The weather yesterday was beautiful! After a long spell of temperatures in the upper 90's, we finally got a break. The temps were in the mid 80's and the humidity had dropped to a much more tolerable level. Rich and I were both off this weekend, so we decided to head up to one of the wineries that we had been wanting to visit, Rockbridge Winery. We checked their website before we left and noticed a little link on the sidebar "what to do and where to stay." Clicking on this link revealed a wonderful sight - a yarn shop not 4 miles from the winery! We also saw a couple of other places of interest nearby we thought we might check out while we were in the area. Little did we know that we were in for a glorious treat! http://www.rockbridgevineyard.com/
Rockbridge Vineyards is located in Raphine, VA, not far from Lexington. What a beautiful area! We had a great time there sampling their delicious wines and relaxing in the porch swing in the picnic area. After the winery, we headed down Raphine Rd. and continued on to what was without a doubt the most gorgeous garden we have ever seen at the Buffalo Springs Herb Farm. We thought this little herb shop would be a quick 30 minute stop at most, but we were in for a big surprise! Besides the little shop filled with wonderful things for gardeners, this place had a huge garden area filled with meandering pathways that take you through several different styles of gardens including the Mediterranean Garden, the Medieval Garden, the Celestial Garden, the Healing Garden, Paradise Garden and many others. Besides these gardens, Buffalo Springs Herb Farm also offered a two mile long nature trail that took us by a lovely waterfall, and a peaceful labyrinth for quiet walking meditation. What a relaxing and refreshing place! I can't wait to go back! http://www.buffaloherbs.com/
Continuing down Raphine Rd. we came to the place I was the most excited to see -- the Orchardside Yarn Shop. This wonderful little yarn shop is located on a working orchard where blackberries are now in season. There is a little babbling brook right in front of the shop and a family of geese was parading by. One thing I noticed right away as we crossed the little bridge to the yarn shop was that the license plates from many of the cars were from out of state. Once inside the yarn shop, I figured out why. This amazing little yarn shop was filled with a fabulous selection of the most gorgeous yarns -- Fiesta, Debbie Bliss, Brown Sheep, Crystal Palace, Berroco, Noro, and many, many others. Patterns and needles and knitting magazines abounded, and gorgeous knitted models adorned the shop. There was a very welcoming area where some of the nicest people were happily knitting away and chatting. Everyone there was super friendly and I thought I had died and gone to Yarn Shop Heaven! I ended up buying some yarn that has been on my Yarn Wish List for a very long time -- I bought 2 hanks of Starburst La Boheme from Fiesta yarns in colorway Sapphire. I also bought the shawl pattern to go with it. I had seen this a long time ago in a magazine, and I had never forgotten it. I had filed it away in my "Someday" Wish List. Well, yesterday was that "Someday!" There was a gorgeous shop model of this shawl elegantly draped over a rack, and I just could resist! Now I must finish that Vibe Tote ASAP so that I can put those needles to use on that fabulous shawl! http://www.oysyarnshop.com/ http://www.fiestayarns.com/html/4/index.shtml (click on the La Boheme swatch -- top row, 4th from left and look for the Famous Shawl) http://www.fiestayarns.com/html/2/index.shtml (Starburst La Boheme is the 6th yarn swatch from the left on the top row)
Another stop we made was to Wades Mill which has been featured in the magazine Paula's Home Cooking. It is another amazing little place filled with cool little hard to find kitchen gadgets. Time was running short on us, so we had to cut the visit to the Mill a bit too short. :( But we plan to go back to Raphine for sure very soon! A stop in Lexington on the way home to eat at The Palms Restuarant topped off our wonderful, relaxing day in the beautiful Virginia countryside. http://www.wadesmill.com/ http://www.thepalmslexington.com/index.htm
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