Friday, October 22 - A Day Off !!

Let me begin by saying that I am using the term "day off" quite loosely :-) The day started with 3 hours of chores and ended with the same ... but, in between, a day off!! Let me also admit that I get many whole days off during the year, and this year I actually went to Oregon for 6 days while my hardworking farmer-husband slaved away. Needless to say, I was tickled that we had this little respite together.

I got a call from a classmate of Weldon's whom we had seen at his class reunion 4 weeks previously. Brenda said that she and her husband Mark make an annual trip to Mabry Mill in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. After some explanation and miscellaneous chatting, she said they would be going up the next day (Friday) and asked if we'd like to go with them. Well, duh! Weldon said if I wanted to go, we'd go ... although he really should be getting the hay in. He's so sweet :-)

Mark & Brenda picked us up at 10 am. They weren't familiar with the back roads around here, so after a few minutes, Mark just turned his GPS off and Weldon took us on the scenic route for the entire day.

First stop, this strange concrete statue place that we visited in June 2007. Mark & Brenda had never been here before and they thought it pretty odd, too. Next time we need to go up to the buildings and see if someone can tell us who buys this stuff and if it's all made right there. Anyway ... here are a few pics.

It was a beautiful drive, even though the colors were past their peak. The wind was on the cool side, but if you stood in the sun, it was a lovely day. Next stop: Nancy's Candy Co. Let me tell you, this is some good stuff. Weldon thinks we should take another day trip there ... every day!! I don't know how expensive it is to get the goodies shipped, but I'm definitely gonna check it out. And maybe next time we can actually get to see the factory in operation. That would be great fun!


Just a hop and a skip away - Mabry Mill and Mabry Mill Restaurant. We had a 2-hour wait at the restaurant (!), but spent the time walking, enjoying the scenery, and checking out the gift shop.


The grist mill was actually grinding corn for a few minutes. If you look carefully, you may see me in the mirror above the mill.
This framed mini-quilt of Mabry Mill hangs in the gift shop. Pretty neat!

On our way home we stopped at a produce stand and bought some apples and a little bag of buckwheat flour. Then we enjoyed our ride home. What's not to love - sitting in the back seat with your sweetie, enjoying the scenery while someone else does the driving?!
Yay for a day off!

p.s. I forgot to resize my pictures, so when you click on them, they may be HUGE. Sorry about that.