his country estate includes a certified organic, working lavender farm, nestled on beautiful Lopez Island in the San Juan archipelago. From the moment the gates gracefully swing wide at your approach, you’ll feel the serenity, simplicity and harmony begin to work its magic.

 

Just one hundred years ago, Lopez Island was part of the bread basket of Seattle; a community of settlers, fishermen and farm families, people more comfortable with boats and bays, apple orchards and farm fields than city life.

 

The island is quiet still. There are no stop lights and islanders wave hello as they pass on the sleepy roads. You’re more likely to see a deer, bunny or red-tail hawk than a hurrying motorist. Many people still don’t lock their doors, and while cell phones are gaining slow popularity, when people talk about their blackberries, it’s the summer fruit they mean.

 

The home is quietly elegant: the morning fire in the breakfast room, the fluffy bathrobe beside the clawfoot tub, the easy comfort of the gourmet kitchen, the remarkable peace of a private 35 acre estate. A sense of place is the hallmark here. The buildings have been kept small in scale to blend seamlessly into the landscape. The property can accommodate a couple to one or two small families. On a warm summer’s morning you can pick a handful of organic raspberries for your granola or spend quiet moments in the meditation garden. As your day unfolds you may want to swim in the lap pool, peddle a few miles in the countryside, enjoy a latte, fresh croissant and a copy of the New York Times in Lopez Village or plan a ferry ride to one of the neighboring islands.