Welcome to our blog.

This was our original purpose for creating this blog:

We are both baby boomers fast approaching sixty. This blog will chronicle the time leading up to reaching our significant day. Our mutual goal is to complete sixty specific tasks each by our 60th birthdays, and to both celebrate our experiences and our accomplishments.

We are "the fabled tortoise" in this effort. Our blog will begin with a slow start, so we ask for your patience. We are aiming for a strong finish, so we ask for your encouragement. We invite you to join us on our journey, laugh and cry with us, and celebrate with us. We encourage you to leave us your comments and feedback. Most of all, we hope you become inspired to perhaps create and complete your very own "___ by ___ list."

We borrowed this idea from a blog one of our nieces told us about: http://makingitlovely.com . The author is working on her list of "30 Before Thirty."

As we progressed we continued to reflect on the process and the progress:

We would like to make a point of clarification. Because we did not begin our endeavor until April that left us both with less than a year to complete all 60 tasks on each of our lists. Actually, JR has about four months and CEA has about seven months. For that reason we agreed that we would both use CEA's birthday so that we both have the same amount of time to complete our tasks.

Now we are both 60 and moving forward. We have decided to continue the blog, setting goals and celebrating our accomplishments, sharing our experiences and voicing our thoughts, and enjoying life by making the most of every day with which we are blessed.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

JR's list: Item #5 - Attend the 6th Annual Lavender Fest in Blanco, Texas on June 11, 2010.



Candace, Cindy, and I attend the 6th Annual Blanco Lavender Fest in Blanco, Texas yesterday, which is usually the second weekend in June each year.  We began the day with a stop at Target and then a drive north from San Antonio.

Once in Blanco we had breakfast at the famous Blanco Bowling Club Diner.  Candace may consider it more "infamous" when her scrambled egg arrived looking like a beat up fried egg.
We then headed across the road to the festival which is held on the Blanco County Courthouse grounds.  This is the third year we have attended the Lavender Fest.  Everything lavender and much more is on display or available for purchase.

 


Like many of the courthouses in Texas, the Blanco County Courthouse is elegant in its simple design.


We wandered and looked.  We sampled toasted, flavored pecans and ate Dark Chocolate Lavender Ice Cream.  We bought.spices and lavender products for both ourselves and our pets.  We each enjoyed a lavender lemonade.  I even bought a potato bag for cooking potatoes in a microwave.

Kennie Smith and friend at the Blanco River Lavender Company graciously took pictures of us while we were at their booth.  They even provided a bouquet of lavender to dress up the shots.


We left the festival and headed out for the Hill Country Lavender Store north of Blanco.
Here we purchased a few more things. 

One of the great treats for us after visiting HCL has been a stop at the McCall Creek Farm Store that sits on Texas Highway 281 North right in front of the Hill Country Lavender Store and lavender field.  The first two years we attended the festival they have a really great homemade cherry gelato for sale.  We were already for more, but this year to our great disappointment they only had vanilla ice cream for sale.  Needless to say, my taste buds were devastated.

Our next stop was the Blanco River Lavender Company farm.  When we were at their booth, they had plants for sale, but Kennie Smith said there were also plants for sale out at their farm.  Candace wanted to pick up a few, so we made that our last stop.  

On our way we followed the signs that said "1st Lavender Farm in Texas."  We discovered the converted-barn home of Jeanne Ralston and Robb Kendrick, who did indeed establish the first lavender farm in Texas, Hill Country Lavender.  

They have since sold their home and their farm.  In The Unlikely Lavender Queen, Jeanne tells their story and chronicles the beginnings of the lavender industry in Texas.



We finally made it to the Blanco River Lavender Company farm.  






 
Co-owner Stephen Smith showed us around their 100+ ranch.  Candace bought three beautiful Provence lavender plants and Stephen gave us a beautiful bunch of cut lavender.  Stephen and Kennie have recently hosted a wedding in their beautiful facility.  The Smith Ranch is a great event spot.


While on the drive to the Smith Ranch we noticed a wildflower I had never seen before.  Stephen called it "horse mint."  Beautiful!

It was a wonderful day and another wonderful Lavender Fest made even better because the experience was shared with friends.  I'm ready for next year.