Oregon Lavender Festival 2010 Day Two

We did not get as early a start today as we usually do during the festival. It being Sunday, Gail had some obligations at church that could not be escaped. Had it merely required attending a church service I would have gladly gone along with her since I was raised in the Episcopalian Church and can discern little difference in her Evangelical Lutheran, which despite its name, is pretty mainstream. No, she had to go and rehearse music with the organist and singing is not one of my talents—I would have been sent out the door to the curb promptly I opened my mouth—and it involved a meeting following the service which would have become boring for someone not enmeshed in the doctrine and goings on there so I stay at her house and amused myself by reading an article by Harper Lee’s biographer, it being the 50th anniversary of the publication of that wonderful novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Uninterrupted time can be as much of a blessing as any church service.

So following a hastily eaten lunch at Gail’s home in Mt. Angel, we set out, but unfortunately had to back track to Yamhill to exchange some lavender festival t-shirts she’d purchased. The expense of time was soothed by more lavender snickerdoodles and some may even make it home to my grandson. Hopefully at least one. We visited Lavender Thyme, but they seemed depleted on items and vendors and it was hot. As has happened before our best farm of the day was the last one which we barely made it to before closing. Parrot Creek Herb Farm in Oregon City has a beautiful setting and because all the other festival followers had headed home the owners had time to chat. This happened two years ago at a farm no longer even on the tour. The end of a hot day, when it begins to cool a bit can be magical and we enjoyed our chat before turning the Civic towards Mt. Angel. The best part of the day may have been the rum cake we had at a German restaurant there.

Another Oregon Lavender Festival has been appreciated and will be thought of and talked about next year when we go again. It was not as hot as two years ago, but not as comfortable as last. We did not go to any farms that were unpleasant and this is the year I got to see my friend Marlys. Undoubtedly the cold lavender milkshakes at the end of a hot day will be mentally appreciated for years to come, too!

Oregon Lavender Festival 2010

My yearly trips to Oregon for the Lavender Festival are about more than lavender. They are a chance for me to go to a pretty part of the world, relax and recharge with a friend I’ve known and loved since I was six. That is more years than I care to own. I love my big household and doing homey things, but it is divine to come to a place where you can set a thing down with a reasonable expectation of it being in that spot minutes or hours later. A household of six and a small dog cannot be as peaceful as a household of one and a cat. It is nice to occasionally visit a different world.

This year arriving in Mt. Angel, OR was an even larger blessing because of the traffic on freeways between there and my home in Gig Harbor, WA. I have long had anxiety regarding freeways which HBP medication has helped to a certain extent, but does not entirely ameliorate. Although I left Gig Harbor at 11:30 AM, a reasonable time, a trip which I have made in 3.5 hours in the past took five in 90 plus degree heat and with an air conditioner that, like a couple of things on my car, decided to take a little break! So I was grateful when the air conditioning kicked back on and I was able to get off of I-5 and onto the back roads of Oregon. I am seriously considering taking the train next year!

A salmon dinner and a shower soon made me feel better although Oregon’s heat wave prevented me from sleeping as well as I might. Undaunted, Gail and I set out Saturday morning on our quest of all things lavender. Our journey began with a short ride on the Wheatland Ferry across the Willamette River. The ferry is quaint and adds to the ambiance of a beautiful rural area.

It would be impossible to say which our favorite lavender farm is although we have hit some duds in three years of perusing. Our first stop this year was Red Ridge which quite possibly has the most beautiful prospect. As its name implies it sits on a hill top with fields of lavender sloping away from the house and gift shop. From there you can see the surrounding bucolic countryside and our visit there is always pleasant.

Willakenzie is another favorite. It, too, has a beautiful setting, an extensive gift shop that includes hand-knit items from the wool of the alpacas the farm raises along with lavender. We always find treasurers there and this year was no exception. After we’d done some retail therapy we enjoyed lavender sorbet on the porch of the shop and took away lavender lemonade and lavender ice tea for the road to Yam Hill.

After a brief stop at the Carlton General Store where I purchased sunscreen (having left my own bottle in my car in Mt. Angel) we got to Yamhill and the festival in the park there. Booths with crafts and art line the edges of the park under ancient trees while a band played on the bandstand in the center. We particularly enjoyed an extensive display of local paintings of the many lavender fields that surround the countryside of Yamhill. At a picnic table we unpacked our picnic lunch which we might have enjoyed were it not for a couple of people who seemed to think that the area we were in was the smoking area. Although our chicken salad sandwiches were good (if I do say so myself) they might have been better appreciated somewhere else. Before we left the festival grounds we purchased two lavender snickerdoodles to enjoy on the road.


Helvetia Lavender Farm was eagerly anticipated by me. It is always the busiest stop on our lavender journey with lots of booths, music and food, but this year it held the special attraction of another childhood friend, Marlys Violet Spencer, seamstress extraordinaire who lives and creates “wearable art” in Hillsboro, OR. Marlys a year ahead of me at Sammamish High School in Bellevue, WA and unquestionably the most entertaining of my acquaintances. She has done work for large and small theater groups as a costumer around the Pacific Northwest and in Hawaii. She returned to her childhood home of Hillsboro to care for a dying father and create yet a new chapter in a very interesting life. She sews wedding dresses, kitschy shirts that truly are art, and beautiful scarves all made from repurposed fabric she finds at garage sales and Goodwill. When we first stopped at the booth where I quickly spotted her wares, Marlys was nowhere to be seen, but the farm and festival is extensive so we wandered the many booths and before we left found her returned. Big hugs and introductions ensued along with a lengthy chat to catch up. When a customer needed Marlys’ attention we moved toward the car and I was dismayed to realize that I’d not gotten her picture. Before we left she told me to choose a scarf since she reckoned she owed me 40 years worth of birthday presents. I was already determined to buy a scarf for myself and one for my daughter-in-law who loves pretty things so I eagerly chose a purple and gold one for myself and one featuring shades of orange for Ana.

We ended our lavendering at Mountainside Farm where we had a barbecue chicken dinner that featured lavender potato salad. It was quite possibly the best potato salad I ever ate and since I have culinary lavender at home I am determined to add it to the next potato salad I serve. Please note that I did not say “make.” Costco sells a very good potato salad which I doctor up to suit myself saving time and effort. Potato salad is not important enough to me to labor over.

Our day was not done. We stopped at a large berry stand that included an ice cream parlor where we ordered lavender milkshakes which we enjoyed in their outdoor eating area. A cool breeze had come up and it was the perfect end to a lovely day. Gail said that the milkshakes were even better than the lavender sorbet we had at Willakenzie. That’s a tough call and I’m glad we had a day that included both.

Day Two of the Oregon Lavender Festival

The weather took a decided turn for our second day of tooling the highways and byways of Oregon, enjoying farm after farm of lavender. It was hard to believe that last year we were sweltering in triple digit heat and have agreed that overcast is much preferable to blazing sun. By the end of day we had rain, but by that time the festival was over for another year and we were tooling the aisles of Goodwill in McMinnville!
My friend Violet was obligated to sing at church before we could go out and play so we got off to a bit of a late start. We began day two of our lavender journey at Lavender Thyme Herb Farm in Canby on Needy Road (a most inauspicious name) where we’d been greeted by the growling dog the evening before because they’d closed early. This time the place was bustling with people. We purchased some lavender things and then sat at one of their umbrella shaded tables—although there was no need for shade—and ate our picnic lunch.
After we’d fueled ourselves we headed to Independence, Oregon, stopping along the way at Fred Meyer to fuel the car and the bank to fuel our pocketbooks. At Independence we went to Lavender Lake Farms which is located right along South Pacific Highway. Although the location was not as picturesque as other farms we’ve been to, the lavender was beautiful and the gift shop lovely. It was there that I purchased some lavender chocolates which we enjoyed at day’s close.
Not only is Oregon littered with lavender farms, but vineyards abound as well. Our next stop, Daffodil Hill Vineyard, was both—or attempting to be. Nominally located in Rickreall, Oregon, it is actually a good ways up more than one gravel road, but the drive was beautiful taking us past fields of mown hay and grapevines. It is truly beautiful country. When we had wended our way halfway up the drive we were met by a woman collecting an admission fee. We were flabbergasted as no farm has ever charged an admission fee to see the farm and for the opportunity to buy their wares and nowhere in the Oregon Lavender Festival brochure was a fee mentioned.

We were told that the money was going to go to “Women Ending Hunger.” We’d driven a long ways to see this farm and turning around wasn’t going to be easy so we each grudgingly passed the woman five dollars. I am sure that “Women Ending Hunger” is a laudable charity and we were given a little handout about the organization, but no receipt for tax purposes. Presumably the farm will be getting the income tax deduction for the money collect. We were flagged into a field where we parked and briefly waited for a small tractor and wagon to take us the rest of the way up the drive. Since there was a large party ahead of us we decided to walk.

Daffodil Hill Vineyard has a lovely situation and it was lively with booths and music and people (they were making a big dent in hunger). Unfortunately for us most of the booths held no enticement to spend money as it was geared for the wine/western crowd, not lavender. Their lavender products shop had many expensive items which we did not purchase. We might have been more inclined to had we not felt as though we’d just been held up at the pass so to speak. After seeing all that there was to be seen and using their port-a-potty we hopped on the next tractor wagon back down the hill, disappointed with the whole thing. It is not that I have anything against "Women Ending Hunger" or giving to charity, it is just that I like for it to be my idea and a freewill offering. While the woman in the road was wearing a smile instead of a bandana and was not packing a six-shooter, I felt as though we'd been held up.
We could not help but feel that we had to a great extent wasted our time with Daffodil Hill Vineyard. Yes, the drive, while on a less than desirable road, had been beautiful, our Lavender Festival time was running out. Violet turned her now very dusty car toward Dayton, Oregon and Red Ridge Farms. Red Ridge was a known quantity as we had been there last year and despite the soaring temperatures had enjoyed the gorgeous views from that ridge. It was just before 4 PM when we arrived and the place was nearly deserted, a much different atmosphere than last year. One of the beauties of Red Ridge Farms is that they not only have fields of lavender, they have some beautiful garden accessories. I have been looking for a pot for my fichus which my grandson knocked over, breaking the pot. Flower pots, even plastic ones, can be expensive and so far I had been disappointed. As if to sooth us for wasted journey to the previous farm, providence had placed a very reasonably priced and beautiful purple pot in my path.

We had hoped to view one more farm before Oregon Lavender Festival 2009 came to a close, but traffic convinced us otherwise. We drove back to McMinnville to their Goodwill (it is always nice to visit other Goodwills) and then to Silverton for dinner at Thai Dish before heading back to Mt. Angel. Our lavender journey was at an end, to be stored away amongst the memories we have acquired together these past 52 years.

Advice I would give about festival going in general is to pack a picnic and take plenty of cash. Many of the little booths you come upon do not have the ability to accept plastic although most vendors are gracious about checks. If you can ask of someone about places ahead of time, do so. You will save yourself time and money.

This day we ended not with a growling dog, but with Sophie the Cat who was very happy for company.

Day One of the Oregon Lavender Festival

We started our Oregon Lavender Festival tour in Yamhill where there is a festival held in Beulah (don’t hear that name enough) Park. There we wandered around from tent to tent. I bought several plants and my friend and I both bought lavender jelly, splitting a four pack at a bargain rate. Before leaving we stopped by the concession stand to get lavender Snickerdoodle that was wonderful!
Our first farm stop was Willakenzie there in Yamhill. The farm features a wide range of plants, cut lavender, and u-pick available. The farm also keeps Velveteen Alpacas and demonstrates spinning and weaving with products for sale. Their gift shop is all things lavender including candy, cookies and soda. I am not a big soda fan. Had the drink been noncarbonated I would have bought some. We purchased some lavender sorbet and sat on a patio enjoying both the delicacy and the view as the sun began to burn morning clouds away.
Our next stop was Woodland Lavender Farm, also in Yamhill. There was lavender a plenty and a few arts and crafts. A raffle for the Oregon Food Bank was going on so I gave them five dollars. The best parts of Woodland was its situation, which is beautiful, and the fact that they were handing out free bottles of water.
Barb’s Dutchmill Herb Farm, which has no website, was a folksy place run by an elderly couple. Barb was more than happy to take us around and show us all of her organic lavender and herbs. Her gift shop is sparse, but what it lacked Barb makes up for in personality. They also sell organic chicken eggs and we came away with two dozen. It was here that we ate our picnic lunch.
Helvetia Lavender Farm, located in Hillsboro, was jam packed with people. It is more festive than the Yamhill Fair. Set on a hill its situation could not be more beautiful. There were booths, music and food. A tea room had been attractively set up on the deck of the owner’s house and we had “scone cake” smothered in berries, our choice from a short list of tea, and a chocolate truffle.
For the farm Lavender at Stonegate is located in West Linn, a bedroom community to Portland. We had to take a van from the nursery parking lot a short way to the farm. A field which had previously been used as a parking lot for the festival has been given over to the raising of vegetables, doubtless because of the current economical situation. They did not have a great deal of lavender products, but I came away with a five dollar bouquet.
Our second to the last stop of the day was Barn Owl in Wilsonville. I have written before about Barn Owl and it was a busy place on this first day of the festival. Barn Owl has the largest gift shop and for the festival had a few booths set up in the yard.

Our last stop was a lock out. Despite the fact that the festival was to run until 6 PM, Lavender Thyme Herb farm in Woodburn was closed when we arrived and greeted by a growling dog.

Lavender Weekend: the Journey Begins

Today begins my lavender weekend. Yesterday I drove from Gig Harbor, WA to Mt. Angel, OR for a weekend of lavender fun with my very oldest and dearest friend. As is my want I got off the freeways as soon as may be at Oregon City and wended my way through Canby, Barlow, and Monitor, past roads with names like Whiskey Hill and Scone before arriving in Mt. Angel.

It was surprisingly overcast in Oregon and threatening a thunderstorm that never came. After a late lunch or early dinner (which was very inexpensive due to the early hour) at the Glockenspiel Restaurant in downtown Mt. Angel we settled in to watch a Haley Mills movie that took us back to the 1960s. We were wild for Haley when we were little girls.

As soon as we pack a picnic we are off to Yamhill to begin our participation in the Oregon Lavender Festival.