So, Wendy and I have been busy this winter....not the usual "trip to somewhere warm and tropic", but dealing with things here on the farm.  On December 27th, our barn burned to the ground with most of the antiques we had stored in it for the winter...along with a bunch of our "red chairs".  I had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago....trying to get ready for spring and summer work...still recovering but okay....and the biggy...tests showed I have prostate cancer...so dealing with that. 

Sometimes, we have to be put into challenging situations to really appreciate what we have and what we have enjoyed over our lives.  It is also a good time to put things back into perspective and re-evaluate where we want to be....Wendy said recently that "we should just go travel"....5 words I never thought she would say....but there it was.  My oncologist said that I should have 10 good years left....what does that really mean?  Well, to me, it means we better enjoy those ten years...but what do we do?  Neither one of us has ever stood still very long...always thinking of new ideas and things to solve problems...so how do we change our lifestyle and just travel?  It could work for awhile...until we start missing our kids and grandkids...or our lavender farm and friends etc....so what are the rules for traveling??  I have always wanted to go cross country and hit a bunch of garage sales and antique stores from here to the east coast....but then, we would have a bunch of stuff to have to do something with!!  

It has been so fulfilling to provide a place that family and people can enjoy....happy times and more to come....I think we will stay right here for a bit....enjoying making people happy...and enjoying life...!

Wendy and I normally take a trip in late January somewhere warm....(our lavender field has been covered with snow since early December)!!

We do not plan well....to say the least....we do things in the moment...Wendy looked one day for a place to go that we would like......rustic, cheap, and very relaxed!!  

Tulum Mexico is that place....a small town south of Cancun, (about an hour and half).  We managed to rent transportation to area...I would rent a car in Cancun if we go again.  Cancun is ridiculous.....extremely busy and large.  However, you can travel the main road out of the congested area fairly quickly....go past mega resort after mega resort, then get into less populated areas....Mexico's roads are very generous with speed bumps....they use these instead of lights...they also slow down fast moving traffic...makes roads a bit safer.

We made it to our location about 5pm...just in time to go out to beach and walk away some of the aches and pains from sitting in a plane for several hours and then a ride from airport.  We walked for over 4 miles along one of the best beaches I have seen.....not a lot of people.....fine with us...but all friendly and enjoying the beach and warm water.  We did not notice our beach landmarks and on our way back we missed our cabana....yes, cabana.....very quaint.... grass roofed cabana with bathroom, great king sized bed and lots of windows to open and enjoy the sound of the ocean.  Back to being lost....we went about 2 miles past our place and finally confessed we were lost...but in paradise....so we stopped at a great beach restaurant called "la luna"....the moon....had a few drinks and appetizers.....then took a taxi to our cabana.... 

Our "eco friendly" Playa was very rustic, with an onsite restaurant and bar on the beach.....perfect for relaxing and enjoying the warm sunny beach and ocean.  We learned a lot about Mexico and traveling....will write about soon!

​Bill

From the WSJ

​We always love to hear from folks about our products and if they like all the lavender essential oil we put in our products....the statement we hear most is "isn't lavender supposed to be calming and help you sleep"??

I started checking to see if there have been any studies done on the subject and this article from the Wall Street Journal came up....it is worth the read....

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703846604575447591695802182

The article in summary supports using lavender to help with sleeping issues.  With all of the pills, remedies, and commercials being promoted....it is certainly nice to have a completely natural product that actually helps the sleeping process.  Wendy and I use the hydrosol from the distillation process to spray on our linens and a squirt or two on our faces every night....does it work? We think it really helps and again...it is completely natural....Oh...and it is really refreshing....!