Road Trip: Folklore Pizza

47°f/8.3°C, clear.

Where State Route 16 meets US Route 33, the intersection is called the Y. There is a building there that has been a restaurant off and on, but now it is a combination grill and Amish food store. I took no photos there, but came out with a 5 pound bag of brown rice, 5 pounds of cornmeal, shelf milk and honey. They had such a variety for a location that is really out of the way. We will be stopping there again qhenever we pass that way.

Last stop was Spencer, WV, which is just 24 miles from home. There was a place I have been wanting to see since I first heard about it 6 months ago: Folklore Pizza.

We weren't hungry,  but Larry had a beer and I had a glass of wine while we talked with the owner, Chad. I was surprised to learn that they have been open for 3 years. How did I miss that? I mean, Spencer is a small town, and not that far away. But this place is tucked up in a holler on the outskirts of town, not visible from the main road; in fact I had to use the GPS to find it. 

My wine was this Chardonnay from Vampire Vineyards in California. It was good, and the last in the bottle, so I asked if I could have the bottle. Just because, you know.

The building used to be a roller skating rink. After that it was a t-shirt printing shop, and a couple other businesses located there before the current owner bought it (for the third time, he said! He had the t-shirt shop and something else there, I forget what). 

Chad's goal is for this to be a famiky-oriented place. It's huge! There are several pool tables, the beginnings of a future games arcade, and plans for an outside patio and a couple air bnb's.

They also host trivia night, bingo and singo, a game based on clips from songs. There's live music on the weekends, and an occasional open mic night.

The lights! I loved the variety of lighting. Chad admitted that he was the instigator, because he thinks lights really make a place.

Skates hanging room the ceiling give a nod to the building's past 

This light flashes different colors. I think i need one...somewhere.

Bigfoot got his pizza!

It was pretty quiet while we were there, but Chad said people really start coming in a little later. Still there were a few families dining, and half a dozen people playing pool.

We checked out the menu before we left, and we will definitely be going back to this fun place. It's a great addition to the town. 

Today's poem:

Tobacco

Freshly cut, stalks hang in rows

on poles, breezes stir the yellowing leaves,

the barn filled to the rafters .

It was money, then, enough

to pay the annual payment

on land, equipment, cattle, 

but it was work.

Early Spring it started:

burn off the bed,

all night out there, minding

the fire, stars

wheel overhead, quiet except

for the occasional owl, a mouse

stirring in dry leaves.

Tiny seeds planted, covered,

pinpricks of green that soon pushed

against white netting.

By May the plants were ready to pull,

plant, water, worry over

all summer, watching 

for enemies—blight, bugs, drought.

 In August, glorious spikes of pink

blossom against a blue sky,

bees heavy with pollen, the scent,

oh the scent! No manmade fragrance, this.

With September came yellowing bottom leaves,

“the trash” below the lugs and tips,

And time to cut, stack, hang,

And wait

until November’s cool, misty weather,

conditions just right for stripping, sorting

into grades, packing into bales,

hands cold and sticky, laughing,

coffee and stew on the brew

on the campstove, no time 

Tto go inside to cook and warm.

And that was it. Done, the barn empty

of its golden hoard, the bales

loaded on the truck,

sold at auction. 

Bills paid, a tiny bit

left for Christmas,

and next year’s seed.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday: Randoms

32F/0C, but I think we dodged the freeze predicted last night, because it had warmed to 36 before the sun came up. Mostly clear, with light cloud this morning.

A few recent photos haven't posted:

Seen in town yesterday:

Larry with a new friend. More about this place tomorrow.

At the junction of US Route 60 and state route 39:

Long-spurred violet

Sweet white violet

Spooky doorway in town, changed to black and white to make it creepier.

Goodwill find, not old but quirky!

The first official wedding photo my granddaughter sent. Not everyone took the "semi-formal or cocktail dress" request seriously! I am not as thin as this makes me look 😉

And last, a silverplate item I found during my cleanout. This is apparently known as a biscuit barrel, for holding cookies. I assume a small pair of tongs would have been in the little tray in front. This was taken before I cleaned it up 

‐----------

Today's poem:

Grandpa, William I. Connelly, Sr, and Grandma, Bertha Becker Connelly, around 1955-57.

Magic Man

He was a little man,

even I knew that when I was a child,

and thought he was so old, with his bald head

and wrinkles. So many wrinkles, and yet

he wasn’t 60 then, the day he showed us

how to set a tissue on fire

with a magnifying glass.

I remember my grandmother 

shouting from the porch,

“Bill! What are you thinking?

They’ll burn the house down!”

Well, she believed that, since she considered

The 13 of us demons from hell

(I know, because I read her letters,

years after she died).

We thought our Grandpa was a mystery,

this quiet man who fried eggs on our sidewalk,

made fire with a magnifying glass,

and taught us how to make the church,

the steeple, and the people with our hands.

You could not have convinced me

that my little Irish grandfather

with the sweet tenor voice and big nose,

didn’t know a thing or two about magic.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Road Trip: Post 2

40f/4.4C, clear.

Back to our Saturday road trip to Hawk's Nest State Park:

The ramps for the dinner sold out fast! They were out when we got there, but fortunately more arrived. But by 3pm, they were completely out. 

There was a great crowd for the presentations too, which was great for the historical society. It was a very successful fundraiser.

I was so happy to see my friend Jodi, now retired from her job as a park ranger at New River, but a very active member of the historical society.

And for the first time, I met David Sibray! He and I have been online friends and collaborators for 15 years. Dave is a naturalist, preservationist, and real estate salesman who blends these three roles to sell historic properties to people who will restore and preserve them, and he uses stories to do this, doing in-depth research on each property and region. His website, WV Explorer, showcases his hard work and excellent writing about our state. 

Then there was this guy, JD, becoming widely known for his Creepalachia posts. He too researches stories, particularly of the weird and strange, that happen in our state. It was great to meet him, and I may be interviewed sometime for his podcast.  

If you wonder what the dinner looked like, I forgot to take a picture! But here is our Easter dinner, which was similar:

Fried potatoes, scrambled eggs with morels, ham, and asparagus. The dinner at Hawk's Nest didn't have ham or asparagus, but had bacon, brown beans, and greens, which is more traditional.

And here is what ramps look like:

These were from the little patch we started here at home about 20 years ago.

Below is the restrooms building in the park itself. We didn't stop here, as the event was being held in the lodge.  But such a cute building!

Then we were back on the road home. We decided to take state route 16, which would take more time, but kept us on the two-lane all the way to our road. It had been years since we traveled this road.

On a building in Gauley Bridge:

For this part of our driveway, we followed the Gauley River, up into Clay County, one of our state's more remote and very rural areas. 

Seen on the roadside were these two cabooses which seemed to be being used as campers.

The ubiquitous Dollar General,  they're everywhere! Even in this poverty-stricken area, the store does well because it is literally the only place to shop for miles.

This is Dixie School, which is in a former mining community. I have a good memory of a day spent telling stories here.

This lumberyard and truss-making business looked like it was doing well.

Still following the river...

Downtown Clay, where we saw this burned out building, is a depressing place, sadly. 

Blast from the past: an old bus station.

A stately old home gives testament to the once thriving economy. Coal, oil and natural gas, railroads and timber fueled growth in the early 20th century,  but by the late 50s, these industries were on the wane, interstates bypassed central West Virginia, and people began leaving, seeking better opportunities in places like Cleveland. Those who stayed continue to struggle to make a living.

As you can imagine, internet and cell service isn't great in these steep hills. But many choose to stay because it's home. Some commute to Charleston for work, and the low real estate prices make the region attractive to out-of-state back-to-the-land types, and retirees.

Today's poem:

Betrayed

no one told the apple trees

about tonight's frost

spring is a fickle lover

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.