Monday, July 13, 2015

Nineteen Years, a Lavender Festival and Lake Treasures


Eighteen years ago my husband Frank and I celebrated our first year wedding anniversary at a quaint Bed & Breakfast at Skaneateles Lake. One of the Finger Lakes in central New York in the United States, the name Skaneateles means long lake in one of the local Iroquoian languages.


It is a beautiful lake, a quaint town full of great shops and restaurants and this weekend, a Lavender Festival. We decided to celebrate our 19th anniversary on Saturday there. Our actual anniversary day is today, July 13th.



When we arrived at the festival at the Lockwood Lavender Farm on West Lake Rd, the first thing we saw was the mile long line for the bathroom! I was not about to wait in it although nature was calling. You will understand later why I am mentioning it! It still made a pretty picture with the barn in the background!


Just to the left there were rows of gorgeous Lavender.

 
The chair was lavender colored and put there for picture taking. I am holding my long stemmed bunch of lavender that I picked myself. That was one of the main features at this festival. 
 

 
You were given a pair of scissors, instructions and a cardboard guide for how large your bunch could be. I have to dry the bunch for about 3 weeks and then it is ready to display.


While I waited in line to cut my bunch of lavender my sweet husband volunteered to go wait in the bathroom line for me! It worked out perfect! When I got back to him, he was second in line. Did I mention that he agreed to go to a Lavender Festival for OUR anniversary outing? I have been calling him my Knight in Shining Armor for nineteen years now.

This picture was taken after he waited in the bathroom line! It was hot!

On the way to Skaneateles we stopped at a yard sale and an antique sale and got some treasures. My knight doesn't mind thrifting with me at all. Actually he likes it. He wanted to stop at so many yard sales that by the time we stopped at a three floor warehouse flea market on our way home I had to say "enough" because I was exhausted! That is huge. I usually don't say no to thrifting!

This box of antique lamp parts was calling me. I don't know why because I don't really sell supplies but I just loved these!


The large brass ring is from a chandelier.
 
I also found a great set of white enamelware pots with red trim. One has the cover to match. A tan green trimmed enamelware bowl, an Art Deco Son-Chief toaster and a 1930's Acme frying pan.


I just love these purses so I threw that in the mix although it didn't match a thing! :-) I will be listing all of these in my Etsy shop.

 
I came home with a thing or two for me too. I have always loved the look of an old door in the garden but don't want to pay the price for the really chippy, weathered ones. This door was at a yard sale while passing through Auburn, NY on our way home. It is almost 7' tall and has a nice brass pull and hinges on it. I paid $5!

 
 
I am going to figure out the fastest way to weather this so I can get it in my garden. I may have to paint it aqua first! My friend Susan gave me some great ideas for it so I am anxious to pull it all together. Won't it look great nestled in some ferns with a stone path leading to it and a window box attached near the middle filled with flowers? At night a spotlight can highlight all it's goodness!

And finally, we found an arts and crafts show that had a display of metal garden things. My husband is funny about not having an actual gift on the day of our anniversary so he just had to buy me something. My anniversary gift from him is clearing out a garden and adding a lilac bush, which I have been wanting since we moved here. Since the planting can't be done till Fall, he bought me this....

 
It is a metal sculpture, all chippy and rusty, which is hard to see, and it is my new favorite color of Aqua! It is large and we spent the morning hanging it from our funky side growing tree over the side garden. 

 
 
 
My gift to my husband was a pair of Converse high tops. He grew up in the 70's and Converse sneakers were the thing to wear, if you had money! They now make them with DC Characters and Frank wanted Batman and Joker. Since they make a pair with Batman and a pair with the Joker, not both characters on one pair, I bought him both! No surprise to me that he wore one from each pair at the same time. One foot Batman, one foot Joker. No joke!!
 

 
He pulled the look off great with his blue plaid shorts and Batman t-shirt. We went to the new Minion movie and Panera for dinner, with our son, as our anniversary date.
 
Next year Italy!
 
 
AnnMarie xoxo
 
I am sharing with these great blog parties:
 


21 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary!!! I'm so glad you had a wonderful weekend! The lavender is gorgeous, as are all of your new treasures. I LOVE the door and all of that enamelware!! Have a great evening! :-)

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  2. PS... gorgeous photo of you and your hubster is sweetie for standing in line for you!!

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  3. Oh what a fun Anniversary outing! I love that he went to a Lavender festival with you and waited in the bathroom line for you!! He is a knight in shining armor! How cute! You found some fun treasures too. Your garden is beautiful and I like that tree just the way it is!
    Happy Anniversary to you and hubby!
    Gina

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  4. Happy anniversary! You married a great guy!

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  5. A lovely way to celebrate your 19 years together, congratulations. And I do love your sign :)

    Diana

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  6. Happy Anniversary! This was a beautiful photo of you, it was really great to see you celebrating such a big event. Your husband is your knight and thats a really sweet thing. These lavender fields are breathtaking, I would love to go to a lavender field someday. Looking forward to seeing where you display your bouquet after it dries. Great finds too!
    Hugs,
    Jemma

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  7. AnnMarie, congratulations on your anniversary. I love your gifts to each other (and his style in Cons), and the way your sign is hanging. I just penned an upcoming post on lavender - you'll have to read it in the coming week or so and see if resonates with your harvest outing. :) Oh, and congrats on your latest collection. ;)

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  8. Sounds like a dream anniversary date! Congratulations and great door. $5?? Really? Lucky girl!

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  9. Happy Anniversary!! How fun to celebrate in those gorgeous lavender fields. My goodness how special. I would love this. Everything and all your pics are spectacular. Italy next year!! Fabulous!!
    Enjoy and best wishes for a great year ahead.
    Hugs and Blessings, cm

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  10. Happy Anniversary! What a sweet hubby for standing in line for you! Looks like a fun day with lots of treasures found. Love the old door and those enamel bowls! Italy sounds like a wonderful trip. xo Karen

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  11. HAPPY ANNI :)

    Gosh you always find such amazing items, LOVE the purse :) T.

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  12. How fun, to go back where you celebrated your first year together! And to happen to go when there is a Lavender festival, too!! I love the soothing fragrance and color of lavender! Sounds like you had an amazing time!

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  13. Happy Anniversary! Lavender festivals are so much fun and I love the photo chair in the midst of the lavender. Your finds are fabulous--love the enamelware and what a perfect sign for your charming garden!

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  14. Oh lavender is my all time favorite. Happy anniversary.

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  15. Wow that lavender smell must have been awesome. And you found some awesome treasures. I especially love the door.

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  16. Happy Anniversary, sweet friend! What a delightful place to visit and I'm sure it smelled heavenly! :) I have never been to a Lavender Festival, but it sounds like great fun. Thanks for sharing with us.

    Love and hugs to you!

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  17. First of all Happy Anniversary! A lavender festival sounds like such fun. What great gifts you gave each other and I love how your hubby rocks his own tune with his cons. We've driven through that town several times on our way to Cooperstown (hubby is a baseball buff). It's such a pretty area. We honeymooned in the Finger Lakes too... but in Geneva many many years ago. lol. Love all your finds, but that door was a steal. To get natural wood chippiness I leave things outside for a winter and they always turn out great. It's easy, but not fast.

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  18. Great post, AnnMarie! I have always wanted to go to the Finger Lakes, and a lavender festival would be a fun reason to go. Happy Anniversary to you and your Knight! Love the sneakers, and LOVE the garden sign!

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  19. What a fun time..... the lavender trip is beautiful. :) Nice to enjoy such time with your husband also. :)

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  20. Happy Anniversary! Sounds like a wonderful day.

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  21. Happy Anniversary to you both. What a sweet thing for you hubby to do, not sure which one is better, the line for the bathroom or attending the lavender festival. What a gem! Love your goodies especially that door. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Inspiration Party.

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