
Blueberries and lavenders. It’s the season of purples, from the blues to the pinks of the spectrum. I can pick a bowl a day of the blueberries in my back yard and enjoy the rich dark lavender mounds in our front yard. But it’s always a treat to visit a lavender farm, and there’s a beauty here in nearby Lacey – the Evergreen Valley Lavender Farm where you can picnic, purchase everything lavender, and of course sketch!

The Olympia Art League has a plein aire group that meets weekly on summer evenings at local spots. Unlike the Sonoma County weather where the temps cool down in the evening, here in the northwest the heat and bright sunlight often peaks in the evening and the sun sets later. I’m finding that it’s my favorite time of the day to get out and enjoy exploring.
The Schmidt house is the elegant historical home of the founder of the 1904 Olympia Brewing Company in Tumwater. This sketch shows just a small portion of the house and estate with its spectacular formal gardens.