Rainy Days Never Get Me Down.

In September I reflected on diversity when visiting the Amish community near Berlin Ohio.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful visit.  You can read about it HERE in my blog, Beyond My Garden but today's entry is different.  For one thing, it was rainy - very rainy.

Through a soupy fog that filtered our vision, newly formed corn shocks marched across stubbly golden fields.

Amber triangles resemble "Ewok" homes from the Star Wars movies. Each shock was assembled with skill and resources that do not come from OPEC members, 

though this "horsepower" does produce a few greenhouse gasses.

You remember that I mentioned that it was very rainy, right?

It was much easier to see the buggies equipped with safety lights.

We left the interstate at Dover Ohio and drove to Kidron to do a little Christmas shopping in Lehman's Non-Electric store.

Yes, it rained . . . all day.  Yes, we got wet . . . several times.

But our windshield wipers worked, we didn't melt and the road ahead was straight and clear.

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Log House Restaurant Part III

This will be our final day visiting Log House Restaurant in Wytheville, Virginia. Remember? I promised to take you outside, into the garden.  Well, let's go.

Our first stop is, actually still inside the cabin.  Where several rooms are joined there remains a very small open spot. In this spot, the owner keeps Eastern box turtles Terrapene carolina carolina

This is really the only thing I don't like about the restaurant.  Box turtles usually don't do well in captivity. We were told that the owner exchanges the turtles every-so-often with other turtles but I really don't like seeing them taken out of the wild.  I admit that I don't know the whole story. Perhaps the owner is  licensed to take care of the turtles or maybe they are part of a rehabilitation project. I asked if the owner was around for me to speak to but was told, "no."   

The turtle area is gray except for the yellow and orange of the female and male  Box turtles but look at that fern.  Prehistorically beautiful, right?

Now, outside, like I promised.

Statuary and art abound . . .

accented by color and form.

Flowers fill nooks and crannies

softening the edges of enclosures,

enclosures that hold surprises of their own. The pet rabbit is nibbling at the foot of what I think is an apartment house for doves.

If you come, I encourage you to dust off one of the seats and take it all in.

                                                                         There is much to see. Our last visit was in late August as summer was winding down toward autumn. Nodding sunflowers were setting seeds while the gardner pruned Trumpet vines at curbside. 

At the garden's edge, carpenters were working to complete another cabin.  Once completed, this one will house an artist's studio and shop.

So, I'll return another time to see what is new in the Log House Restaurant, linking our time with those who began building in 1776.

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If you want to visit Log House Restaurant go all the way into Wytheville, Virginia.  Be careful that you don't go, instead to the  Log "Cabin" Restaurant which is closer to the interstate exit. I have never been there. the Log House Restaurant is in the old traditional part of town.

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Log Houaw Restaurant Part II

Yesterday's post (CLICK HERE) may have left you wondering about the windows of Log Cabin Restaurant in Wytheville, Virginia.

Each,  like the one above, offers a unique view of the garden beyond.

Garden views seen through circular frames in the daylight, become circles of light at night, lit by tiny strands around each window.

No two are alike

Windows are nice but what lies outside beyond those them and beyond that door?

Come back tomorrow and see.

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Log House Restaurant

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Log House Restaurant in downtown 
Wytheville Virginia is a unique place to eat and visit.  Part of what makes it interesting is its history.  The original building was built in 1776.  It was added onto through those early years and in the more recent past. The cabin is rustic as is the restaurant and bar but both are interesting and a great place to stop. 
Jeff and I have stopped her twice while in-between those stops I took my mother for lunch on our way to Charlottesville Virginia. 
This is a perfect spot for lunch after leaving Charleston, WV just after a light breakfast. 
The most important thing you need to remember is to explore the buildings and grounds before you drive on down the road.  

The main dining room is small. The size of a large living room, it is set with a couple booths and tables. Lighting is low.

The dark floor planks have a rich patina that can only come with years of use. They are uneven and beautiful. Each area of the building uses a different flooring. One hallway has brick . . .

while another is glossy cement marked by horseshoes.

The ambience is free-spirited and original . . .

. . .with a somewhat random feel . . .

. . . and filled with unique architectural features.

Each labyrinth-like turn gives the curious wanderer a new tableau, often half-hidden in mysterious combinations of shadow and light.

No corner is lonely for each contains a planter overflowing with greenery or a pale pumpkin covered in a thin layer of dust or perhaps even a forgotten piece of art such as wrought iron or pottery.














Following the crooked hallways will take you to a room which serves the bar or private parties. This once, may have  been a springhouse. With open windows and a ceiling reaching up in its center the room feels like a gazebo that failed to retain its independence, choosing instead, to join the main house. 

The dim, shadowy bar, itself is fills your nose with the unmistakeable aroma of past lagers and ales.
Throughout the rooms and hallways are windows to the garden area.These are windows like few others.  But more about them tomorrow.  I hope you will come back then for more of the Log House Restaurant.
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