Out Standing in My Field

Ok, so it's not my field ... and yes, it's an awful pun ...
but it is the field that drew us up to the San Juan Islands last month.

That's because I'm the trip planner at my house, and I happen to love lavender.

I don't have a field. I have a tiny hedgerow along my driveway.  

Actually...it's more potential than hedgerow.  

And I wanted to make sure I was shaping it up just right. 

So that it can grow up to be a hedgerow someday.

Mid-July was the Lavender Festival at Pelindaba Lavender in Friday Harbor.

As far as festivals go, it has a lot to learn! You need more than a bunch of craft booths and a band. 

I wanted to see a demonstration on extracting lavender oil, but we missed that, 

so all in all it was kind of a bust. Other than it smelled wonderful! 

And Bill got some lavender ice cream.

The photography was so so because it was hot and bright and the whole island is one big ball of glare, so photography after 8am and before 6pm is almost a waste of time. 

And we were glamping which was really fun, so I wasn't inclined to get up early with my camera ...

 the draw of fresh coffee on a camp stove! 

But we did get to visit the San Juans in July which wouldn't have happened otherwise!  

Friday Harbor

The Marina at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, just before sunset.  

 It's a large marina, and completely open to the public which is rare, 

so we had a fun time wandering around and admiring the boats.

Marina water is always nice and still, good for reflections.

An occasional boat came in or out, and there was a harbor seal 

hanging around too. As an added bonus, we got those great popcorn clouds!

(They might show up again on the blog in a post or two!)

Linking to Weekend Reflection.

San Juan Sunset

Just before sunset on San Juan Island, this weathered Pacific Madrone with its cool red bark
is really lit up by the setting sun.

View from the Lighthouse

View from the Lime Kiln Lighthouse tower on San Juan Island. For a look at the lighthouse, see my post from Wednesday titled San Juan Island. I've got plenty more reflection photos from our trip to San Juan Island last weekend; it is an island after all, and I can hardly stay away from reflection photos as it is! But for today's Weekend Reflection I decided to go with the reflection on the wonderfully wobbly glass panes of the lighthouse tower. It's a bit confusing maybe, but intruiging to me. The sunset light is reflected, along with the smaller sized diamond window frame. The shoreline is visible through the glass in view. For more island reflection images, check back throughout the next week or so.

Linking to Weekend Reflections.

San Juan Island

Lime Kiln Lighthouse on the western side of San Juan Island.

Historical info on the lighthouse found at this link: Lighthouse Friends.
I was interested to read that a Spanish explorer named the islands San Juan and Orcas in honor of his benefactor, a Mexican Viceroy by the name of Juan Vincente de Guemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo (Orcas coming from Horcasitas, which suggests that Orcas whales are named for the island, where they can often be spotted, and not the other way around!