast, packed up, and headed back to my mother’s house.
It was an uneventful drive back. I got in about 8:30 and got a load of laundry started. Mom soon joined me.
We talked a little about the day ahead. I called Julie and found out where this group of photographers were currently (Purple Haze Lavender Farm).
I stayed at Mom’s long enough to switch some camera gear around and move clothes from the washer to the dryer and took off to join photo group. There's six of us in this week's group - our leaders from Seattle, a couple from Whidby Island, a woman from Cincinnati, and me.
Purple Haze Lavender Farm had several purple benches and adirondack chairs strategically placed around their fields, as shown in the three photos above. At one point, we put a straw hat on one arm for contrast.
The three photos above show different views of the lavender fields at Purple Haze Lavender Farm. Lavender comes in several shades of purple, including a very, very pale shade which is almost white.
The three photos above show the lovely patterns the mounds of lavender make. In the photo on the right, a sparrow decided to pose for me on the back of one of the adirondack chairs.
The three photos above were also taken at Purple Haze Lavender Farm. The one on the left shows a colorful collection of poppies and cornflowers in front of some rows of lavender. The center photo shows one of the many sunflowers just starting to bloom. The photo on the right shows the window of a shed with a lavender filled windowbox.
The owners of Purple Haze kindly allowed us to shoot the lavender hanging to dry in their barn. The three photos above show drying lavender. These were much easier to capture once we turned off the fans...
After shooting at Purple Haze for a while, we tried to have lunch at 101 Diner. It was crowded (it’s Sunday!) and there was about a half hour wait. We placed our names on the waiting list, then tried to see if there was some place else open. The other places that were open on Sunday had long lines also. So, we headed back to 101 Diner and only had to wait a short while until our table was ready. I had a bowl of clam chowder.
Then we drove on to Jardin du Soliel Lavender Farm for more photography.
The three photos above were taken at the Jardin du Soliel Lavender Farm. The photo on the left shows a bicycle shaped flowerpot holder. The center photo shows a birdbath with some glass balls surrounded by lavender. The photo on the right shows a selection of sun decorations on a garden wall.
The three photos above show some of the combinations of lavender and poppies at Jardin du Soliel.
The three photos above show some of the wonderful lavender fields at Jardin du Soliel.
The three photos above show some more of the lavender fields at Jardin du Soliel.
In addition to the lavender fields, Jardin du Soliel had some sunflowers growing on the edge of an English maze. The photo on the left shows one of these sunflowers with the main buildings of Jardin du Soliel in the background.
We left Jardin du Soliel Lavender Farm and were heading for another lavender farm when the rain started falling in earnest (it had been foggy up until then). So we headed for their motel for a little down time.
We had dinner at John Wayne Marina (coconut crusted prawns - yum), then went back to their motel for a photo presentation and an overview of the week ahead. Then I drove back to Mom’s.
I drove in about 9:25. Mom was upset because she didn’t know what was going on that day. I thought we had gone over it, but I hadn’t left her anything in writing that she could refer to during the day. (Sorry again, Mom)
She had also aspirated a couple of pills and was extremely uncomfortable. In hindsight, we should have headed immediately for the emergency room, but she thought it would clear up on its own. It didn’t. She struggled with that situation all week.