Another year has swung ‘round. We’ve laughed and cried, grieved our losses for beloveds gone, four-leggeds wandering slowly over the rainbow bridge, maybe with a favorite toy in tow. We’ve watched winter winds take down limbs and trees, buffet fences and roof tiles. And then, just in time (can we take one more day of clouds and gloom?), timid spring finally appears and, as if by magic, daffs and rhodies begin to bloom. And now, glorious summer days arrive full of friends and family visits, walks on the beach, and talks around the table.

Can you believe this “new year” is half over? The gears of the world seem to spin faster and faster; and though in certain moments they can seem stilled, looking back — vroom vroom!

Nancy Allen has done it again

So here we are again. Time for Music in the Gardens, the Long Beach Peninsula event that Nancy Allen has been perfecting and polishing for much of its nearly 20 years — and the Water Music Society (WMS) has been in existence 40 years. Amazing milestones. Get ready for the fun this coming Saturday, July 12, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Tickets, $20, are available online at watermusicsociety.com and at many local outlets: Basket Case Greenhouse, Bay Avenue Gallery, and Nansen Florals.)

Don’t forget that all proceeds support music programs in the schools. This is another event in which every dollar spent stays right here at home. On June 5th WMS awarded five scholarships to Ilwaco and Naselle high school graduating seniors — four for music and (this is new!) one for horticulture. (Note that Ronald Barkley, whose garden has been on the tour four times, with his generous donation made the Ronald Barkley Horticulture Scholarship possible.)

Another sponsor, Adrift Hospitality, has provided accommodations for musicians and is offering a ten percent discount at the Shelburne Hotel Restaurant the weekend of the tour to anyone showing their garden tour ticket.

But how Nancy puts all this together is still a mystery to me, though I’ve talked to her about it over many years. How she finds new and amazing gardens year after year, or brings back “old” gardens that are newly-made and even more original is one of her special talents. Her gentle persuasion is legendary. And the number of details that she keeps spinning in her head, each in its own place, orderly and accounted for, show her prodigious skill. The lively, engaging, and community-positive features of this year’s tour are as thrilling as ever. Here are a few highlights.

Music and art

First, of course, the music. As you wander the magical musical gardens, you’ll hear many of our local talents: Terry Robb, Dave Drury, George Coleman, Brian O’Connor, Tanz and Sea Strings, Shelley Loring, and Jayson Sheaux bringing you extraordinary guitar and instrumental riffs and vocals.

And don’t forget that Nancy added art to the tour a couple years ago. Full disclosure: I talked my sis Starla Gable into participating with a range of her eye-catching fused and slumped glass. (She’ll be set-up in Rita Nicely’s garden — and more about the gardens in a moment.)

Other artists include painter Greg Gorham who will be working en plein air in Oysterville. (He’s also donated a large painting for the raffle.) David Campiche will have a display of his original and quintessentially Pacific Northwest ceramics. Jacob Moore’s metal jewelry and garden art is wonderful. Taylor Marye-Baker will be on hand to paint faces for any kids or young-at-heart adults in the tour crowd — all complimentary.

The gardens

Now, what to say about the gardens? They’re stunning and mostly hidden treasures. And, as always, there’s something for everyone: from big ambitious acres to a smaller food-producing garden plot and everything in between. This year there are six gardens for a total of nearly nine and a half acres of lusciousness. Here are a few tidbits from the array, without giving away too much of the story.

A third-generation gardener has created a Cape Cod-style look with sunflowers, hydrangeas, terraces, and a campfire ring for Black Lake viewing on easy going mornings with coffee or evenings with an adult beverage in hand. Another garden is overflowing with innovative ideas including flower-embedded glass art and lots of surprises.

There’s a “food forest” plot that’s been cultivated and lovingly tended for 30 years, containing mature fruit trees, berries, perennial veggies along with artful accents. This one is a gem of sustainability and eco-consciousness. A historic property in Oysterville hosts a garden with distinct planting combinations and tomato cages that are works of art; this large 3.5 acre garden also has a lovely walking path.

One of the gardens includes sweeping views of Willapa Bay, a bird-viewing and Buddha garden. Rather than one overflowing with blooms, this sanctuary celebrates quiet beauty: it’s a place to reflect and retreat, watch the tides roll in, pause, breathe, and appreciate the rhythms of life and landscape. Whereas another Bayside property, just next door, is filled with flowers — roses, dahlias, chickens. (Park once and view two gardens.)

If you’ve never been on the Music in the Gardens Tour, I can’t suggest strongly enough that you give it a try. If you are a gardener, you’ll find inspiration and advice around every turn. If you’re not, you’re in for another kind of treat, one that involves restful wandering, meeting neighbors, falling into friendly conversations, and — oh, wait— did I mention the snacks?! Plus, if you’ve got a birthday, wedding, or family celebration coming up, you are going to be tempted by an unbelievable range of beautiful artisanal work by local artists and craftspeople. If you buy a couple raffle tickets you might even be lucky enough to land one of the many sponsored offerings.

All in all, this event has every hallmark of a win-win-win for the Peninsula: the students get scholarships, Water Music provides the community with amazing urban-quality musical events, and you get a day on some of the most beautiful properties in Pacific County. Thank you Nancy Allen (and hubby Phil!), all the gardeners, the local sponsors, and all the artists and musicians for providing us with one of the most festive summer meanderings in town.