eating closer to the ground

a sunny saturday.  a strawberry farm.  the most perfect luscious berries on the earth.  i'm reinspired to eat as close to the original source as possible.

a day trip roaming between the small farms around (my new favorite town) crozet, virginia put me in a really good space.  the boundaries are marked with honeysuckle-covered fences instead of vague passive-aggressive remarks.  there are lots of goats.  no one talks about oprah.  i'm in heaven.

today i am grateful for

losing my way.

a three hour tour

batteau on the james, the monacan trail, walton mountain, the blue ridge, rollercoaster whoopdi-doos just inside the albemarle county line, tigerlily-lined highway, one blue raspberry slurpee, monticello, montpelier, vineyards, road bike races, shenandoah valley, a thousand roadside fireworks stands, counties called madison...culpepper...facquier, so many farms with real red barns and silos, d.c. traffic a good hour outside the city, a girl selling wildflowers, bull run and other civil and revolutionary war battlefields of less fame, near-tornado-level-thunderstorms-turned-sunny-sky in the course of 15 minutes, carloads of families doing the american history vacation...

all in the three hour drive from my house to d.c.

I ♥ virginia.

dear mrs. mother nature

you are so very kind to us here in virginia. you graciously lay out four beautiful and distinct seasons for us to experience and enjoy. may I be so bold to say that I want just one more day of white fluffy snow at which to gaze? I know the whole global warming thing is messing with your winter mojo, leaving us with very few days of snow. but if you would be so kind to squeeze out just one more day, I would be eternally grateful.

xo, lisa

p.s. if would be extra awesome if this snow storm could fall on a work day, just enough to hinder driving, but not enough to cut the power. too much?

happy thursday

the happy part of business trips, which are usually to richmond, is a stroll through carytown (it's really just cary street, but called carytown). this is my favorite type of shopping: an older district where vintage stores have been lovingly restored and filled with goodies.

my absolute favorite is world of mirth.

the shop is a bonafide toy shop, but has many, many wares that appeal to the childish spirit of adults. (my head was too big for these heart-shaped glasses.) there are also funky gifty items, everything from recycled bags to a jesus bobblehead.

I love that world of mirth was imagined to be a whimsical, colorful escape from the real world. there is a sad story behind the little genius who created it (and it's a really tragic story, so don't click over if you are not ready to shed some tears), but the little shop's drive to keep spreading the happy dream persevered. and we are grateful.

I took the blue one home with me. I liked the sparks that came out of his head. he was just a wee bit more committed to his sparking responsibilities than the others.

so I discovered that late afternoon really is a good time to visit a toy store. it was practically deserted and I could play without having to boggart the bike-riding duck from a first grader. although I have to say that the gleeful laughter of children really completes the experience.

if you are ever in the richmond, virginia area, you must spend some time at this happy, happy place.

my virginia home

you went blue.

I can make it official now: I'm home.

while I'd like to think that my influence over the past seven years made a difference, I know that you were already jonesing for a change before I arrived with my western values and kooky california ways.

I promise I will never refer to you as old dominion. you are majestic, colorful, historic. filled with beautiful people ready to move you into this century as a powerhouse of thought, art, compassion and commerce. sometimes I think they talk a bit funny, but who am I to judge "a bit funny"?

thank you virginia.

p.s. luca says, "way to go people!"

golden state

I am not homesick today. I am living in my own little golden state on my little lane in the burbs in this little city just east of the blue ridge. the trees are simply magnificent. the autumn sun radiates through the leaves and turns the air gold.

gold air. who would ever have dreamed such a thing?

I am a good wife

a few posts back, I declared my gratitude for a tv sports-free home. I guess every spouse has to endure some sort of interest that they themselves aren't that enthusiastic about. case in point: I spent a lovely saturday driving the virginia countryside in search of foamhenge. yes, that's right: foamhenge. ken had seen an obscure article about this full-size replica of stonehenge a few months back and we set out to find it. there it was, perched on a hill in all its glory. it was actually pretty cool. points scored.

I ♥ the fair

growing up in california's agriculture-focused san joaquin valley, county fairs were a regular part of life. since I've moved away, I've visited a few local and state fairs. sadly, none compare to the great kern county fair. but I still go every summer or fall (depending on the fair). last night, we visited the albemarle county fair. it was low-key and sweet.

I like seeing the animals, who made the best pie and grew the biggest cucumber. there is something very nostalgic about the fair. the sounds of kids screaming on the rides, carnies hawking their games and the farm animal sound mix coming from the 4H tent send me back to a childhood of carefree fun.

lakeside

on a hot summer day, we headed to the cool waters of nearby smith mountain lake. the colors this day were perfection: brilliant blue sky, teal green water, diamond-dust sand.

pink toes, crunchy sand and crystal clear lake waves.

rustic wood pier and emerald jewel water.

classic summer lake. like a vintage postcard.

my favorite rainbow flip-flops (sadly destroyed later that day by simon).

country roads

on a drive through floyd county, virginia we left the highway and explored country roads.

gorgeous, gorgeous queen anne's lace lined every route.

we discovered a pasture of miniature horses. this guy came up to say, "hi." they are friendly in floyd county.
even abandoned cars on the side of the road held a certain southern charm.

sunsets on the blue ridge mountains are breathtaking.

happy tuesday.