Snug Hollow

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.

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!

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A Beautiful Day

This was one of those days where I was filled with the abundance of Kentucky's beauty from beginning to end.
It started with a simple spider web that I noticed while I was letting our chickens out of their coop for the first time in ages.
Then the chickens themselves in the morning light were showing their vivid color and joy for life.I was fortunate enough to get to go trail riding (again!), this time with my sweet friend Karen, at Cave Run Lake. We rode along the Stoney Cove Trail, and our relaxing jaunt was beautiful at every turn.My evening ended with a scooter ride with my fun husband, and we rode up scenic Old Frankfort Pike for dinner in Midway. The ride back was breathtaking as we traveled along a forgotten lane lined with stone walls and horse-filled pastures bathed in the evening light. Pin It Now!

On the Way to School

Paul usually drives Robert to school, so when I take him I try to soak up the beauty of the spring mornings in the Kentucky River valley. I told him today, "I hope that no matter where you may venture once you're on your own, you never take for granted the gorgeous drive you took to school each morning." I love watching the world wake up in the bluegrass! (You can biggify the photos by clicking on them). Pin It Now!

A Kentucky Favorite

The person who put together this slideshow describes the song as " a love song to a place, a home, a way of life and the people you know" I agree.

This time of year, I often find myself humming "My Old Kentucky Home". It's not only because of the great pre-Derby tradition (which normally brings tears to my eyes), but about another springtime tradition, the one that brought me to Kentucky in the first place.The Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event, especially the Saturday Cross Country day, is one of my favorite spring events. I first attended this when it was the World 3-Day Event in 1978. I was a horse-crazy Ohio girl, and my parents brought another horsey friend and I to Lexington for it. I had also been to Keeneland Race Track the year or two before, and the seeds were planted in my soul for a future life in Kentucky on that trip.
Watching horse and rider negotiate the huge fences is exilherating, and I find myself holding my breath as they near the giant obstacles at a full gallop, with raw determination showing clearly on their faces.Yes, it is a dangerous sport (though many measures have been put into place to make it safer for horse and rider, as there have been fatalities in the past), and there is an occasional crash.The very first horse we watched negotiating The Head of the Lake series of water jumps hit a solid-looking log and it made a sharp cracking sound. Fortunately, the log was made of styrofoam and after being checked okay, the horse and rider did the entire series over and went on safely. They replaced the log with a spare, and we noticed 5 more spares on reserve!There is a lot of artistry and creativity that goes into the fence designs, as well as engineering for safety and challenge- it's a beautiful sight to see and to feel the hooves pounding since you're so close to the action.I love it, and although I wish I was closer to my family in Ohio I'll never regret moving to The Bluegrass State. Pin It Now!

Really, really big!

Today we took the kids and Mirian's friend Esmeralda to Mammoth Cave, in Cave City, Kentucky near Bowling Green. I always feel so good about seeing "local" sites, especially since the Bluegrass is so rich in beauty and natural wonders. It was amazing how many international visitors were at the park since there's not always a lot of diversity here, but it was great to see and a good reminder how special it is to have a National Park and World Heritage Site within a few hour's drive.

I don't want to bore you with lots of facts, as it's truly something you need to experience for yourself. Just a few highlights- Mammoth Cave is the largest cave in the entire world, with 365 MILES of mapped trails and even more being added every year! In addition to humongous rooms, there are some stunning formations and a great variety of tours for all ages and levels (we did a 2-hour "New Entrance" tour and saw a little of everything while inside.)

I hope you enjoy the pictures- the first few were taken while dropping down over 250 steps through an amazing pit that went straight down! I can't say enough about the Mammoth Cave experience, and I look forward to visiting again this summer with friends to take the horses trail-riding, since the above-ground beauty is also quite nice!

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Green is my favorite!

April has been a very cool and wet month here, actually probably cooler than March! I was in such a hurry to get early things planted in the garden, but honestly some entire rows of seeds didn't even germinate. The result of all that rain is LOTs of my favorite color everywhere.... green! I hope you feel refreshed by these photos I took on our farm, as well as in the surrounding countryside.

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