Country Charm

"I take pleasure in great beauty." (Any guesses on which movie this quote* came from?)

My definition of “great beauty” includes the richness a city life brings—fine dining, fast food, movie theaters, grocery stores, shopping centers, running water, sidewalks, motor transportations, and domesticated animals.

A few weekends ago, Gabe and I were invited to venture out to Silverdale to visit Jena’s family farm, Hood Canal Farm. I hear the word “farm” and I’m imagining outhouses, acres of vegetables and barn full of animals, such as cows, sheep, chickens, goats, and horses.

While I was excited to leave town for a day, I was quite anxious. Growing up in Portland and now living in Seattle, the closest thing to a farm I’ve seen is when I passed them on the drive to Silverton, Ore., to visit my Aunt Ida (Aunt #3) and her family.

So a few days before the day trip, I went shopping for work boots, just in case it got muddy in the fields, reminded myself that “if I had to go, I had to do” despite the outdoor facilities, and kept trying to calm myself from my imagination of being attacked by farm animals.

(Pictures of our trip to Silverdale here.)

When the day finally arrived, I put on my new pair of sturdy trail walking/running shoes, drove on to the ferry and navigated our way through Silverdale. The farm was nestled in a forest of trees away from town. We pulled the car up to the main house, and to my surprise, no muddy fields or farm animals. Instead, there were a few apple trees that made up a small orchard and hiking trails down to the private beach. The main house was built in the '70s with modern amenities, such as bathrooms, running water and electricity.

We spent the afternoon exploring the land, hiking the trails, eating the delicious food and catching up with Jena and her husband, Justin, and their generous family. I never thought being away from the city would be so enjoyable and relaxing.

When they invited us to join them to the pumpkin patch a couple weekends later, I didn’t hesitate to say yes!

(More pumpkin patch photos here.)

Thank you Jena and Justin for introducing the country charm to a city girl!

Happy Halloween!

*That quote was so smooth and cheesy at the same time, I couldn't resist tying a blog entry to it!