Among Lavender and Love
The Joy of Time Well Spent
Sometimes the road doesn’t lead you to some grand landmark. Sometimes it brings you to a quiet field of lavender, a tiny Casita, and the kind of time with family you wish you could bottle up and keep forever.
After seven months apart, Cade and I finally wrapped our arms around two of our favorite people in this world: our daughter Emily and Sara, who will officially become our family next month when they marry in Minnesota. Just hugging them again — that alone was worth every mile. They could only stay for two days before heading back to Seattle, but that time together was exactly what we’d been craving.
Cade and I parked our Casita at Pace Lavender & Hobby Farm in Chehalis, WA — one of those hidden gems you find through Harvest Hosts that reminds you how the simplest stops can become the ones you hold closest.
We strolled the lavender rows together, catching up on wedding plans and swapping little stories that somehow feel better when you’re sharing the same patch of sunshine. We cut a few different varieties of fresh lavender to bring home and wandered through the tiny farm store, filling our bag with candles, bath salts, air fresheners, and the most refreshing sparkling lavender lemonade. The owners even offered a craft project — a birdbath made from a terra cotta plate, decorated with colorful glass tiles. It wasn’t fancy, but standing around that table together, planning where the bright stones should go, felt just right. It’s always the smallest things that stick.
Deer drifted nearby the whole time we were there — quiet shapes moving at the edges, sometimes so close it felt like they were checking on us. One even wandered through the lavender rows not far from where we stood. And one morning, an enormous owl perched on a branch within sight, hunting for its breakfast as the early light settled across the fields. Tiny moments like that remind you to pause — to breathe — to look a little longer.
It was Fourth of July weekend while we were there, but none of us felt like waving flags or pretending everything is fine when it isn’t. There’s a lot about where our country is headed that doesn’t feel worth celebrating right now. So instead, we chose to celebrate something that does: Sara’s birthday. Love felt like a much better reason to gather. We made brunch in the Casita, let the day unfold easy and unhurried, then closed it out with a birthday BBQ under a soft summer sky. No fireworks — just laughter, good food, and time together. Exactly what we needed.
On that first stroll, I spotted a small birdhouse tucked under the trees, waiting to be noticed. I snapped a photo and turned it into an image to remember this place by — a simple reminder that the best parts of the road aren’t the miles you cover but the people you gather close while you travel.
If you don’t know Harvest Hosts, it’s a network where RV travelers can stay overnight at farms, wineries, and small businesses — usually for free — in exchange for buying something or leaving a small donation. We’ve only stayed at a handful so far, but the farms and wineries have become our favorites. Each place offers its own corner of peace and a little something special to remember.
We’re here one more night before heading back to Portland tomorrow. Honestly, if we could park our Casita in a quiet corner and stay all summer, we would.
In a few weeks, Cade will head back on rotation for a couple of months. Chase and I will pack up the Casita and make our way slowly toward Minnesota for the wedding — planning to stay about a month to soak up every minute with family and, hopefully, catch up with a few friends. Then we’ll wander home again, never in a rush.
These miles remind me again and again: the road gives us places to rest our hearts — but it’s the people we love who make every stop worth it.
– R. Michael
If you enjoyed this little stop on my journey, you might like my other series too — Not That Anyone Asked. It’s where I share the stories you didn’t even know you wanted to hear. Come take a look.
