Sunflower Festival
This weekend we were attacked by giant killer bees.
Just kidding we were sent back to 1889 and took a best-friends-who-share-a-log-cabin photo.
But really my friends and I attended the Sunflower festival at Mountainview Blueberry Farm. First impression was really strong when we saw the giant dahlia's in a vegetable garden. Further down the road we pulled into the mud pit aka the parking lot and saw the real flower field. After scanning our tickets, we were set loose in rows of variegated sunflowers, Zinnas, and cosmos.
Armed with mason jars and pruners tied to red fast-food baskets we traversed the fields to cut perfect blooms. Much like how I navigate corn mazes I cut through the overarching sunflower thickets to decapitate sunflower heads.
I focused on making a purple, white, and orange bouquet for a spooky look. After stabbing myself with the pruners several times I amassed enough sunflowers to turn my attention towards getting pops of orange Zinnas. Under the beating sun I rearranged my bouquet several times adding more cosmos for height because I didn't cut the sunflower stems long enough. I didn't want to cut off the new blooms, it felt cruel. So, my sunflowers ended up crowded flopping over the rim, oh well!
At 2pm we participated in a butterfly release subjecting nocturnal butterflies to the daylight. I have mixed feelings about the experience because it was cool to have butterflies land on me, but also it felt sad seeing them in little packets trying to wiggle out. I wouldn't do it again and instead opt for going to a butterfly room in a science museum.
This experience was designed for photo ops. Personally, I hate when little vignettes are designed specifically for selfies. I see the cheesy charm of it but I don't want to crouch in a bathtub filled with dirt water for the gram. However, I did enjoy recreating a Daguerreotype photo with Marika. For more natural shots, my preference, there's tons of empty rows to frolic through and not get other people in your shots. It may take some patience, but you can settle into a spot to set up for more intimate photos.
The only issue I had with the festival was the lack of food options. We anticipated getting a small meal or carnie snack once we arrived. The only food options were lemonade, blueberries, and ice cream. Not great if like me your blood sugar can get out of wack rather quickly. A protein option would've been out of this world.
I'll be back next year with bubble tea straws to slip on my sunflower stems to keep them up right. More tips like that this Thursday in my next post, stay tuned!
Have you been to a sunflower festival? How was it, comment below!
