A Simple Six: Our 125 Mile Van Day

With the turning of the calendar, we begin our car free month. We parked our Honda Odyssey (still for sale) and the Cavalier in the drive way and plan to walk, bike, carpool, and bus our way through the 31 days of August. Before we pulled High Speed, a.k.a. the van, into the drive at 10:30pm last night, we managed to give it one more good trip to remember.

Farm Bound
We loaded up our family and our neighbor's son just after lunch yesterday and headed east. We did a few errands in the hilly neighborhood before filling up the tank at Kroger in Barboursville. $53 later, we stopped at Sears in search of backpacks and school clothes, but left without anything. We then embarked on a 60 mile trip north east to Jackson County WV to visit the Four Season Farm where our eggs, raw honey and basil are delivered from. The farmers invited all their Huntington customers up for a garlic tasting and to see where their food comes from.

The hens that lay our eggs.

Going to Jackson County means obligatory visits to see family. Brent's kin all herald from Ripley and Ravenswood, WV. These small towns on the Ohio River are home to his parents and grandparents, aunts, cousins, uncles, and old high school mates. We slipped into his grandmother's for a late lunch and sat with his aunt and dad before going to the farm. We managed a quick stop to see his mom at work before we returned home.

The garlic tasting crowd.

Now about this farm. I have been on many farms. My grandparents are dairy farmers in central Ohio. My cousins all farm hundreds of acres. Hay bales and feed piles were my first playgrounds. My farm roots are strong, but the distance in time and space has let my city girl shine. I pine for a loft space with a fresh market down stairs. Being at Martin and Kathryn's Four Season Farms brought an urge for peacefulness back to my heart.

I think I will let the pictures tell the story and savor the memories of a great space in the hills of WV from which we are proud to purchase our vitals.