Lavender Fields and Festival

We always love walking through gardens, and today Queen Kathy is taking us to the Lavender Festival at the Lavender Fields in Cherry Valley. There are many beautiful sites to take in and some fun activities to do, plus lavender flavored treats to taste, so it's sure to be a really nice day.

When we arrived, we took a quick look around.

Chess anyone? How 'bout that sand castle?

And then we ventured out into the fields themselves . . . gorgeous! We expected the scent of lavender to be really strong, but in fact, it was very mild.

Beautiful Lavender

Of course, we had to pose for a few pictures . . .

Kneeling: Leslie, Joy, Kathryn

Standing: Carol N, Toni, Sharon K, Seema, Kathy, Debbie, Nancy

Front Row L-R: Leslie, Kathy, Kathryn, Debbie, Sharon K, Seema, Toni, Joy

Hiding in Back: Carol N, Nancy

Our next adventure was to make some lavender crafts.

Sharon K, Kathryn and Kathy made Lavender wands and they came out really cute.

Carol N, Nancy, Joy and Leslie attempted Lavender crowns.

Carol N, Nancy and Leslie were successful.

Joy not so much - she tied a bow and called it "good enuff!"

By now our tummy's were rumbling, so we headed over to the food court to taste some lavender infused goodies.

Many choices, hard to decide. Here's a look at a Lavender Chicken Sandwich, pretty good!

After lunch, it was time for our tractor ride out to the thousand-year-old oak tree.

Patiently waiting for our tractor ride

L-R: Kathy, Seema, Leslie, Sharon K, Carol N, Kathryn, Debbie, Toni, Nancy

As the tractor pulled the wagon through the lavender fields, the driver told us stories about Highland Springs Ranch and Inn, which 123 Farms is now nestled within, and the famous thousand-year-old oak tree. The ranch dates back to 1884 when it was established first as a stagecoach stop and later developed into a health resort in the late 1920s. Celebrities such as Albert Einstein, Wyatt Earp and Ernest Hemingway were regular guests on the ranch.