Adventures with Ann - A Birthday Celebration

Fortunately, my friend Ann and I have been able to connect more times this year than in years past - yippee!

 

Yesterday, I took Ann (actually Ann drove because she is a better driver and she has a much nicer car) on her birthday surprise.  Amazingly, her birthday was only a few short days ago.  Usually, we do not get a chance to celebrate her special day until January of the following year.  We are both improving with our planning and freeing up time..comes with age, I guess.

 

First stop, lunch, of course!  Thunderbird Café (see blog, Autumn Road Trip - October 15, 2012) was on my plan. Both Ann and I loved the delicious food; fried chicken marinated in sweet tea for Ann, country-fried steak for me. We both tried the bacon sage gravy - yummy!  We shared a peach and blackberry crumble, forcing each flavored-packed morsel into our mouths with the soup spoons we were given. The storm- threatening sky did not disappoint either.  We enjoyed our meal while watching a torrential rain which conveniently subsided as we left the cafe for our next stop.

 

I had reserved space in a Lavender Wand-making Class at a lovely family-run farm, White Oak Lavender.  We arrived a few minutes early to sign-in as requested and spent a bit of time drifting about the lavender-laden gift shop where a multitude of inventory containing lavender, colored lavender, or displaying lavender motifs could be purchased.  Ann and I wandered to the class tent right on time.  The tables and chairs were empty.  Women wandered the lavender fields clipping lavender.  We saw one woman on the deck clipping her lavender stems.  “Are you in the class? We asked. She was and she had collected her lavender stems.  Ann and I were already behind.  We grabbed a pair of scissors each and raced down among the lavender plants to collect our 20 stems as instructed by the busy stranger.  As we clipped, I now noticed that the class area had filled and I could hear muted instructions.  Ann and I continued to be behind.  We rushed back to the tent with our 20 lavender stems, sat down in chairs, and tried to figure out what we had missed.  As we looked around, not one other class participant had any lavender.  The instructor, Rebecca, was giving directions on the proper way to clip the lavender stems.  Ann and I looked at each other.  We were not tardy or behind. In fact, we were ahead of our class.  And, as most over- achievers, we had not cut our lavender correctly.  Out of our 40 stems, only 14 were useable in the wand project. Ooops!

 

Thank goodness Rebecca had a sense of humor.  And, Ann and I thought, in unison, ‘So like Ann and Cyndy’.

 


 

Ann and I ended up with a pretty ribbon and lavender wand to hang in a closet, put in a drawer or place on a pillow to exude the relaxing scent of the lavender. We were thrilled. 

Before leaving, we walked about the beautifully manicured and full lavender fields and flowering perennial plants bounded by lush grass pathways.  We went back to the well-stocked and carefully displayed shop to make a few purchases. 

 

White Oak Lavender is fully fragrant and a joy. I highly recommend a visit. (Check out at www.whiteoaklavender.com for information.) There is even a petting zoo for kids of all ages.

Ann and I plan to return soon for Aroma 101 - an aromatherapy class - ahhhh!

White Oak Lavender is not just a destination, it is an experience!

A short drive down the country road brought us to our last stop - Cross Keys Winery - a strikingly situated winery in the Shenandoah Valley.  A tasting of both red and white wines brought a relaxed ending to our full day.

 

The best part of the adventure…sharing it with my dear friend, Ann!