Lavender Joy San Juan Island, Washington

The wilderness becomes a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy. Psalm 65:12 NLT One of our favorite getaways is the San Juan Islands off the northwest corner of the state of Washington. Whenever we go there we always have to visit the Pelindaba Lavender Farm on San Juan Island. The fields are beautiful in the late summer when the lavender is blooming! The Gatehouse Store at the Farm - open May through September - is a wonderful place to sample and buy lavender products of all kinds. We didn't realize how many uses there were for lavender! (See for yourself at the Pelindaba Lavender web site.) In addition to visiting the Farm and Gatehouse, we have to visit their store in Friday Harbor. Our tradition is to buy lavender cookies to eat on the ferry as we leave Friday Harbor. The store is open year round, with their wonderful bakery and deli, so we can get our cookies no matter when we go. The last time we were at Pelindaba, I went specifically to take photographs so that I could draw this picture. I took my camera and headed for the fields while Kathy visited with Jessica in the Gatehouse. I took lots of photos and decided to combine a few for a view of the Gatehouse across the lavender field with the remains of an old manure spreader in the foreground.