Joe took me to Lynchburg to have lunch at Miss Bobo's on Monday. It is a unique dining experience in a historical setting. We enjoyed our meal very much and also loved meeting the other folks who were seated at our table. It's amazing what can happen in small towns - we ate with folks from Kodiak, Alaska, Miami Florida, and San Antonio, Texas. Tennessee was represented by us and some folks from Crossville. Our hostess made the conversation easy and made all us strangers feel "at home" with each other.
It was also fun to walk around the downtown district. Lots of inviting shops to attract the thousands of tourists who visit every year. At one point during our lunch, a lady came in asking where everyone is from. She got very excited when she met the couple from Alaska. She said that of all their visitors from the US, there are very few from AK (too far away), ND & SD (not many people there to start with), and UT (for obvious reasons). We got a kick out of that last one - and it didn't come from the local whiskey!!!
After leaving Lynchburg, we made our way to Shelbyville so that Joe could do a little shopping. Yes, you read that right. Joe wanted to shop! He had learned about a supplier there for all things beekeeping. He had quite a list and we left with a lot of stuff. Not only was it a good shopping experience, it was an interesting experience, too. The motto of the three-year-old business is "Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers." It all began when the then ten-year-old son told his dad that he would like a hive of bees. The dad thought it would be a good hobby for the boy and a good lesson in responsibility. Well, the responsibility for that one hive has turned into many hives (we lost count) and a garage that has been turned into a warehouse for the distribution of supplies. I asked if they have an internet presence (the answer was "no"), but that they get calls from all over the country anyway. The business has grown so fast that they are just barely keeping up with local sales. When the now thirteen-year-old got in from school, he took over from his older "brother" since he had outside duties. The name of the thirteen-year-old's part of the business? "That's My Boy". Talk about a success story!
Good thing Joe stocked up on supplies. When we got home, guess what was on a grapevine?
A small swarm that decided to go back to the mother hive. But when they do get enough numbers to leave, Joe is ready for them.
But, before we came home and after we left our beekeeper friends, we went to M'boro to see the Joneses for a little bit. I had planned on doing a little shopping at Michael's, but when Lori told us about a strawberry farm that some people from her ward were talking about, we decided to go there instead. I bet Joe loved the change of plans. They were only open until 7:00 PM and got there about twenty minutes before that time. So glad we made it!
Valley Home Farm is a wonderful place to visit. It is situated near Wartrace in the beautiful, rolling hills of Tennessee. There's a beautifully restored home on the property with acres and acres of blueberries and strawberries. And goats and Rhode Island Reds and HONEYBEES!!!!!!! There is also a bakery behind the house featuring delicious strawberry treats (the blueberry ones are right around the corner). The owner was there and we enjoyed a nice visit with her. She and Joe mostly talked about beekeeping. Before we left, we bought a basket of strawberries, and I had a strawberry/honey popsicle, and Joe had strawberry ice cream. So delicious!
We had the best day :)
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