Inspired by Joy

Last Thursday I went to this extraordinary place to get tomatoes, okra, pepper and leaf lettuce.  My greater purpose was to photograph some of their amazing gardens for Gardens Galore No. 6. 

Once in a while there is a place like no other…Flying Cloud Farm is such a place, less than 5 minutes from my house.  This is a self-serve honor-system produce stand at the farm that sells all kinds of produce and flowers. On this visit, I met two new people.   Christine, originally from Los Angeles, has been buying produce there for years.  She said it is unheard of in this day and time that people would allow you to pick your produce and pay in a jar.  And, yes, there are bouquets of free flowers every day.  This really is a special place.  We live in a world where trust is not so commonplace.  Flying Cloud…..trusting, amazing beautiful people.  Then came Jane, another customer, who wanted to chat about this family and it was the same..unbelievable she says that such a place exists. I had to move on as we were creating a traffic jam in a small area.  This is a story that touches my heart in a very deep way.  Words fail me in telling this story but maybe pictures tell the story better than I can.

This is the produce stand and I wanted to show it from the zinnias point of view.

Annie and Isaiah Perkinson manage this farm.  In speaking with Annie and explaining my complete awe, she says ” we have an alternative plan..we trust people.” All produce grown on this farm is sold at local farmers markets through the 100-member CSA, at the roadside stand and local restaurants. Flower workshops are held at the farm which includes learning about growing, harvesting and arranging cut flowers.

Self-serve honor-system: Pick your items and pay in a jar! They replenish the produce during the day.

The butterflies, the bees and other garden creatures kept me plenty of company.  It was like a day in Heaven.  The beauty was something to behold.  The camera that Bob gave me really does help me zero in on these butterflies.

She has taken paint can lids, painted them and made identification signs for all these flowers. 

It is breathtakingly beautiful.  I think the pictures speak to that.

This farm is situated with mountain ranges everywhere you look.

I have never seen this delicate pink dahlia.  Quite beautiful!

I think this is my favorite picture. I don’t have my watermark yet for my pictures.  That is my next goal.

I don’t know how many varieties of sunflowers are growing here but it is a lot.  Look at the size of the leaves on this one.

This corn is so beautiful that it doesn’t look real but it certainly is.

Now to the vineyard…

Inside this shed is more flowers and produce to be sorted.  

This beautiful young girl was packaging blackberries for the market.  I ask her for a comment.  She said: “It takes a lot of hands.”

Black and white cows on this farm.  

Today I have been blessed.  I met two new people and we were brought together by this farm.  I will probably never see them again but we had one thing in common…awe for this amazing place.  Thank you, Annie and Isaiah, for giving our community a place like Flying Cloud Farm.

Thank you Pam for allowing a new blogger to join the garden parties.  It has been a joy. Dianne