LAKEPORT, Calif. – The latest block on the Lake County Quilt Trail is “Watson’s Walnut Tree.”
This 4-foot by 4-foot quilt block recently was installed on Covey Barn on the Grey Heron Farm, located on the right side of Highland Springs Road, just south of Highway 29 before Mathews Road.
The Covey family began homesteading several hundred acres in the Big Valley area in the late 1800s. Their property included this farm, growing pears and walnuts.
Although the pears are now gone, the farm's walnut trees are around 80 years old and produce a good
organic crop every fall.
The barn was constructed in the 1920s by Ernest Covey and his brother, just prior to the arrival of Agnes Covey, his mail order bride from Minnesota.
This barn housed teams of draft horses and winter hay in the loft. The brothers worked them on their property and then other local farms to supplement their income.
During World War II, their horse teams were also used on local county road construction projects
because gas rationing made that financially viable.
In 2007, Contractor/Owner Mark Watson, who passed away in 2013, shored up the interior posts and footings to insure that this great old barn would continue to serve the farm for many years.
Watson loved working in the walnut orchard, bringing the trees back to health and vigor.
Owner Debra Watson O’Dell chose "Watson's Walnut Tree" quilt block to commemorate her late husband. The design incorporates the traditional quilt block design called “tree of life.”
The quilt block was drawn and painted by the Lake County Quilt Trail team.
The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.
It consists of dedicated volunteer quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.
For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or see the group's Facebook page.