About an hour outside Washington, D.C., is Seven Oaks Lavender Farm in the little town of Catlett, Va. Far enough away from the hubbub of the big city, but close enough to make it a day trip, Seven Oaks is a feast for the senses.
After a week of heat and humidity and just a day after storms dropped flooding rains, the morning brought partly sunny skies and mild temperatures. We dropped the top on the roadster and headed out, avoiding the highways and sticking to two-lane roads that sometimes required us to pull slightly to the right when farm trucks passed. Our route even took us over a well-traveled gravel road. “Maleficent” (our aptly named 2009 Pontiac Solstice roadster) wasn’t too happy with that arrangement, but the road was only about a mile long, and we were soon pulling into Seven Oak’s grassy parking area. We paid the $6/each entrance fee and headed up the hill.
Judy decided she wanted to try out her crafting skills making a lavender wand. This required weaving ribbon between the folded-over stems of the lavender sprigs, such that the flowers were encased within the weave. Judy’s instructor, Monique, learned the art of lavender weaving at an early age in Belgium; she patiently worked with Judy, demonstrating the deft touch such weaving required.
Monique shows Judy how to weave the ribbon between the lavender stalks. Once complete, you only have to squeeze the wand lightly to unleash the fresh scent of lavender. Monique say it can last as long as 30 years!After snapping a few pics, I sat in the sun, mesmerized by the sight of an ever-changing tableaux of clouds…a palette of white, blue, and grey above the verdant earth with oaks, firs, and pines bordering fields of corn, sunflowers, and, of course, purple lavender.
Sitting there, the scent of lavender intermixed with the pungent smell of fresh manure, brought on the breeze from the dairy farm across the road. With Judy’s tasked completed, we sipped lavender infused ice tea and lemonade, the tastes tickling our taste buds as we walked the grounds, the sounds of laughter from young children bringing joy to our ears.
Stopping to take some pictures, we experienced some of the more non-traditional senses. Kneeling to take pictures of bees and butterflies on the new growth, we experienced the coolness of the rich earth, damp from the previous night’s rain.
We ended our visit experiencing what can only be described as the seventh sense…the sense of love being together, holding hands, smiling under the bright sky.
© The World A to Z, LLC 2015
The World A to Z 