My friends and I had a wonderful 3-night retreat at Snug Hollow Inn and Farm in Irvine, Kentucky last weekend. Even though I live in a paradise of quiet and nature, it's great to have a change of scenery every once in a while (lest we get any weirder, as my friend Dianne says is apt to happen when we don't get off our farms enough!). The chance to be with friends with common interests and to enjoy their laughter and stories was priceless!
The drive into Snug Hollow brought back memories of our farm's bumpy gravel driveway before we paved it, and there was a gate to open and shut and that feeling of, "I sure hope we're going the right way!" As we got further into the hollow, the house and cabin finally appeared.
Barbara, the proprietor, took us on a tour of the main house and the original cabin (above and below) where two other parties of 9 women would be staying for the weekend. 
We stayed in her brand-new cabin, and it was just perfect for the five of us, with a bathroom, reading nook, small kitchen, and a cozy gas fireplace.
We stayed in her brand-new cabin, and it was just perfect for the five of us, with a bathroom, reading nook, small kitchen, and a cozy gas fireplace.
Word has caught on that the inn and farm was listed as one of National Geographic's 50 Best Girlfriend Getaways. The endless character and Barbara's special touches were charming.
Her organic garden supplies a lot of the delicious vegetarian meals served throughout the year, and the products of her canning were artfully tucked in here and there.
The grounds, too, are filled with Barbara's touches and those of local artisans who produce stained glass, pottery, carving, and weaving. I loved the wood-carved chairs that were nestled in the perfect vantage places for sitting.
A few of us took a side trip to Tater Knob Pottery, a short drive from the inn heading toward Berea. The owners couldn't have been friendlier or more accommodating, and I scored a few pieces of their beautiful work.
We ate breakfast and dinner in the main house (huge, delicious meals!) and in between eating and drinking wine we spun, knitted, told jokes, laughed, and laughed some more.
One morning I awoke early and took a hike by myself. It was damp and misty, all gloomy and beautiful at the same time.
I've found myself shaking off some long-held procrastination this week and in addition to homeschooling and paperwork and yuck-stuff, I've produced several felted pieces that I'm pretty pleased with (more on those later this week). I guess that means that the retreat worked as planned!
3 comments:
Oh I love retreats~! Especially with my church girl friends.. Wonder if we have something like that here in Iowa.. What a cool cabin~!
Great pictures~!
Have a tiggeriffic day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)
Was this the Bluegrass Spinners retreat location this year? 'looks like it, and looks like fun! What a gorgeous place!
Hi Deb, I don't think that the Bluegrass spinners had an overnight retreat at all this year, this was just a small group of friends. I do still miss the spinning retreats at Shakertown!
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