post sabbatical

Exactly two weeks ago I completed my month long sabbatical from the lavender farm. Upon returning to the island, I feel like I've hit the road running. Back to working two jobs, tending to the garden, and wearing windbreakers (fall is really here, there is a chill in the air).

In these past two weeks I've tilled, weeded, planted, attended a hockey game, watched numerous movies, trimmed shrubs, harvested vegies and fruit, bought new hiking boots, tested out the new hiking boots on a twelve mile over-nighter, and tented in the snow.

It is nice to be back in the swing of things, watching the full moon set over the water, baking and cooking, getting the mail every night after work, finding excitement in phone calls and cards from friends and family.

Mom and Dad are within 48 hours of arriving in Seattle for a whirlwind tour of Whidbey Island and the greater Seattle area. We are hoping to spot some Orcas on our whale watching expedition, maybe see some starfish and anemones in the tidal pools on my beach, eat some fresh seafood, and visit Seattle's famous Pike's Market. One thing I know for sure: Seattle will not disappoint. Come visit.

do you forget more than you retain?

I like to think that I learn at least one new thing each day. Honestly, its probably more like three or four new things most days. Unfortunately, most new things I learn I file away in my mind where they are promptly forgotten. This, indeed, is a sorry state to be in. Always learning with equal amounts of forgetting yields nothing new.

So it is with great satisfaction that I can claim a new fact that has stuck in my mind for over a week now. I don't know how long this fact will be with me, so I figure I better get it down in print before it escapes the precious gray matter.

Did You Know: 12,000 laptop computers are left at airports every week

A startling realization, isn't it? I was glad I didn't' have my laptop last week when I was flying. I probably would have forgotten it at the airport.

the mystery of milk

Mom and I met Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Janet at the Fair Oaks Dairy the other day. The farm that we visited is one of 10 that make up the Fair Oaks Dairy operation. Though this particular Dairy has 3,000 cows and at least 6-8 calves born each day, a cheese and ice cream factory on sight, an education center, and a birthing barn it does not draw on the local electrical company for it's operation.

The farm uses four anaerobic digestors to break down the cow manure and create methane gas which is then used to produce electricity. Enough electricity, in fact, to power their entire on sight operation (milking 2,800 cows three times a day) and still have enough to sell back to the grid!

This ginormous wheel moves very slowly and milks the cows as they take a ride. They are creatures of habit so they know when to get on and off. Kind of crazy. The cows take a ride three times a day, giving up about 86 lbs of milk a day each(12 gallons).

We took a tour of the farm on a bus full of middle school students, therefore, some of the facts about the farm were lost due to the distraction created by 39 adolescents gagging and choking due to the farm smell, the closeup view of a cow pooping, or who knows what else. It is sufficient to say these were 'city kids'. And they were getting an education.

We just missed the birth of the twins. They were about 70 lbs each.

roaming freedom

Though I moved to Washington State at the beginning of this year, I haven't had much of a chance to explore the wild places here. And since my appreciation of a location partially depends on getting out, exploring the mountains, forests, and lakes, I was ecstatic to have the month of September to do just that. Although, I did manage to make it to Montana and Indiana, as well.

To keep it short and sweet, here is a rundown of my month of freedom:

Travel:

• 3800 miles on airplane
• 850 miles in car
• 700 miles on a greyhound bus
• 90 miles on foot (backpacking)

Animal Sightings:

• 3000 dairy cows (Fair Oaks Dairy)
• 40 elk
• 13 black bear
• 7 marmots
• 1 banana slug

Other:

• 9 times a bridesmaid
• 8 pieces of cake
• 3 parties in 1 weekend (wedding, 60th anniversary, 20th birthday)
• 2 rock climbing routes
• 1 glacier
• 1 sister married and off to Costa Rica

Blue Glacier on Mt Olympus - the highest peak in Olympic National Park

Ross Lake in the Northern Cascades, Washington

Lana and Aunt Connie (who traveled from Fort Meyers, Florida to attend her wedding)

comical exchange

It was a few weeks ago that I traveled from Everett, WA to Bozeman, MT via Greyhound bus. Though I have had opportunity to travel extensively around the country in the past 8 years or so, this would be my first time entrusting a bus driver with my safety for over 700 miles of travel.

I walked into the bus station in Everett without really knowing what to expect. What I discovered was a hodge-podge group of people with few things in common besides the urge to smoke a cigarette every time the bus slowed to a stop in the random Washington and Montana towns along the route. Old people, young people, people excited about life on the outside (having just been released from prison), people with tattoos, people with children, hikers, hippies, business men, college kids...it was all very interesting.

My route was scheduled to take over 15 hours to complete, so on the morning of my departure I chose a seat next to a sweet looking older lady with silky white hair reading "My Utmost for His Highest". We exchanged a few pleasantries and then I hunkered down for the duration of my ride with a book and my ipod. A few hours into the trip and the lady next to me was nudging me. I pulled off my earphones in time to hear her ask, "Would you like some steroids?"

I wasn't sure how to react to the shocking question, so I quickly replied, "Excuse me?" Immediately all these scary images of "bus people" came to mind. And here is an old lady offering me steroids in the middle of Eastern Washington. What had I gotten myself into?

Clarification of her offer came in her outstretched hand. There in the palm of her hand lay a tin box of Altoids. "Oh, thank you. Yes, I'll have a mint."

I couldn't help but laugh quietly to myself as I let the mint dissolve in my mouth.

I made it...

...to the end of August!

Months ago I requested a large chunk of time off from my job at the Lavender Farm. Sarah willingly agreed to give me four weeks of time off so that I could get into these mountains that I spend day after day looking at and longing to lace up my boots and walk those rocky paths. So, with anticipation I've been watching the days slowly pass from one to another silently waiting for the first of September to approach. And here it is! Finally.

My month is chock full of fun. Starting tomorrow I'm headed into the North Cascade Mountain Range with Amber and Bailey. We are backpacking for six days/five nights along Devils Ridge, Devils Creek, Devils Dome - the aptly named trail "Devils Loop". I'm not sure what is so devilish about all of it, but I'm headed there to find out, I guess.

I will return to Whidbey for a night, before catching a bus to Bozeman, MT to reconnect with some MCC friends and the Gallatin Valley as a whole. Hopefully I can do a three or four night backpacking trip in the Beartooth or Gallatin Mountains while I'm visiting. I've missed Bozeman, the town itself, the group of friends that live, work, and recreate there, the three mountain chains that surround the valley. I'll be glad to get back, even if it only for a week.

On the 16th, my friend Heidi and I will be driving to Seattle to pick up a friend of hers from the airport and then head into the wild Olympic Peninsula. I've just recently reserved four nights of backcountry campsites in Olympic National Park. One of which is right up next to Blue Glacier, which stretches from the heights of Mt. Olympus (the highest peak in the park). It is going to be outstanding!

And just to pack it all in nice and neat, I'll have a day between my return from Olympic and my flight out to Indianapolis, back to my roots, to celebrate Lana's wedding with the rest of my family. Another trip I am anticipating and have been since June when Lana called to tell me she was engaged.

Should be a whirlwind month, but this time the whirlwind has nothing to do with growing vegies, weeding, harvesting lavender, doing yard work on the side, cutting blackberry canes, or watering plants. I'm extremely grateful for the break from work, for the natural beauty of this state and the Big Sky state, and for family and friends. So, hooray for September, I've been waiting for you!!

los montanas - the mountains

Rita, Wes and Toby came to visit last week. They have been anticipating this trip for almost a year - dreaming about all there is to do in the Pacific Northwest. Their vacation required stamina, determination, and not a whole lot of down time. I was happy to join them for a whirlwind tour of Mt Rainer, Mt St Helens, and the lovely city of Portland.

Rainer can be seen from Bush Point beach, where I live, creating a sense of close proximity. But when all the hours of travel are summed up, it takes about four hours to get to Rainer National Park from Whidbey Island. We had a beautifully hot summer day to tour the park. A perfect day for travel, best noted by the hordes of visitors who were driving the same roads we were and stopping at the same pullouts we intended to stop at.

After flying through Rainer National Park we headed across the back roads of Washington State to get a view of Mt St Helens. After a few hours drive we were tragically disappointed to find that two years ago a flood had washed out the road to Spirit Lake (where we were headed). So we had to settle with a view of the mountain, but no real view of the total devestation created by the volcanic eruption of 1980. Blast!!

Portland was a great place to end up, though. And we had fun touring the street market, the parks, the river, the country's largest used bookstore and the eateries. I can't wait for my next trip to Portland.

Year of the Bird

The year of the bird continues for me in 2008. Besides the fact that a bird landed on my back while I was harvesting lavender a few weeks ago, creating a weird scratching sensation on my back, I have had close encounters with a nest of barn swallows that have made their home above Sarah and Rick's front door. It has been fun watching the momma and papa bird build the nest, sit on the eggs, feed the fledglings. And the loud, and quite demanding, chirping of the babies as the momma and papa spend all day catching insects and feeding the hungry mouths. It was a monumental day when the three surviving babies took their first flight, and I was there to witness it. Since that day the babies don't come back to the nest that often, but upon occasion I see three sets of beady eyes looking down at me as I am coming or going from the house. They remind me of 25 year olds that aren't ready to face the world quite yet. Still benefiting from their parents hard work.

Life is fascinating.

Lavender Lovers Unite

Part of the reason for my blogging tardiness is due to the annual "event" at Lavender Wind Farm known as the Lavender & Wind Art Festival. Since beginning my job on the farm in February, a group of people have been meeting every month to plan this August event. I initially thought this seven month in advance team meeting a bit premature, but amazingly the time disappeared somewhere between February and August.

My duties for preparing to host possibly thousands of people from the Washington area included: weeding, harvesting, watering, and the like.









Other staffers were in charge of making products, planning and ordering food for the fundraising tent, reserving chairs, glasses and the like, committing musicians for two hour time slots.

The event came and went, the first weekend of August and was a whirlwind of activity on the farm. Musicians, artist booths, beer & wine tent. An insane number of people wandered the grounds, filling our shop, buying lavender plants, browsing the artist's tents. It was a weekend of sunshine, smiles, and adrenaline (at least for the six of us farm staff).

And now maybe my life can resume some sort of orderliness. Right...

life in fast forward

The month of July flew by, it started out with a much anticipated visit from Calli and it ended with an equally anticipated trip to Lake Tahoe for Megan and Chad's wedding.

And then all of a sudden it is August 7th already. What in the world?

A few noteworthy events:

• a bird landed on my back as I was harvesting lavender yesterday, I must have seemed like a very strange colored bush, maybe?
• the acronym NADM stands for National Association of Diesel Motorsports
• Gretchen, a friend from IWU (whom I haven't seen since 2001), visited me last weekend
• lavender beer tastes decent, if you can believe it
• i harvested my first cucumber

Thanks, the library is closing, must go. More later friends!