Dear friends,
I'm finally in the land of peaches and pecans! With the lovely and amazing Annie Keithline. I arrived in Albany, Georgia yesterday afternoon and Annie picked me up. I was so happy to finally get off the bus. My legs were screaming in delight. Annie and I walked around the metropolis of Albany for a while and listened to some jazzy jazz at Ray Charles plaza. It was architecturally very cool, part of it was these life size piano keys right on the ground.
Annie then took me to Riverside BBQ, finest BBQ joint in town. We feasted on Southern fare like fried okra (!!!!!) which I've wanted to try for a looong time and Brunswick stew, a chili like concoction named after the city in Georgia. Lots of people here love it.
We then found ourselves at the Flint RiverQuarium, a beautiful aquarium that features local marine life and educates about local water supply and water water everywhere. We saw amazing species of fish and got to play with sand and water and recreate erosion...it brought me back to school science classes. Ohh yeah.
We did a bit of grocery shopping since nearest food store is about 15 miles from the farm and then took a BEAUTIFUL scenic drive to Bluffton, where Annie lives with her housemates that also work on the farm. I was struck dumb by how gorgeously GREEN the grass was-- and also saw a lot of Spanish Moss on the trees, which Annie says is a parasitic organism that gets everywhere.
Annie had a gig at a restaurant and bar called Kuntry Rooster's yesterday and we saw her name advertised in the limelight while driving back! She was absolutely shocked but I thought it was fantastically appropriate.
We made a quick stop at the farm where I met one of Anne's farm co-workers, Jesus, and got a quick tour of the facilities. White Oak Pastures is an organic farm that grows vegetables and livestock, and they have a slaughter house right on the facility. We got some lettuce and eggs for the house and some rosemary too. I loooove herbs and spices, and picked right off the bush--herbaliciousness.
We got to the house and settled in. She gave me ze tour and I met the other housemates, Gil (named after Gilbert Blythe of Anne of Green Gables!!), Frankie, Lori, and Trip--farm workers one and all. I had some coffee Gil made for me (sleeping on a Greyhound demands early evening coffee) and Annie practiced for her Rooster's gig. There's all these good books for me to read here too, Wendell Berry, Joseph Campbell, Harville Hendrix. Yay.
Plus Annie's cooking totally rocks. I am always amazingly and deliciously well fed whilst in Annie Keithline's vicinity. Actually, I'm always fed well when I'm in the company of others because meals become an event of mutual caring and sharing! It's harder to do by yourself, although still mighty rewarding.
Annie and I created a groovy ambiance at Rooster's with dry ice dissolving in bowls and creating a foggy white haze. And candles. Lots and lots of candles. Hearing her perform live with an adorable guitalelee in a smashing dress was very special. And we had a great crowd there too :)
Tomorrow farm work begins. I think we're going to take a bike ride around the area to get more aquainted!
Oh there is also a playful dog here named Onyx and cats! Bacon, Stripey, and Sigmund.
Annie then took me to Riverside BBQ, finest BBQ joint in town. We feasted on Southern fare like fried okra (!!!!!) which I've wanted to try for a looong time and Brunswick stew, a chili like concoction named after the city in Georgia. Lots of people here love it.We did a bit of grocery shopping since nearest food store is about 15 miles from the farm and then took a BEAUTIFUL scenic drive to Bluffton, where Annie lives with her housemates that also work on the farm. I was struck dumb by how gorgeously GREEN the grass was-- and also saw a lot of Spanish Moss on the trees, which Annie says is a parasitic organism that gets everywhere.
Annie had a gig at a restaurant and bar called Kuntry Rooster's yesterday and we saw her name advertised in the limelight while driving back! She was absolutely shocked but I thought it was fantastically appropriate.
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| Annie's billboard! |
We got to the house and settled in. She gave me ze tour and I met the other housemates, Gil (named after Gilbert Blythe of Anne of Green Gables!!), Frankie, Lori, and Trip--farm workers one and all. I had some coffee Gil made for me (sleeping on a Greyhound demands early evening coffee) and Annie practiced for her Rooster's gig. There's all these good books for me to read here too, Wendell Berry, Joseph Campbell, Harville Hendrix. Yay.
Plus Annie's cooking totally rocks. I am always amazingly and deliciously well fed whilst in Annie Keithline's vicinity. Actually, I'm always fed well when I'm in the company of others because meals become an event of mutual caring and sharing! It's harder to do by yourself, although still mighty rewarding.
Annie and I created a groovy ambiance at Rooster's with dry ice dissolving in bowls and creating a foggy white haze. And candles. Lots and lots of candles. Hearing her perform live with an adorable guitalelee in a smashing dress was very special. And we had a great crowd there too :)
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| Annie K doin her thang |
Tomorrow farm work begins. I think we're going to take a bike ride around the area to get more aquainted!
Oh there is also a playful dog here named Onyx and cats! Bacon, Stripey, and Sigmund.
Tatka - adventure begins, farmwork is a tough one, if not taken as an entertainment! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAlbany was Ray Charles' childhood home and you know how popular he was in the music industry, So as a sign of appreciation to this legend, the town made a cool statue of him. It's definitely one of the town's amazing attractions. When I went there, I was fascinated with the huge piano keys and musical notes shaped on the ground. It was really fantastic!
ReplyDeleteDaphne Michaels