I expected to enjoy Gigi Meyer’s open house in Alfalfa at her Windflower Farm, because she always creates a welcoming environment. This year, even during the hottest part of our high desert summer, her event seemed better than ever with fresh gourmet foods, icy cold beverages, and fine live music.

The entire farm looks different. That’s because of Windflower’s increased acreage providing lots of room for additional rows of the colorful flowers Gigi loves to grow.

There are new greenhouses, of course for more flowers, and with space for growing a variety of gourmet-quality organic vegetables. Everything on the Farm is grown using sustainable practices. Rounding out Windflower’s offerings are goats, pigs, and chickens. All the Farm’s animals are Animal Wefare Approved (AWA), ensuring their excellent care. Plus, Windflower provides horse boarding.

In fact, after parking, a visitor’s first sight is of Gigi’s big warmblood gelding, his head hanging over a paddock fence and ears erect with lots of curiosity. He’s as sweet as one might guess. Many of the horses are huge warmblood beauties, but while looking around I met a lovely smaller horse.

Turning from the horses and exiting the barn, one sees stretching ahead a mass of color with walkways threading between or circling rows of gorgeous blooming varieties. Gigi and her crew are artists, and Windflower provides flowers for restaurants, large events, smaller special occasions, and weddings. Clients trust her team’s design suggestions and arrangements.

I joined a growing crowd of open house visitors chatting casually and admiring the hospitality setup. Many folks were positioned at tables under huge shade trees and enjoying platefulls of scrumptious foods.

While admiring the scene, I spotted a longtime friend, Fabrice Boudoin, an excellent French Chef who’s currently Lodge Chef at Sunriver Resort. Ten years ago, when he was Pronghorn Resort’s chef, Fabrice introduced me to Gigi and Windflower. For the current open house, he pointed toward a special pie he’d baked, but before I could get over for a sample, his pie had disappeared.

Moving on toward the greenhouses, I came across a drying shed with bunches of hanging garlic.

I paused awhile to consider my feelings. Something about the combination of summer heat, earthy smells, beauty, color, and space, tickled my imagination. I suddenly felt transported from a city environment, and had a wild urge to hop on that big black gelding with a white-nose blaze, and fly (certainly, he’d have flown) over to Reynolds Pond for a long ride among canal trails.

Hugs to you, Gigi, for your admirable work and inspiring progress. And many thanks for inviting me over for a very memorable return to Windflower.

Contact information for Gigi Meyer: Windflower Farm, 26285 Walker Rd., Alfalfa, OR 97701. Phone 541-678-3166. Email: gigi@windflowerfarmbend.com. Give Windflower Farm a LIKE on Facebook.

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