Image Credit: calangel58.blogspot.com

This past weekend, we visited Al’s parents at their farm 🙂

It was different this time around – My parents came to visit. They followed us up on Saturday morning. We got to the so-called halfway point in Lawrenceville, VA, and we knew we were in the country when the Food Lion employee walking into work in front of us actually said hello and struck up a conversation!

Scottsburg is roughly a three-hour drive from Chesapeake, and it’s one of the easiest drives. Unless there’s some sort of accident that backs up traffic, you follow US-58 almost the whole way there. It’s more fun in a convertible, like Al and I did last year, but we still had a great time this trip. It’s really nice to be able to drive a couple of hours and get away for a bit, without having to leave the state!

When our two-car caravan arrived around noon on Saturday, Al’s mom had lunch ready. Yummy meatball subs and her famous pasta salad! My parents got the tour of the house – It’s a very short tour, since the house is only two bedrooms and one bathroom!

After we ate, we took the longer property tour. They’re on eight acres of land! It was really hot outside, so we traipsed through only half of it. Al’s mom pointed out the garage that Al’s dad is building himself, the barn, the pond, the fields, the cow pasture next door, and the small garden she’s started since the last time Al and I visited.

Photo gallery!

View from the front yard.

I love this flag!

Gorgeous day lilies behind the house.

The new garage, in progress. Al’s dad is doing this all by himself. Amazing!

The garden. Did you know that pinwheels help keep pests away?

Around sunset, storms in the distance. Looking out to the cow pasture next to the farm.

Wild flowers growing on the barn.

It was a really nice visit.

One of the coolest experiences we had was at dinner. Ernie’s is the local place, it has an amazing buffet. We noticed that there were more cars than usual in the parking lot. We were seated in the huge dining room, used for meals, wedding receptions, and more.

We quickly found out why there were so many cars: There was a huge group in the same room, celebrating a man named Cecil, who just turned 90 years old. The six of us were thoroughly entertained by all the stories that were told about this wonderful man, from his children to a host of friends. Al’s mom was so moved that she asked someone to point out who Cecil was. Then she went up to him, explained we had been seated in the corner, enjoyed all the stories and accolades, and she wished him a Happy Birthday and hugged him. It was so sweet!

Before we realized it was Cecil’s birthday bash, we saw a few women stand up and introduce themselves to the crowd. Two of these women were very candid, explaining that they were single. One of the two had the best line of the night:

“I’m such-and-such age, I am single, and I am looking for a man … but I need to check his bank account first.”

My parents left after dinner to head home. Al and I stayed the night. I think all four of us were in bed before 9:30 p.m., we were so tired.

Sunday morning, I woke up around 6:00, not able to sleep comfortably any longer. I knew Al’s mom was awake, so it was nice to talk to her for a while and be with her and Lilly, their sweet chocolate lab. Al slept until 6:30 a.m., a new record! Since the two of us get up on the five weekdays around 4:30 a.m. to go to the gym and work out together, Al rarely sleeps in.

Before we left to head home, Al’s mom made the fluffiest pancakes with bacon and maple sausage – Yum!

I look forward to the next visit!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂