In a small town

Last weekend we had the joy of visiting our good friends Aaron and Jenny in the small town (if you can call it that) of Laurel Fork, VA. Laurel Fork has a gas station,a produce stand and a fire station. That is it. Our friends live on 22 acres of beautiful rolling land. It was such a welcome relief to my ears to be away from all the noise pollution that we live with in the city. It was beautiful weather when we got there and me and Jenny put a blanket out in the grass and just laid there under the big sky there talking while the kids played. It was so nice and peaceful. Our kids had the best time playing together. Aaron owns a landscaping business and he had a big dirt pile that the kids played in for hours with their toy trucks. I never knew dirt could be so entertaining! He also had a huge pile of landscaping debris about 10 ft. high and he made a big bonfire- which my kids really enjoyed. The men kept the kids while me and Jenny had a night out on the town. We went to play bingo at the community center to raise money for a gym that they want to add on to the existing building. Jenny said it took them about 15 years to raise the money to build their new community center that opened last year and she thinks it will take another 15 to raise money for the gym! Ha. It was real sweet. We were probably the only people under the age of 60. I had a great time. The people were so nice, welcoming, and down to earth. It was very refreshing. We also got to see Jenny's father's house that he just got done building with his own two hands. He is a master carpenter and he built this amazing 3-story log cabin with very little outside help. He notched and dovetailed every log. He custom made all the cabinets, put in the hardwood floor, did all the bathrooms and all the electrical work etc. I was so amazed at the work of one man's hands. Jenny's mother made all the curtains and her sisters made awesome artwork to hang in the cabin- so now I understand where Jenny gets it. I call her the homesteader extraordinaire because she always puts in huge garden and cans all her produce. She will climb tall trees and gather grapes to make homemade grape juice (we actually had some and it was delicious). She is just very efficient and provides and prepares well for her family, which I really admire. She is getting ready to have her 3rd homebirth and we share the same midwife, so I am very excited about their new arrival. What a beautiful family!