A perfect day!

Blue Run meanders through Dunnellon like a ribbon of peace and quiet most days. On the weekends it becomes a gurgling, swirling, drifting couple of miles of family fun. Floridians come from all over to float down the river. The style of floats and inner tubes is as diverse as the people enjoying the water and fellowship. Couples, teenagers, families, church groups...all taking a few hours to enjoy a cooling drift and commune with nature. Some of you may know the Blue Run better as the Rainbow River.

We were there for the weekend visiting our friends, Gary and Carol, and spent most of the time on the dock watching the floaters. The weather was absolutely perfect with a gentle breeze and plenty of sunshine. Our friends rigged a fire hose on the end of the dock they use to pump the river in a large arc back into the river creating a huge plume of water. The teenage boys trying to guide their squealing girlfriends under the water is predictable and amusing. Even the boaters get into the action by driving their boats (driver under cover) through the waterfall while the folks on the front scramble to avoid getting wet. Everyone has a good laugh about it then return to navigating between the floaters and the rocks.

All day friends come by and join us on the dock, stay awhile and then leave to visit on another dock. It's a river thing that goes on all weekend. Some come by boat others walk or come in golf carts or Polarises. We visited the neighbors yards to see the latest gardening projects and take pictures of the unusual flower of which no one can remember the name.

At the end of the day different groups join together for dinner in the river houses. We were blessed to be invited to Judy and Lon's river house for a fabulous pork tenderloin with a honey, orange, ginger glaze and sauteed spinach with garlic aoli, smashed potatoes with Parmesan and a delicious Regal Romaine salad with homemade dressing of lemon, garlic and oil. (I'll post a couple of these recipes soon.)

I enjoyed getting to know a new friend, Lisa, whom I had met before but had not seen in a long time. Lisa had a brilliant idea to take picture of the floaters and post them on her website where families can visit to order pictures of their children having a blast in the water. Her web site is www.bluerunfun.com.

The weekend was a blessed break from our hectic lives. As an added treat just before we left to return home a mother red fox let us have a peek at her new family. It is such a rare treat we were simply mesmerized.

Thank you Lord for your awesome gift of natural beauty. Thank you for friends, both old and new. Thank you for a beautiful day to enjoy. Thank you for a day off from the stresses of our lives. Amen.

Tis a joy to be simple...

'Tis the joy to be simple,
'tis the joy to be free,
'tis the joy to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight

This is an excerpt from an old Shaker hymn. I love visiting "Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill" just south of Lexington, Kentucky. The Shaker's had some strange beliefs but they were way ahead of their time in simplicity and innovation. At a time when the local folks lived in log cabins with dirt floors the Shakers had brick three story homes with wooden floors and beautiful, artistic staircases.

They raised vegetables not only for sustenance but for the seed. They packaged and sold seeds and were famous for it. They were innovators in farm tools and farming techniques. They were also celibate which explains why the Shaker movement died out.

One of my favorite trips was with my cousins to Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill. We stayed on the property in one of the original buildings. The furniture is very simple in style with straight lines. There are few amenities in the rooms and the wooden floors creak with every step. The bathroom was definitely bare bones as well. The food was fabulous, served family style and accompanied by hot biscuits and cornbread slathered with fresh butter. Most of the vegetables were grown there at Shaker Village and included an array of pickles, jellies and jams.

We enjoyed the visit so much we stayed for a reenactment of one the Shaker worship services followed by a quiet, serene ride on a paddle boat down the Kentucky River.

I long to go back to Kentucky this time of year. I can just picture the deep green leaves, the blue grass and a big table full of mouth watering fresh vegetables and pickles.

God bless the volunteers who work so hard to preserve the Shaker Village. Amen

Here's a link if you're interested in more information: www.shakervillageky.org