A Mother’s Day Adventure

 Mother’s Day has been bittersweet for me for quite sometime. I’m grateful for my mother and the the time I had with her. There are many good memories. But, my mother died in ‘86 and I have never had children, although that was the desire of my heart for years and years. God had other plans for my life. So, I decided to go on a Mother’s Day Adventure.

I left my apartment before 9:00 this morning and headed west on Rt. 58. As I neared the top of the mountain, it got foggier and foggier. I wanted to stop at Lovers Leap. I began to question myself…did I already pass it? I couldn’t see a thing. Eventually, I found it and very cautiously, I pulled over. All I could see was the cloud that encompassed the area. It was kind of eerie. 

The next stop was to be Mabry Mill Restaurant for some of their famous pancakes. There was one small change of plans. Since I wouldn’t be seated for an hour, I walked over to Mabry Mill to take in the sights and listen to the babbling brook. Yes, several things there are in need of attention and fixing, but it was still beautiful. I did get seated not long after I returned to the restaurant and I was served two of the biggest, fluffiest pancakes that I have ever seen. When I was finished eating, my bill was presented with a flower and a Hershey kiss for Mother’s Day.

The adventure continued…next stop, The Mayberry Trading Post. This is a quaint little store just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had such a good time browsing and picking out some treasures. There is a good combination of old and new. And, a few items brought back memories from decades ago. I will definitely return to do some shopping here. 

Afterwords, I drove for a bit on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped once in awhile to take pictures. The clouds had lifted and the sights were gorgeous.

Hmmm…..what to do next? I drove over to Chateau Morrisette Winery. I found a place to sit in the courtyard, bringing with me my basket of books. I read, listened to the relaxing piano tunes that were being played and enjoyed a glass of wine. It was such a sweet time. I was wishing for a hammock and a nap. 

I wasn’t ready to go home yet, so I decided to go to Goose Point Park. There is no “quick” way to drive from Chateau Morrisette to Goose Point Park. I drove through a LOT of Patrick County, which was filled with some amazing scenery. I arrived at the park, claimed my spot and read for a couple more hours. A family at the nearby picnic table invited me to eat with them. It was sweet of them to include me at their table. 

I returned home, ten hours after I left. It was so unlike me. I’m usually such a homebody on Sundays. Today, I needed this and God knew. He’s the one that put me on this adventure to make sure my heart and mind were where they needed to be. I thank Him for that. 

A Sunday Adventure

I still consider myself to be a newbie of Patrick County. And, now that I'm working at the Patrick County Visitor's Center, I look for days that I can see the sights of the county. Yesterday was one of those days. I started my adventure by heading out to the southeast part of the county to Dominion Valley Park. Every Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend they host a Gospel Music Festival. When I arrived for church, I pulled my folding chair out of my car and headed over to the stage area where about 150 people had gathered to praise God and hear His Word preached. The music was presented by The Singing Cookes. I could really feel the Spirit of the Lord in the mist of this beautiful and peaceful place. Brother Ricky Rogers brought the message of the morning. Boy! Talk about preaching! He was excellent. The entire service was renewing to my soul. I'm glad I ventured out.

My adventure continued over roads and places that I had never seen before. I drove in and out of Virginia and North Carolina for a few miles. The scenery was gorgeous! I eventually made it to my destination, Spirithaven Farm which was hosting Front Porch Fest. "What is Front Porch Fest?" you may ask. Well, this year it was a music festival  with approximately 900 people in attendance who have a bit of "Woodstock" blood in them. There were sights to see, music to enjoy and activities for all ages.

And, there was lots of good food and drink. If you like this sort of thing, it's great! It's a smaller version of Floyd Fest, held in July, that in past years had over 20,000 in attendance. I had lunch at Front Porch Fest, after getting recommendations from a guy names Crocket, and walked around, before I headed home. When I got back to my car, I saw that someone had parked six inches away from my driver's side door. I had to get in on the passenger side, crawl over the middle console and maneuver myself into the driver's seat. It was not a pretty sight! Thanks be to God, I made it into position and was able to enjoy the scenic trip home.

I wonder what adventure awaits me this week!

 

A Tro Tro Adventure

The day was Friday. I needed to be in Wa for a 4:00 meeting. "I'll leave my house by noon," I told myself. After I finished everything that needed to be done before leaving Lawra, I locked my door before11:00! I walked into Lawra Town to the tro station and saw a zillion Senior Secondary School students. They were on Easter holiday! And, they all wanted a seat on the tro. So, I prayed a prayer, "O Lord, PLESE let me get a seat on this tro." I went up to the station master and bought my ticket. "Thank You, Jesus!" Of course, there was no change for my ten Ghana Cedi note. I was to receive two Ghana Cedis in change. "I will give it to you," I was told. I asked who was the driver and asked him if I could sit in the front seat - wrong choice! But, there is more leg room.

 

The driver was getting ready to leave. So, he opened the passenger door and lifted the seat. Then, he did something with the wires or engine or whatever. And, the car started! He flipped the seat back down and we all entered. One of the female students sat next to me, in the middle. And, we were off! Yes, it did feel like we were on a race track. The trip gave me plenty of reasons to pray! I am thinking to myself, "There is a curve in the road - TURN!" The driver did turn, but, never slowed down a bit. Oh, I imagined all kinds of things...fishtailing, sliding on the dry, dirt road.... Then, two tro tros are coming in the opposite direction at the iron ONE LANE bridge. Yet, our driver doesn't slow down. The first tro crosses the bridge and continues towards Lawra. Then, we proceed onto the bridge, at an uncomfortable speed, just missing the other tro. Praise God, we were safe! I decided it would be best if I just closed my eyes for the rest of the trip.

 

As we entered the larger towns, Jeripa and Nadowli, I open my eyes. When I touched my glasses to reposition them, the lens fell out. "Thank You, Jesus, I am on my way to Wa. Please let the Red Cross Optical be open." I put my glasses in my bag. The driver honks his horn and flies through each town. We made it to Wa safely, because of the grace of God. We made excellent time! And, I was provided with the opportunity of doing a LOT of praying!

 

Just another day in the Upper West!