Sunday, August 29, 2010

GOOD AND BAD











If you are a follower of Summer Sundays blog, you are aware of day-trip four of us took on Friday--we love Rockbridge and having lunch at the Trout Ranch. It is an experience in time travel, as it is so much like things were in the 50's. You almost expect to see Andy and Opie fishing in the river,instead we saw an older couple--He was fishing and she was on a lounge chair, in the shallows, reading a book. She was pretty in her one-piece and straw hat. We wanted to respect their privacy, so took no photos. As we drove down into river valley, it felt as though temperature dropped 15 or 20 degrees, and that was a good reason for trip. It is so dry here--the only saving grace is drop in humidity.




We live in an area of unprecedented beauty and unprecedented ugliness. Within a short drive of Springfield we have rivers, streams and lakes that offer all the amenities. Sport boats, sailboats, canoes, kayaks and even some small "yachts". You can fish, bike, hike, bird-watch, etc. The small towns close-by can be stunning, but that isn't the whole story. As wonderful as our trip was on Friday, the short trip I took on Thursday was really, really bad and depressing. I was looking for a photo op., and knew of a farmer's mkt, on the grounds of an old flour mill. The small town is quaint and has a good restaurant and bakery,across the street from a flea-market. What an experience! It had been a couple of years since my last visit to this flea, and it was pretty bad, but bad can't begin to describe it now. Large chunks of ceiling had fallen into some of the booths and vendors had deposited merchandise on the floor in the middle of this debris. I don't think anything has been sold since they opened, because you could not possibly find anything nor is anything accessible if you desired to make a purchase. I left the building and drove a few blocks around town to access mill and mkt. By the time I reached destination I was so bummed I didn't stop--drove home as fast as legal and called sister to plan trip to Rockbridge. Our mother always said there was no excuse for people to be dirty, because you could always find water--maybe they should search for a grass and trash-eating goat while they are looking for water. This may sound harsh, but in our corner of the world it is a real problem.




Now that I have vented, I want to look forward to fall open-house at Leolas. We will close for two days and when we re-open it will be amazing. Can't wait! Now you have the good, bad, and upcoming beautiful.
































1 comment:

  1. And to think people ask me where I get my "direct personality" ;-). So true though! - Shad

    ReplyDelete