It’s been awhile, too long actually, since I’ve had the opportunity to wander anywhere. My soul yearns to explore and I try to oblige whenever possible – and daily life doesn’t have me scheduled for something more responsible. And then occasionally you just have to make time, which is what I did last week. The weather was gorgeous and unseasonably warm for February, and it was a perfect day to go exploring. As luck would have it, I even had a babysitter for the day. The cherry on top was that my mom decided to come with me, so we got to spend the day together just the two of us (something that doesn’t happen very often).
I have a list and map of places I want to photograph so I pulled it up on my phone to see where we should venture off to. (Let’s be honest, I couldn’t navigate my way out of a paper bag without GPS.) I picked Blue Sulphur Springs as our main destination since it had been on my list for awhile and it was fairly close. Probably most people wouldn’t go out of their way to visit this forlorn site, but my fondness for old structures is certainly no secret.
The drive was beautiful. The twists and turns of West Virginia back roads are always interesting, usually pretty, and at times… a little unnerving. This trip was no exception. We arrived at Blue Sulphur Springs and I think my mom may have wondered why I chose such a destination, but she knows that I’m quirky when it comes to things I deem picturesque. However, her interest was piqued after reading the history of the location on a brochure we picked up outside the surrounding fence. The history is rather remarkable, and if you happen to be interested in helping with their restoration efforts, you can click here for more info.
After photographing the pavilion, it was nearing lunchtime so we decided to travel onward to Lewisburg (one of my favorite places) for lunch and some shopping. We poked around town and visited several of the shops along the main drag. We bought hand cream and chocolates at Aggie’s (which is almost always our first stop); I found a small old clock key at Brick House Antiques; and I got some lotion (evidentially of the miracle working variety) at Edith’s Health & Specialty Store. We also enjoyed browsing many of our other preferred boutiques and galleries. We had lunch at the Stardust Café, and for dessert we stopped by The Bakery for tasty treats to eat on our way home.
Since we were not in a hurry, and our trip was still exploratory in nature, we decided to take route 60 home. The countryside offered much better views than driving the highway. As we meandered our way back home we made a side trip to look for a covered bridge, which was very neat. And I found an old Mail Pouch barn to photograph as well. Both were exciting finds for me since I don’t think I’ve ever photographed either subject before – if you can believe that.
Quite honestly, it was the best day I’ve had in a long while. I got to go exploring, take pictures, go shopping and out to lunch, all while enjoying some long overdue mother-daughter time. It was fabulous.
