Tag: flowers

Fun amongst the flowers

~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Last year I learned of a local u-pick flower farm but between their limited hours and my travel I was unable to visit. I follow them on social media and last night saw they were canceling their Friday event due to weather but rescheduled for today. Tickets were still available so I registered online and showed up this morning at 10:00.

Started during Covid by a wife and husband team (she’s a teacher, he’s a firefighter) this is their passion project. They do special events on their beautiful wooded property and the variety of annual and perennial plants has grown each year.

Owner Jessica took the group on an informative garden walk, identifying blooms ready for picking today, showed how to cut and strip the stems and gave us valuable information on how to make our bouquets last up to two weeks. Then we picked our mason jar, grabbed clippers and walked about the property filling the jar with our fresh picked bouquet.

Once home I began arranging the flowers quickly realizing I could make two bouquets and so I did!

The pickings fresh from Barefoot Blossom Farm
Arrangement #1
Arrangement #2

For a $30 ticket this was a lovely way to spend my morning and now that I know where it is I will be a regular at this charming flower farm!

In the Garden – Blooms

~ Spence's Girl ~ 1 Comment
I found this little beauty blooming, in spite of the fact that it was hidden underneath my hydrangea.
When I planted this last year,
it became dinner for a hungry bunny.
To my surprise it’s back, small but determined.
My new Alpine Poppy continues to bloom.
A snapdragon blooming in the middle of my lilies.
This is year three for these stunning lilies.

Luau at Smith’s Tropical Paradise

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

There are more than a few options in Kauai to attend a Luau – no surprise. That said, my sister Lisa deserves kudos for always finding the best and most fun things to do and see when we travel. For Luau’s she compared reviews, details of what’s included, location, viewing websites and knew Smith’s was the hands down the choice for our Luau experience.

Started fifty years ago and spanning four generations, the Smith family has curated more than a Luau experience for guests.

At 5 p.m. we boarded a tram for a narrated tour of their 30 acre botanical and cultural garden in the heart of the historic Wailua River Valley. We learned about the many types of trees, plants, flowers, fruits, and nuts growing in abundance on the property. After that, we were free to wander the meandering paths surrounded by tropical splendor, a small lake with mountains as a backdrop and peacocks, chickens, roosters and other birds roaming about adding to the atmosphere.

At 6:00, the Imu Ceremony was held explaining the cooking method called Kalua. Photos are courtesy of my sister.

At 6:30 began the Luau feast and remarkably for someone who photographs her food, (particularly whilst traveling) I literally took not one photo. I can only attribute this to my overwhelming appetite and anticipation. It was DELICIOUS.

At 8:00 we moved to the spacious open-air, torch-lit Lagoon Amphitheater for the Rhythm of Aloha Show which incorporated music and dance performances from Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Philippines, New Zealand, and Japan.

The Beauty of Kauai

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

Around this time last year, my sister and brother in law were planning to visit Hawaii again and asked if I’d like to join them. And just like that the plans were set in motion.

Known as the Garden Island, Kauai is lush with vegetation and flowers, mountainous with waterfalls, beaches and the ocean….in short, stunning. This will be the first of several posts as I will share the best of many photos taken along the way.

These aren’t flowers but they are just as pretty!

Flowers in Alaska

~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Whatever we expected of the weather in Alaska was completely different than our experience. Having packed layers, waterproof jackets and footwear, gloves, hats…..you get it. That said, the week we spent there was sunny, warm and perfect for enjoying the beauty around us and the flowers were thriving.