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Published: August 12th 2010
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Can you see the bee?
The sweet smell of lavender Lazy days and Lovely Lavender in Sequim, Washington
One of our favorite cities in the world is Seattle, Washington. One of the beauties of living there is that it is the jumping off point for so many adventures. We lived in the area for seven years. We miss it and have been reminiscing about one our favorite day trips. One of those is the annual trek to the Olympic Peninsula to the tiny town of Sequim, which hosts the largest annual lavender festival in the United States and known as the “Lavender Capitol” of North America.
For us, attending the Lavender Festival was an annual event so last summer we flew to Seattle to spend time with good friends and attend the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington even though we had moved east of the Mississippi. We actually prefer to go the week before the festival because the crowds are smaller and the lavender looks just as good, if not better. There is nothing more beautiful than a field of lavender. There is beauty in row after row after row of lavender. Provence, France has nothing over Sequim, Washington. You must go see this for yourself. The hum of
Poppies
Colorful the bumblebees can be heard as you walk amidst the rows. The soft scents of lavender permeate the air. There is a peace and calm amidst the fields of lavender.
Sequim is a growing town in the “banana belt” of the Olympic Peninsula that has become an area frequented by retirees and yet has a youthful feel about it. It often rains in this area, but for some reason Sequim is spared a lot of the precipitation. They even have irrigation to supplement the lack of precipitation. During summer months they have a great farmer’s market and block off one of the streets on Saturday’s. We loved to head to Sequim for a quiet weekend. It located on the Straits of Juan de Fuca and offers great views of water and mountains.
When you arrive in Sequim it is easy to locate a map of all the Lavender farms in the area. A self-guided tour can take a couple of days if you do it the right way--- and move slowly enough. I believe there are a dozen or more farms to visit, each with their own personality. Each year we explore a few of our
favorites and then try to explore a new one to us. This can sometimes complicate our itinerary. Some of the farms have planted sunflowers or poppies with the lavender and this adds a splash of color and provides a depth of field for photographers. July in Sequim is a photographer’s dream.
Among the farms to visit are: Purple Haze, Jardin du Soleil, Lost Mountain, and the Olympic Lavender Farm.
Apart from that is the mellow feel that Sequim provides. The pace is slow and the people friendly. There are a few coffee shops in town, some very good seafood places where you can get Dungeness crab along with some quality salmon. The people are friendly and can give you recommendations on how to spend a quiet afternoon.
We have great memories of exploring this area.
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Mildred & Hank
non-member comment
are you now living back in seattle???