And now back to normal life. On Saturday, Elisabeth and I got up early and went to the Chatfield Botanic Garden’s Lavender Festival. Neither of us had been before and tickets were super cheap, especially since we got the member price, so we figured we should see what was up. Turns out the lavender part of the Lavender Festival was a bit of a bust. We were expecting a giant field of lavender, but instead were greeted with a garden’s worth. The two pictures below capture the majority of the lavender plants.
While it was confusing at first – is this seriously it?, the two of us ended up laughing over it. Elisabeth grew up near tulip fields, so she was probably more disappointed than me, but we both just chuckled and enjoyed the rest of our visit. We learned later there were around 2,000 lavender plants – many of which were just planted last year so they hadn’t had a chance to grow large yet. Maybe in five years the festival will be more impressive, but I imagine I won’t be going. I want fields of lavender, not a small hill.
Still, Elisabeth and I had fun at the gardens, we wandered around, took a tour of the place, and visited the many vendors. The tour was neat, even though it wasn’t extremely professional (I think this was the first tour these guides have ever done). I learned that the Chatfield Botanic Gardens are WAY larger than I ever thought and that it would definitely be worthwhile to visit in the spring. Elisabeth and I treated ourselves to some peaches and enamel pins from the vendors before grabbing some lemonade with molasses (it was good) and heading back home.
Once at home I started painting. Finally! While not quite like Lydia’s painting, I’m very pleased with how it’s coming along. Turns out I enjoy painting, it’s relaxing for me and I haven’t been too harsh on myself at all (those flowers have been the hardest). If I don’t like how something is looking, I just paint over it. Easy!
I also played Santorini, one of my new board games, with Gene. I wasn’t too great at it, lost twice, but I think with time I could become decent. It’s a heavy strategy game, where it benefits one to think ahead many many turns and to think about all possible turns, something I’m really not good at. Guess I need to play more so I can get good at it.
On Sunday we watched Incredibles 2, which I enjoyed immensely. That movie was hilarious, and although it was pretty clear what was going to happen, I didn’t mind the lack of surprise because the story and dialogue itself were entertaining. Props to the writing team who did an amazing job at creating an interesting movie that totally meshed with the first one. I might actually like this second movie more than the first.
I did a bit more painting and reading before ending my day with some ice cream topped with peaches. It’s peach season!
Just Lauren 