30 Years

 

Yesterday was our 30th wedding anniversary!  It seems like we got married just yesterday and also like it's been forever.  It's strange to think that we've been married longer than we weren't (by 7 years!).  It's not always been perfect but I couldn't have asked for a better life partner. There have been ups and downs but mostly ups!  Here's to another 30!  

Blackberry Farm

Years and years ago, probably 15, Blackberry Farm came on my radar and I emphatically told Bryce that I was adding to it my list of places I absolutely wanted to go one day.  Well, that day finally came and Bryce and I spent last weekend luxuriating in the beauty and good food of Blackberry Farm!  

Our room at Blackberry was beautiful!  We had fresh flowers and the most delicious cookies waiting on us at arrival.   Don't tell Harris but as soon as he moves out permanently, I'm totally wallpapering his room!

We started our weekend by taking a tour of the farm.  The property is many, many acres and things are fairly spread out so everyone has use of golf carts to get around.  The Farmstead was a major focus of the tour, and one of the things I was most looking forward to.  Our guide, Dakota, was so informative.  We saw sheep, truffle dog puppies, the friendliest turkey you ever did meet, the garden, larder and wine cellar.  All were incredibly impressive.  I'm more convinced than ever that I want sheep!

The property itself is so beautiful, with stunning, mature trees, the lake and boathouse, views for miles and thoughtful touches.

A post about Blackberry Farm would not be complete without discussing the food.  I knew before going that they were known for their food but I did not expect the level that we got.  We were told that the average number of courses of food, per day, at the farm was 11!  Each meal seemed to outdo the last.  I don't think I've ever had such good food, consistently, for three days!  Most meals we ate at The Dogwood but for our anniversary dinner we ate at The Barn, which is a five course meal centered around Appalachian cuisine.  It was phenomenal, all of the food was exceptional.   I never pulled my phone out to take pictures of the food, it just felt like an enjoy it in the moment type of thing.  

While at Blackberry we toured the garden where I got to meet John Coykendall.  He is Blackberry's master gardener and seed saver extraordinaire.  He's quite famous in that world and I was so excited to meet him.  Of note is that John drew all the images on the Blackberry plates used in place settings in The Barn- as seen in the second picture, a man of many talents!

The only thing at Blackberry that surprised me was the garden.  It was massive and had all sorts of things growing but it was also chaotic, with a TON of weeds.  It just looked like they perhaps didn't have enough staff to keep it tidy.

We also went on a hike through a bit of the Smokies, spent some time by the pool, had a spa treatment and tried our hand at fly fishing where we actually managed to catch trout!

It was all the way around an extraordinary three days and a wonderful way to celebrate our 30th anniversary!  

Bits and Bobs of May

 

May is my busiest month; with the peonies, getting the garden planted, visitors and life.  It's also the prettiest time on the farm!  

In May, we had two visitors stay with us, Al and Emma.  It was great to have them both!

Even with the setback of the freeze, the garden has looked so good!

While we had guests, I made a Victoria Sponge cake.  It was messy but very pretty!

We had lots of flowers in the house but I did a fairly poor job of documenting any of them.  

It's a bit crazy how fast May went by and even crazier how it's already the middle of June!

A Peony Pop Up!

 

A few weeks ago, Gretchen and I participated in a flower pop up at a local coffee shop!  It was a really lovely afternoon and I so enjoyed getting off the farm, chatting with passerbys, seeing people I hadn't seen in a while and talking flowers with everyone!

The Peony Workshop

 

A few weeks ago, Gretchen and I hosted our 3rd Peony Workshop!  While the day dawned rainy and cold, it didn't seem to put off our participants who showed up enthusiastic and dressed for the dreary weather.  I was so worried about the workshop because the peonies that hadn't been taken out by the freeze were taking their sweet time opening!  

I needn't have worried, as we had plenty of flowers for everyone to work with even with the field not being full of color!  As a side note, I'm very proud of how neat and tidy those rows are... all weeds were hand pulled!  

Of course, we had to be inside the barn due to the rain, so photos are a little difficult due to the lighting in the barn!

Gretchen's vases were a big hit!  She was inspired by a trip we took to Ladew Gardens.  

As always, we served sandwiches, cheese and crackers, peony lemonade (that wasn't pink because that flower wasn't in bloom yet), and cupcakes.  I was running short on time and Grace stepped in to decorate the cupcakes and she did an amazing job!  It was a family affair as Harris squeezed all the lemons for the lemonade and Bryce did a million things as usual!  

We were completely full for this workshop and I'm proud to say that we have several attendees that have come for all 3 years and a few that have come for 2!  I've said it before but it bears repeating... flower people are the best people!  Gretchen and I have collaborated on all sorts of things but this is my favorite one!