Meanwhile - Back In Beautiful Ridgeway ...

Summertime in the South is very interesting gang!!  Of course down here we are accused of having every

View From Our Front Porch

kind of 'biting, stinging and irritating' creature you can imagine (no, I'm not talking about politicians) and having heat in the triple digits at least eleven months of the year.  (Well - close, but not quite!!!)  As we all say though, it ain't the heat it's the humidity!!  But, y'know gang, when you are able to 'kick back' a bit, take a deep breath and take a look around at all of the wonderful things that surround us, get together with two or three hundred of your nearest and dearest friends and listen to music that is guaranteed to stir the juices way down in your soul - it is really, really great down here in the sunny South.  We had just such an opportunity last evening and I wanted to share some of it with you briefly.

A couple of posts back we talked about the "Ag and Art" tour that was held in Fairfield County - and we mentioned a number of the places we visited.  One of them was the "Magnolia Lodge" and we talked about owner Tom Hall and all he had done to get his new business underway.  Little did we know at the time but

Tom's mother-in-law is one of Linda's very good friends and she told us about an event that was taking place at the Lodge Saturday evening.  It was a "Bluegrass Festival" featuring some outstanding musicians - and - accompanied by some of the most spectacular food offerings you could imagine.  So - we decided to attend!

I'll try to avoid all the "wordiness" and "philosophy" that tends to creep
into my posts sometimes.  But, let me tell you folks - a July evening in Ridgeway with a waxing "Supermoon", temperatures in the low eighties to mid-seventies and one of the most congenial gatherings of people
I have ever been around is guaranteed to make for a spectacular evening.  From the moment we arrived until the time we left there was absolutely nothing but the most wonderful fellowship you could imagine - and stunning music.  The two primary groups playing while we were there were "The Mustache Brothers" and "The Larry Keel Group."  Both were exceptionally good but Keel is a world-class artist and you had to be there to really appreciate him. 

I'm going to let the photos and the videos do the talking here but let me just mention a couple of things about this event.  First - it was "dirt cheap!"  Second - parking was remarkably good for the number of people who attended.  Finally - there were kids, dogs, campers, tents, buses, and virtually every kind of outdoor equipment you could imagine on the grounds of the lodge.  It was amazing!!!  If you like this kind of thing, go back and check out our post on the "Ag and Art" tour and look at Tom's web site.  Better yet, go to their facebook page.  I understand that the most "up-to-date" info about coming attractions can be found there.  If you decide to head to beautiful suburban Ridgeway, give us a call when you get here.  We'd love to join you at one of these super events.  See ya.