New Market Battlefield
TG and I have been busy tripping and falling.
As in, we took a fall trip. We've been home for over a week, but in the interim we had a houseguest.
Now I want my own farm in the Shenandoah Valley
Naturally, we were not able to travel to better fall foliage country during peak leaf time. That happy coincidence generally eludes us.
BUT we did go, and it was fall, and there were leaves, and many of them were very beautiful indeed.
It was gorgeous from every angle
Where did the Pirate go? you may be asking yourself at this juncture.
We went to Virginia and points north. I will tell you about it in this and the next several posts.
Sara loves critters, both inside and outside
Let's start with Virginia -- specifically, the Shenandoah Valley.
We went there to visit my old friend Sara and her husband Marty.
If you want homey and inviting, this is it
I first met Sara in 1978 when she was a newlywed (not to Marty; that/he came later) and I was almost engaged, and then engaged, to TG.
We both worked at a ladies' apparel store named Evans, located in Southlake Mall in Merrillville, Indiana.
We talked about sitting by the fire pit one night but we never did it
Sara worked in the office, in bookkeeping, and I worked on the sales floor.
So then, I got married and both Sara and I began having babies. We ended up with a total of ten: six for her and four for me.
Inside, Sara does farmhouse like nobody's business
I no longer worked at Evans after I got married, and neither did she after awhile, but we attended the same church.
Over the years, until Sara moved away around 1986, we hung out a lot. For example, we've taken many a shopping trip to Chicago.
If you know, you know.
Everywhere you looked there were charming collections
Often our men would take in a Chicago Cubs baseball game while we girls shopped, and we'd all meet up later for dinner.
Once, we two couples took a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan. I remember because I ended up with food poisoning.
Bovine units are a favorite motif
Sometimes, on summer nights, we'd all drive to Highland Park, north of Chicago, and attend a concert at Ravinia Festival -- a favorite place of mine still to this day.
We'd almost always take an elaborate picnic meal to eat as we sat on the lawn, complete with candles for our portable Crate & Barrel table, which came with its own carrying bag. Ours was white.
This sign was at one of the stores we shopped in
In the cold months, we got together for family meals and the occasional party with other friends.
I visited Sara a few times after she moved away, and once she came back to the region for a couple of days before we moved away, but until week before last, I had not seen her since 1991.
Here's where we had a lovely lunch
That's right! I had not laid eyes on my friend in person for over thirty years.
We kept in touch though, and always knew where each other were and how we were doing.
If you're looking for the nicest people in the world, here they are
Eleven years ago, Sara remarried. I was so happy for her, as she had been single for many years.
Let's pull over and park her for a mo.
Sara and me back in the day ... as in, 1988 ... as young wives and mothers
An interesting bit of trivia is that Sara's youngest, a daughter, a few years ago married the youngest son of my mother's doctor.
The meeting of Sara's daughter and my mother's doctor's son was sheer coincidence, in no way either linked to or facilitated by me, or as a result of Sara's and my friendship.
The two kids were married before Mom got sick, hence before I even met my mom's doctor and his wife.
Sara and me now, as senior citizens and grandmothers
In fact, at bridal showers leading up to her wedding, Sara's daughter met and adored my mother, who never realized that the bride-to-be was the daughter of my lifelong friend.
(The doctor's wife/groom's mother, who was one of my mom's besties, believes that my mother never heard or read the bride's maiden name, or she would surely have recognized it.)
TG and me with Sara and Marty, who is a prince of a man
It's just one of those things. My mother's doctor and his wife have ended up being our friends too, as we became close during my mother's illness.
Back to the main story.
Me in the door of the smokehouse on the Bushong farm, beside the New Market Battlefield
Last January, Sara and Marty up and moved from where they lived in another state, to the Shenandoah Valley.
They purchased their dream dwelling: a circa-1887 Virginia farmhouse on several acres nestled between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountain ranges.
Sara has a room dedicated to Civil War memorabilia
Sara is skilled at decorating with antiques and the farm vibe, and she is devoted to that lifestyle. She even has three Angus cows: Daisy, Molly, and Bluebell.
They also have a dog, a German shepherd named Jovie. Jovie and I fell deeply in love during our visit.
Jovie, eyeballing the treat in my hand
We got to the farm around four o'clock in the afternoon on a gorgeous fall day, to find Sara and Marty sitting on their front porch awaiting our arrival.
Once we'd hugged it out with Sara and met Marty, and he had met us, we took a moment to absorb the beauty and peace of our surroundings.
Sara is partial to primitive decor
Then we went inside.
The house smelled like the succulent roast Sara was cooking, and everything looked just as I knew it would.
The parlor with its exposed beams and punched tin lamp
After a delicious home-cooked dinner, we sat around talking for hours.
The next day had been planned by our hosts for doing the kinds of things we all like to do: shopping, eating, and sightseeing. A liberal sprinkling of history was included, because all of us enjoy that.
If God is in the details, Sara has been deputized by the Almighty
Mainly we hung around in New Market, Virginia, where there is all of the above, and then some.
Lunch was at the Southern Kitchen.
Every corner held something interesting to look at
We toured the Virginia Museum of the Civil War and the New Market Battlefield.
Back at home in the late afternoon, Sara made another mouthwatering meal and, for dessert, served her homemade pecan and pumpkin pies.
Another one of those magnificent lamps
I have never tasted such pecan pie. I have asked for the recipe and am assured by Sara that she will share it with me.
More reminiscing followed, in Sara and Marty's comfortable and cozy living room (next to the parlor).
Time to say goodbye
One more sleep, and it was time to go.
After a few more hours of lively conversation over breakfast, TG and I took our leave.
Jovie, waiting for next time
We were assured that there would be a "next time" and I look forward fervently to that.
Maybe we will manage to go in peak leaf season.
Our next destination was special and poignant and I can't wait to share it with you.
Next time.
And that is all for now.
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Happy Thursday
