The thing I didn't know until we were about a month in is how close to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah valley we actually are and how everything surrounding them are horse farms and rolling hills with quaint little Main street towns.
It's almost like I discover something new I love about this place every weekend after taking a little adventure.
On one hot and humid Sunday we went strawberry pickin' with Momma Hicks at Hollins Farm in Marshall. I loved every single second of it. The scent of strawberries was sweet and fresh and perfect to fight back the possible dreariness of the day. In the midst of our hunting it started sprinkling, large, cool droplets perfect enough to add that refreshing kiss of coolness to your skin but not drench you to the bone. Due to the angle of the hill I fell out of my flip flops quite a few times, (not the best berry pickin' shoes) but luckily I survived and was able to harvest 2 large, sweet delicious containers of fresh strawberries. Yum!
Afterwards we went to The Plains and had lunch at a little restaurant called the Rail Stop that used to be owned by Robert Duvall who is a local here! Shaun wasn't as much of a fan as I was, seemingly because there were a few flies buzzing around from the open patio doors. But I thought it was delicious and a perfect energy burst for the day. We browsed around the couple shops that lined Main St and discovered an amazing farmers market with the most delicious smoky BBQ and adorable crafty vendors then headed home to relax and so I could bake with my fresh strawberry harvest.
It was a magical day, one that I'll keep stored away in the "warm and fuzzy memories" folder in my brain.
