Friday, May 5, 2017

Less Stuff . . . More Adventures


My daughter was celebrated at a baby shower last Saturday and has another coming up in 2 weeks 


In the midst of talking about what she should give the hostesses as thank you gifts, I came across this photo on Instagram posted by a local friend about Rose Story Farm.


 After reading Lori's response back to me on IG, I checked out the website and immediately emailed KC to tell her that a tour of Rose Story Farm would be the perfect thank you for my friend Wendy who hosted the first baby shower.


Of course that meant that I would be enjoying the tour also.


Yesterday Wendy and I headed up the coast to Carpinteria with the ocean obscured by the marine layer,


but in the hills just 24 miles north, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.


The bench sat against an extensive hedge of Sally Holmes roses.


The tour group was extra large that day, but we lucked out and had the owner of the farm, Danielle Hahn, as our guide.


The farm began in 1998 yet I had no knowledge of its existence until a few weeks ago.


 The beautiful farmland was enhanced by a riot of color.


everywhere we looked.


Cute little cottages from another era


dotted the landscape.


Look at the gorgeous bouquet of roses on that table.


This little rose covered cottage is a private residence on the property 


I love the attention to detail on the farm - even the cushions on the wicker chairs are covered in a rose pattern.


We were encouraged to stop and smell the roses - Danielle snipped off flowers for us to really breathe in the scent and I was touched by how much she loves her flowers. 


I am now following Rose Story Farm on Instagram - each post shows gives you a sense of how much Danielle savors her life on the farm.


Arches and arbors can be spotted all over the grounds.


Walking beneath this arbor, the path became a soft aisle of pink petals.


This curly willow arch was created for a wedding and no one remembered to remove it - by they time they got around to taking it down, it had filled in so beautifully that they decided to keep it.


This arch is very special - it was the site of the memorial for Julia Child and that bench sat in her garden.


Julia Child was a close friend of the family and this beautiful rose bears the name "Julia Child".


A difference fragrance greeted us with each new rose we encountered.


After nearly 25 years of not having a sense of smell, it has miraculously returned and I was in heaven enjoying so many different aromas.


The bees love Rose Story Farm too.


We ended the day on the lawn, eating a tasty lunch and chatting with people from near and far.


Two ladies were from Connecticut, another was from Miami and we all shared a love of gardens.


When KC gave Wendy the card with the invitation to Rose Story Farm, I loved her response, "This is so much better than another bowl."


And I must agree with Wendy,


I need less stuff and more adventures in my life.

..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..

I am sharing with Jann of Have a Daily Cup for SYC

38 comments:

  1. First of all what a thoughtful gift! Second, what an incredible place. I love it. Glorious Roses! I really enjoyed the tour with you. Hugs!

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  2. Oh my, what a place to visit and what a place to live. Delightful. When I saw the arches covered with roses I thought what a good setting for a wedding and then I read that is how the arches got there.

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  3. OMGOSH--WHAT a place--WHAT a tour. Lucky you (girls). I would love to see it in person...and look at all those cute cottages.
    I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I'm with you---less stuff and more TIME for adventures! xo Diana

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  4. What a wonderfull Thank YOu gift!! Sounds heavenly!

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  5. Beautiful!! That fabric!! How sweet that Julia Child's memorial was there :)

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  6. It really does feel like stepping back in time. Lovely lovely place!! How fabulous is it that your sense of smell came back??! Much sweeter this time around I'm sure.

    Have a happy weekend! xoxo

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  7. I totally agree with Wendy as well! What a lovely adventure! I would love to visit there. I love roses and plan to try growing a few of my own someday. I bet the scent was intoxicating for sure. Have a lovely weekend! Oh...I wanted to tell you I have not forgotten you won my little contest. I have been so busy I have not had a chance to pick up one last thing to send but I am planning to over the weekend and will send it out next week. Thanks for being patient!

    Hugs, Vicky

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  8. Wow! I would love to visit next time we are around. So much beauty in your part of the country. You got lots of nice shots!

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  9. That looks like a dream of a place and your day sounds wonderful. :)

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  10. What a lovely photo/essay! It sounds as if you had a perfect day. So glad your sense of smell has returned, it would be a shame to see all these beautiful roses without being able to smell them. I also loved the Julia Child bench and memorial. She was one of my favorite tv personalities, and had such a lovely sense of humor. Thanks for sharing your beautiful day.

    Carol Lake, aka Canadian Chickadee
    (Google has decided I don't exist, and won't let me post under my google account name, so I have to post as anonymous. xoxoxo

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  11. Lovely...and babies are wonderful. Congratulations. :)

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  12. I would love to visit there! Or live in the little private residence cottage. imagine how fragrant to wake up in the mornings and to go to sleep at night! Thx for sharing this beautiful place :)

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  13. What a beautiful place!! And what a creative idea for a Thank You gift! I love the different smells the different roses have. I have a Peace rose blooming right now and so far, it's got the best smell out of the 4 rose bushes I have.

    Thanks for sharing you tour with us.

    Judy

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  14. Carol, I just am amazed at the beautiful roses. I can only imagine the heavenly fragrances. Yes, that was the perfect gift. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie

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  15. Hi Carol, you ending your post with the perfect phrase, "less stuff and more adventures". That's what I need, too. Your tour was lovely, thanks for sharing it with us:)

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  16. How incredibly beautiful! You are so lucky to have this rose farm nearby. I can only imagine how wonderful this was in person. So, you seriously haven't had a sense of smell in 25 years? And it came back just now - at this rose farm?! This is a story in itself!

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  17. That was certainly a thoughtful thank you gift and such a beautiful place to enjoy it.

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  18. Oh yes, yes, I must take my daughter and visit. It sounds like you really enjoyed yourself....
    And I so remember the big Magazine spread on them a few years back.

    Enjoyed this post
    Xx
    Dore

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  19. Oh Carol, thank you so much for this information. I am going to put that on my things to do. The roses are stunning. I never knew this place was there.

    Stop by my post and see my roses. I do not have this many, thank goodness, I would never get out of the garden.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    Mary

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  20. What a perfect way to thank your friend, and what a perfect day for enjoying this beautiful farm. So glad you shared these pretty images.

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  21. I swear I can smell those roses! If it's this gorgeous in photos, I can't even imagine how wonderful the gardens are in person. What a perfect thank you for your friend! I totally agree with your post title! Here's to adventures!

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  22. Very beautiful. Looks like such a nice way to spend the day.

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  23. Oh my goodness. I wish there was a garden like that here.

    Thank you for all of the fantastic photos of this wonderful place.

    Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  24. YES YES YES. More of life, less stuff. And this summer as soon as school is out, I hope to have a pleasant or at least a fun learning adventure every day. That is my goal.

    Oh those roses, these places, Carol, this is the perfect spot. Have a super adventurous season!!!

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  25. Oh Carol, what a great thank you gift and such a beautiful spot! I can imagine how fragrant it must have been too!

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  26. Wow. What a beautiful farm! And a delightful gift in so many ways. I was amazed to read that you have had no sense of smell for years until that day. What a miracle gift you received to enjoy the scent of the roses! It's all just so lovely.

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  27. All the pictures are so beautiful! It was definitely a great gift!

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  28. Love your idea of giving adventures instead of things as gifts... Along those lines, we will celebrate a dear friend's birthday later this month by going to Magnolia Market & Silos in Waco.

    Judith

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  29. Love the idea of an adventure to give as a gift. This garden tour is amazing and what a place for extreme inspiration. Being a rose painter, I would love to visit here. Thank you for taking us along with this post. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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  30. Oh good heavens! I love this place. And so prefer adventures to 'stuff' = a great idea and a great tour!

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  31. Wow that rose garden is amazing. The scent of all those roses must be fantastic. I'm glad your sense of smell had returned so that you could enjoy this visit fully. Sarah x

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  32. How absolutely beautiful and what a wonderful gift. I would love to see that place in person one day :)

    xo,
    rue

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  33. Lovely lovely pictures and what a beautiful garden! We have a very strange springtime! One day sunny and warm, next day snow and rain...
    Have a great week, take care!
    Titti

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  34. Wow what a beautiful place and such glorious photos! I can just imagine the gorgeous scents too! Have a lovely week Carol.
    Helen xox

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  35. What a wonderful thank you gift....such a beautiful place and nothing but lovely roses and cute cottages... I would be ecstatic to visit this wonderful place and so happy your got to enjoy it to! Such beautiful roses.

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  36. Carol, I soooo agree, "less stuff, more adventures." I would love to hear more about your loss, and recover, of your sense of smell. Do you know what caused the loss?

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