Monday, June 26, 2017

A Trip to the Farmer's Market


Hello, my friends, I hope you are enjoying 
these long summer days! 

Summer means fresh fruits, vegetables, 
and, of course, flowers! 

On Saturday, I drove down to the valley
from my foothills home, to meet my 
daughter, Jennie, for a day at the 
Farmer's Market. 

So, come along with me for a beautiful 
country drive on the way to the market! 


It was a cloudless, summer morning - 
already in the 80's - when I drove down 
through the farmlands on my way. 


I was momentarily interrupted by a herd of cows....... 


meandering across the road.....


To get to their pasture :)


If you look closely through the gap in 
the trees, you can see the Olympic Mountains, 
in the distance. 

The modern farmhouse has windows to take 
advantage of the views. 

This is what they see.......


Beautiful Mt. Rainier. 


This pretty farmhouse, was recently remodeled. 


This color seems to be very popular! 

Here, a vintage barn has been updated with a similar hue. 


And just down the way, this newly built home on 
a private air-strip repeats the trend. 

Can you see the airplane hanger peeking out from 
behind the house? 

Someone has a show horse, judging by the jumps 
and barrels in the front pasture. 

These people seem to have a charmed life! 
But, you know as well as I, that money 
doesn't buy happiness and we should
never make assumptions.


We see the Olympic Range off in the distance
across Puget Sound, as I descend to the valley.

Can you see the tree aura's? 


As we enter the historic town where my 
daughter lives, I spy this sweet little cottage. 

I asked Jennie about it when we drove by later, 
and she had looked it up on-line to find the 
price tag at $250,000! 

We live in the hottest real-estate market 
in the whole country. 

Houses sometimes sell the same day they are listed. 


My sweet daughter, Jennie greets me on her front porch. 

Her own little cottage just got a new front door 
and windows :) 

She ordered shutters to match the front door, 
but they haven't come yet, so I will 
be sure to take photos when they are installed.

You can see more of her 1910 cottage Here.


Weenie Baby relaxes in her air-conditioned
living room. It is shaping up to be the
hottest day of the year, so far - in the mid-90's.

I brought along my collapsible wagon, so
she can hitch a ride if she gets too tired
at the market. Dogs are always welcome there!

Some of you have asked me how she is doing
since she lost her life-long companion, Peanut.


She has a new friend, Buddy, a gorgeous
black shepherd, and they are inseparable
when they are together, which is most of the time.
Buddy is my daughter's boyfriend's dog.

So, Weenie Baby has had a 'Happy Ending'
to her sad loss.



On the way to the Farmer's Market we pass this
adorable farm stand.


And this wonderful little garden!

I want one!


The market was so busy - so full of people and dogs
and vendors and children that I couldn't get any photos
except this one, when the crowds all of a sudden
parted just for a moment.

There were so many wonderful booths of flowers,
crafts, and produce that we couldn't visit
them all.

Clearly, we need to go again!

We bought some flowers, and cherries,
and fresh snap peas, and I even found
a few amazing succulents.


This ancient ivy has been growing here
since the pioneer days, when it was
planted in 1864, against a little log cabin
all those years ago.

The 'tree trunk' you see,
(complete with little girl hanging from it :)
 is not a tree at all,
but rather the ivy base itself!

You can read more about this Here.

I think it is wonderful that it has been
preserved and nurtured all this time.


It was getting unbearably hot, so we
headed back to load our goodies
into Jennie's SUV.

We brought Weenie Baby back to her
air-conditioned home and then went out to lunch.


A cool drink was in order.....
Peach sangria.


Some yummy appetizers.

I forgot to take photos of the meal......
we were so busy chatting and catching
up on our lives!

Jennie works in the real-estate title industry
and just passed her test for an LPO license.
(You can read about this Here)

We are very proud of her.


Me being proud :)

Can you tell we were at The Olive Garden?
(Olive oil bottles behind me)

You can see that I have lightened my hair.

It was either that or go natural......silver......
or gold -
I chose gold :)
It is easier to hide the grow-out.
I was a dark brunette all my life,
except for a brief stint as a blonde
many years ago.


This was me and Ramblin' Man.....
all those years ago.

We were just married and I wanted a new look,
so I cut my waist length dark brown hair and dyed it blonde.

Time flies.....I had no idea then,
that someday I would be writing this as a mother of 4,
and grandmother of 2.

So many blessings.......

xoxo

All too soon our day was over and it was time
to head for home.


Mt. Rainier leads the way - shimmering under a cloudless sky......


Arriving at the gate.


Can you see Kai peeking through the fence?


The welcoming committee!


The beautiful bouquet I brought home.....


Lilies, peonies and Queen Anne's lace.


So pretty.




And a new hanging basket full of
nasturtium, petunia, red verbena
and creeping Jenny.

The hummingbirds love this!



I also got these wonderful succulents,
which I will plant in my Dad's toolbox and
my Mom's watering can.

xoxo

I hope you enjoyed coming along on our visit
to the Farmer's Market, dear friends!

Tomorrow, my Ramblin' Man goes in for
some hopefully, minor day surgery.

I'll let you know how it goes.

xoxo


34 comments:

  1. I pray the surgery goes well! Your posts are a treat to view, Karen, and I feel that I have had a good visit with you just now. Thanks for taking me to your Farmer's Market and along such a beautiful route. As a teen I once took some bleach into the bathroom to try to turn my hair blond. Mercy! Your hair is lovely and I am glad you had a good visit with your accomplished Jennie :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hope the surgery goes well! Thanks for taking us along on your trip to the Farmer's Market. The journey looks really beautiful - lots to see on the way. Love your hair! I don't think I'd look good blond - my skin tone isn't right I don't think.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a wonderful day with your daughter! I hope your husband's surgery goes well and he recovers quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my goodness...so much to enjoy in this post, Karen. The scenery on the way to the market-gorgeous, as is Jennie! I'm going to go back to see the post on her home. I'm sure she has your good taste.

    The market looks fun. My section of the city is surrounded by suburbs, and farmers markets are accessible all week. Silly, I've yet to go.

    I love your hair. The light shade really brings out your blue eyes. I also think blonde and light brown (or highlights) soften the skin so there isn't a lot of contrast with our pretty lines...lol!

    Hope RM does well with his surgery. My thoughts are with all of you.

    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello, what a lovely day I had through your blogging it for us! Really what a pretty daughter and your flowers were so pink...
    And your hair is very pretty and looks great on you! Going to the Farmers market is always so refreshing!
    have a wonderful 4th of July!
    Blessings, Roxy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello, Karen, my sweet friend, thank you for this lovely post! It seems, you had such a wonderful day with your dear daughter! Great pictures you made!
    For your Hubby's surgery I send all beest wishes and keep my fingers crossed!
    Wishing you all a wonderful week, filles with Love and joy, sending hugs and blessings, Claudia xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. How wonderful, you haven't changed a bit. 😊

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely to be travelling with you again. The market looks like a great place to visit, and lovely to see your daughters house too. Hope that all goes well for Ramblin Man. xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a great day at the market and lovely to see the different style of houses to what we have here ( at both places lol) ....... tell Jennie that I think the blue door looks fabulous - I do prefer it to the green, and it tones so well with those fabulous hanging baskets! You got a nice one yourself at the market! Hope hubbie went well with the surgery xo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you Karen for a lovely summery post. Your countryside is beautiful. Bet that farmers market was excellent. Lovely to see a picture of you with Rambling man. Love the hair then and now. You have changed very little. Good luck to Rambling man. B x

    ReplyDelete
  11. A beautiful post by a beautiful lady, love your hair.
    Hope all goes well with Ramblin Man.
    The market looks fantastic and I can see you and your daughter certainly enjoyed your day.
    Glad to see Weenie Baby has a very handsome Buddy to keep her company.
    Love your hanging basket and the ingeneous containers in which you grow your succulents.
    Have a lovely week with hugs from us :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes,I agree,a beautiful post by a beautiful lady!Thanks for sharing this delight trip!Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ylur daughter is very beautiful and so are you. But most of all I loved the youth photo of you and the Ramblin' man. Such a cute couple 💕 Lovely post all in all!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I loved my trip to the Farmers Market with you. So much to see and it was such fun. I hope you will invite me again.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Karen it's always a delight to see what you're up to. The cottage market sounds like something I would enjoy very much. I'm sure the best part was spending time with your daughter. What a wonderful way to spend the day. Blessings.
    xx Beca

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wonderful photos! That view of Mr. Rainier is just gorgeous. And the photos of you and your daughter. So glad Weenie Baby has a new friend, although I think she is hogging the dog bed. LOL Very cute!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a beautiful post Karen, I have been missing for a while from blogland and I had to find you again on my return as your posts always lift my day, your photos cheer me no end that gorgeous Mt Rainer leading you home from a wonderful day at the market with your precious daughter Have a happy week May x

    ReplyDelete
  18. You took us on a wonderful trip, the Farmers market was a joy I would have liked to see more. Seeing the mountains was a real delight. Hope all goes well with your husbands surgery. It was so nice to see you, your hair looks lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow! I feel like I went right along the ride with you! Great tour. Adorable pics of you! Your hair color looks very nice. I just love grower's markets in summer, and your part of the country is just so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a lovely drive to your daughters sweet home and a great day you had together. Ramblin' Man is in my prayers, you as well.

    Love & hugs for you both ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lovely photos and countryside!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I've enjoyed coming along to the market with you and your lovely daughter on such a sunny day. You're a pretty lady yourself. You brought back a gorgeous bouquet of lilies, peonies and Queen Anne's Lace and the succulents will do well in their special containers. I like the colourful flowers in the hanging basket. I hope your husband makes a quick recovery from the surgery.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thank you for a lovely visit! I love seeing pictures of you and your daughter. You make a beautiful blonde. Looking forward to going to our public market when local fruits and veggies are in season.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Yes summer is definitely for fresh fruits, vegetables, and, of course, flowers!
    I so enjoyed my ride and visit to the Farmer's Market with you.

    Lovely to see photo's of you and Jennie too.
    My good wishes for Ramblin Mans surgery.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  25. Looks like a perfect day with your daughter!

    ReplyDelete
  26. It was the next best thing to being there. Thanks for the visit.

    ReplyDelete
  27. A cute photo of you and hubby so long ago. Where does the time go,...it goes by wayyy too fast!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Karen, how I missed this post, I do not know! Your blonde hair suits you. Very pretty! I am so happy to hear that Weenie Baby has a new friend. What a delightful day for you and your daughter. I love Farmer's Markets! I will say a prayer for Rambling Man. xo

    ReplyDelete
  29. A very full post! What a lovely day! First of all, I know how proud you are of Jennie! That's so awesome. Love Arts & Crafts so much, but we couldn't afford it around here where it is frankly even more pricey! Bend and a 50-mile radius is off the charts! We have heard that a lot of people leave California and move here and that has driven the price up. Crooked River Ranch is still "reasonable", but only because there is quite a drive every day for people to anyplace they might work. So, the average age of residents here is 50. [of course, reasonable is relative...we still spent more for this house than we would have in Tucson!] Your trip to the Farmer's Market looked like fun. And home again to some beautiful flowers! Hope your husband's surgery goes well. God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Did you know that Nasturtiums are edible? The leaves and the flowers taste a little bit peppery. Add them to salads for something different. Taste them, and see what you think.

    I hope Ramblin' Man's surgery went well. I'm late and catching up on my emails. I'll probably/hopefully get to the post where you give the update.

    I always love your drives. I would enjoy being stopped by cows crossing the road to get to their pasture. I might have even got out of the car for a closer look!

    The house that's for sale was cute and one that I would have loved to own. I'll bet it's going to sell for over the asking price.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Wow it's beautiful area! I would love to live in place like this. We're going to buy a flat this year, we're thinking about living near to the forest. Now we're renting flat, which is located near the forest. It's so quiet place!
    I know the garden market - there is also event like this here in Poland. I's good way to buy some plants cheaper than in garden shop! :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. How fun, although I don't like those temperatures for outdoors unless I can be in the shade, but I can see the trip was well worth it your flowers are just goregous. Looks like you had plenty of lovely choices to choose from. So good to hear Weenie baby has a nice pal to hang around with once again and they get along so well :) Your hair looks great blonde, I have went a little shade lighter myself this last time but it was because I picked up the wrong box :) So fun to go on your little trips with you and always nice to have those moments with our kids.
    I know I am behind on my blog visits so I am hoping that your hubby did fine during his surgery and he is feeling much better!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thank you for the beautiful ride! I love the flowers around your home! Your hair looks wonderful on you. I'm not ready to be silver yet, either - although sometimes I think it would be a heck of a lot easier. Not yet...

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...