Another Meal and Parting Scenes

After I returned from my adventure I took a really delightful nap, the details of which I will not bore you with. Then Dad and I went back to the main house for a second dinner with a slightly different cast of characters. This involved another cheese platter or three, not to mention the turkey that wasn't able to cook the night before.

Oh and steamed artichokes.

And a sesame kale salad and deviled eggs and smoked salmon and pickled okra and a few other treats.

And then the next day came. I briefly went over to the house with my father before determining that I needed to get back to Philly. On my way off the lands I came across this dog, which was steadily running up the road...but for what I couldn't tell you.

He was working hard.

Just beautiful.

Morning and Breakfast in the Virginias

I woke up earlier than I planned the morning after Thanksgiving. I tried to go back to sleep, but the light coming through my bedroom window and the views beyond it made it hard to shut my eyes...so I decided to get up and get on with it. Dad and I were the only two guests in the house this particular evening, so I wandered a bit and took photos of the light and slightly outdated decor. Seriously, if I could I would buy this house and live in it forever. I'd make a few changes to paint decor and the like, but it's got a pretty good layout and feel to it.

Outside there was still a light frost on the grass and my car. And, in the instance of my car, also a fair helping of bird crap. Note to self: do not park under a tree in the country.

To one side of the house were an old shed and barn, both of which had seen slightly better days. I think there's a word for photographs featuring buildings in various stages of decay. The following photographs could, I would think, belong to such an oeuvre.

What I always find curious about barns like this, is just what the order was to its decay. Was it already filled with a million different kinds of junk and then one of its walls fell down? Or did one of its walls fall down and folks thought, 'well we might as well throw some junk in that there hole'? I'm guessing the former, but you never know. I also wonder at just what moment a barn went from functioning structure to something abandoned and unkept. It is a conscious choice? A simple matter of finances or change of ownership or circumstance? You can drive around any rural area and come across so many barns and even houses with this total feeling of neglect, and yet they are still standing, falling apart one board, one roof shingle, at a time.

After my house and barn tour I decided to go on a larger adventure, which ultimately led to breakfast at Mountain View Diner, where I ordered myself a full breakfast of two fried eggs, sausage links, toast and grits. Funny thing, there really wasn't a mountain view to speak of nor would the mountains that could potentially be seen resemble the mountains their website features. The breakfast was satisfying and met my basic standards for diner fare, but I wasn't terribly wowed.

A nice start to the day.

Country Scenes

For Thanksgiving this year I joined my father in Berryville, Virginia at the Holy Cross Abbey. I hadn't been back since last year,  and that visit had been the first in a number of years, so I was glad to return to such a beautiful place. The drive was uneventful in all regards other than the scenery, which I found quite spectacular.

Slews of birds.

We were staying at a second house on the monastery's grounds. I wasn't as familiar with its location or landscape, but I was glad to get the opportunity to become just that.

Dad and I sat outside at that house for a while before joining up with a larger group of folks at the main guesthouse. And the views there looked like this.

Pool Party in Scottsville

On my way back to Philly I once again stopped by J. and V.'s as a mid-way point. Soon after my arrival we made our way to J. and V.'s niece's family birthday party, which was held at the home of some out of town friends with a pool. There were bbq fixins for eating.

A view of the James River for looking.

A pool, which apparently had a temp of over 90 degrees...it was near 100 degrees on that day. Stinking, terrible heat.

I didn't get in the water due to the rather deep dog bite I received the day before (still not completely healed 20 days later), but I did take a few photos of others enjoying the water.

Pretty.

I never got around to cake, but G. most certainly did.

It was nice again to see these folks. I've met V.'s parents, siblings and assorted friends throughout the years, and they're always very nice to me....even if I'm the only woman drinking beer openly. V.'s aunt at one point asserted that she was quite impressed with the fact that I travel alone. She meant well. But I wondered what the alternative was. I'm a 30 year old woman. Should I have an escort? Should I simply never go anywhere because I don't have a man to go with me? She really didn't mean it as anything other than 'I wouldn't do what you do and I'm impressed.' But it's the same as when I have friends whose long term relationships end, and then turn to me and  say thingslike 'I don't want to be single' as if it's absolutely the worst possible state to be in. They, too, are only saying how they feel after being so long paired up (and I do understand), but for me, someone who has been so long unpaired, saying that some version of my life is one that they would dread. Well, it's not really the best thing to say. After the party we returned to the air conditioning, where I was introduced to Despicable Me. Not a bad movie.

Thanks to the P. clan for their welcome and hospitality!

Drive Away From Berryville

It was a beautiful day as I left the monastery, but it strangely got gloomy and cloudy with every mile between me and it. Still pretty, just a little ominous. Seriously. By the time I got back to a major highway it was drizzling, and I experienced a terrible traffic jam on 695 outside of Baltimore that coincided with terrible rain. But never you mind that. Look at this church that doesn't seem to be in use any more. It somehow reminds me of Alice's Restaurant. I could fill that place up with trash no problem.
This guy was just walking along the road, doing his own thing.
Right after this photograph a truck started tailing me so I pulled over to let it pass. It had a confederate flag in its window and made a big show of zooming off so that it disappeared from sight within thirty seconds of passing me.
This house doesn't look to be in good shape, but damn it makes a pretty picture.
Just as you turn off a slightly more major road, you see this house. You might notice that the board in front of the door reads 'condemned.' What you can't notice because I felt weird getting any closer, is that there was laundry strung on ropes between two nearby trees. Sort of a mixed message: condemned, but we still do our laundry here. Or something.

Sunday Mezze

I got back from my walk, took a shower and put on fresh clothes. Here's proof.
Then many of us started prepping the table that would serve as eating central for H.'s friends and guests. I brought these olives and two different kinds of cured salami type meats. Then I cut the salamis and made this plate.
I also brought two different kinds of wood smoked salmon and created this plate. Capers. Red onions. Lemon. Hard boiled egg.
Folks either sat in the living room or on the porch to chat.
A., H.'s brother, brought out drinks on a cutting board turned serving tray.
B. and D. came from Silver Spring. Here B. is with her plate.
Here is my own plate. I love cheese. I should have taken more photographs of the cheese. I do declare it was an obscene amount of cheese. Disgusting. Over the top. Too much to bear. Awesome. Incroyable! I also like black olives. Did I mention my feelings about cheese?





Though i was enjoying myself and could have filled up three more plates, I needed to get on the road home. B. and D. departed around the same time as me. Here they are.
There will be one more Virginia-based post, in which my drive out of town is properly recorded. But this was the end of the social times. It was quite lovely to see H. after over five years, as well as H. and A. and all the other nice people that came out over the weekend. I had visions of returning to the house secretly and spackling and painting its cracked and fading bedroom walls and just sitting, watching the light change for some indeterminate but very long time.