Intro
It’s Friday, which in most cases means I post some recent images I’ve taken on film.
Here are a few other Film Fridays to peruse at your leisure.
All images were shot using Kodak Portra 400 using a Canon A1 50mm 1.4.
We can get there in just over an hour and once I’m there it’s hard to pry me away. I’ve always had a sweet spot for Skagit county and all the lush farmland that surrounds it but now that my parents recently moved there I’ve fallen more in love.
At my core I am a city girl, thriving in the midst of the hustle, comforted by the glare of lights and the soothing murmur of life that rarely sleeps. Removed from the city for extended periods of time and I get itchy for the culture that is prevalent in the form of restaurants, theater, museums and diversity. But with two energetic young boys and a little girl who is starting to cross the line from baby into toddler-hood, we need more than our 10×20 foot yard to stretch our legs.
Directly off the exit for my parents house we are welcomed to farm country with rows and rows of lush greens that hide potatoes just under the deep, dense soil. It’s a county where cows seem to outnumber the residents and the radiant light appears more gold and alive than our familiar city sun. Down any unassuming, country road we are bound to hit a vegetable stand, a dairy farm, cheese stand, gourmet food shops, or an incredible bakery.
Back at the little farm that is my parent’s house my children and their cousins converge to play. For hours on end they roam the yard returning only for nourishment in the form of juice and fruit snacks (it is grandma and grandpa’s house after all, where spoiling is a prerequisite). With dirt under their fingernails they are delighted at the chance to visit the cows and feed the chickens.
Yesterday’s excursion to the little farm brought with it hours of entertainment in the form of the neighbor using a large backhoe to clear out part of the woods behind the house. Seven little children lined up against the white picket fence to view the excitement that no TV show could ever produce. They stood there in silent awe as the neighbor moved the bucket of the tractor up and down as if the tractor was waving to the kids. They laughed in delight then scurried off to the next adventure.
On another recent trip Baron, my mom and I visited a local berry farm to pick our fill of strawberries. We were given the option of walking or riding the tractor to the picking fields. With a five year old boy in our midst the choice was clear – we rode the tractor.
In a scene reminiscent of Blueberries for Sal
A half-hour and fourteen pounds later we packed up our ruby treasure and headed home where I joyfully cleaned and froze all of the berries destined for smoothies, jam perhaps or simply to be saved as a taste of summer when the dreary winter months are upon us.
This morning we are back in the city. I walked a half block from my house to the bakery up the street to grab a coffee and a croissant, showering buttery flakes with every bite. On the short walk home the Space Needle towers over the skyline as Mt. Rainer desperately tries peek out of the clouds that are rapidly fading as the sun (yes! SUN!) begs them to leave. I am happy to be home yet comforted knowing that the little farm awaits our return when our legs and minds need to stretch.
beautiful photos! i grew up on fir island – love skagit valley!
@Betsy – Where’s Fir Island? I have so much more exploring to do.
All of your Film Friday posts make me so incredibly happy! This is just so beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
@Brian – I appreciate your comments so much. Thank you!
the strawberries are perfect and lovely in every way. I’m totally jealous of your excursion. It always feels so good to come home though.
Those strawberries look fantastic! I’m going to have to go next week and do the same thing. My freezer is nearly empty.
@Maureen – You must! Now’s the time.
We were in the city this morning (visiting my brother), and in Skagit Valley last weekend, so the contrast is fresh in my mind. Also, we visited that incredible bakery. Oh, how their cinnamon rolls make me swoon!
@Thea – So right you are. Those cinnamon rolls are divine. But the bakery that is always on my to-do list is The Breadfarm. They just started selling danishes!! I’m in trouble.
Charming little travelogue and photos! 🙂 My kids would go ecstatic in a farm like that! I’d go crazy over the strawberries! Love em!
I love the city too, but I need to get out of it every so often. Just like this.
Love this. I grew up in the midwest, in the city, but with grandparents who came from generations of farming families. The memories of them and that farm are by far, my favorite childhood memories. What a blessing for your kids that they get to experience both worlds!
That first chicken is a beauty! You need to remind your friend Lucy about spoiling be a prerequisite. I’m squealched far too often! 🙂
Blueberries for Sal is exactly what I was thinking while picking blueberries with Ty. Oh summer, so glad you’re here.
That chicken is so beautiful! Picking strawberries in Skagit Valley is one of the things I miss most about living in Seattle.
I once went in a magic English place where sheeps were more than girls and you could hear the wind breathe. It’s helpful, unique.
I loved reading your take on my old “stompin grounds” 😉 As I’m sure you already know from my sister, I grew up in the middle of the Sakuma’s berry fields. We rented a house from them. I gorged myself all summer long on the berries that were just on the other side of our driveway and that went on as far as the eye could see! It was so fun and such a blessing. Glad to see you enjoying and loving the same things that are so close to my heart too. Even though I am also a “city girl”. Beautiful post.
@Rose – I didn’t know that! Crazy. I adore Skagit. In fact I wish I was there right now. 🙂
As the day was turning gorgeous this Sunday, we decided on a whim to head north and visit the places you listed. We had a great time and came back with many goodies.
Thx for the wonderful writing and recommendations.