Getting Away: How a Trip to a Local Berry Farm Healed My Soul

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures for more info. 


Hello, fellow bee-peeps! I hope you have had an excellent week. If you are American, I hope you had a fantastic Fourth of July celebration! Ours was nice and quiet this year. My husband and I celebrate our wedding anniversary around the 4th every year; sometimes we get away, but this year we'll be spending the weekend doing something fun locally, instead. Which brings me to my next topic, actually!

This week I wanted to talk about how it's important to get away once in a while in order to break up any routines and grab a "reset" in life. For example, I've been working really hard lately. I had a huge deadline coming due on a recent Monday and was feeling the pressure. I was definitely starting to feel like I was "all work, NO play."

But I didn't cave to the stress and chain myself to the desk all weekend. Instead, I decided to give myself a much-needed soul break and get away for a morning. But where to go? I didn't want to spend a ton of money or take too much time.

If you're in the same boat, consider finding an inexpensive local destination that offers fun! And this week, I'd like to feature a destination local to Pittsburgh that, if you're from here or visiting, you can get to rather easily and have a great time!

The answer to my conundrum was only 15 miles away from the City of Pittsburgh in Monongahela, PA at Triple B Farms. This is a pick-your-own berry farm with lots of activities in May through October every year. I found out about them because I had signed up for the Great Pumpkin Run 5k and wanted to know more about the location. After visiting their website, I made a snap decision: this would be my outing for a Saturday morning.

I spent a lovely 40-minute drive with the windows down, gulping in lungfuls of fresh, country air as I approached the farm. As soon as I parked, I was struck by the gorgeous, hilly farmland and the beautiful, blue skies.

Gorgeous skies greeted me.

After snapping a quick pic over the top of my Fiat 500 Abarth (a fun little car to take out on a day to the country, I might add!), I walked over to the attractive entrance to the farm to begin my day.

I felt very welcome from the start.

The way the pick-your-own operation works is this: you go the tent in the above photo and pay $3 for a wristband. A tractor will then pick you up and take your group up to the field to pick your fruit. When you come back down in the tractor, you will weigh what you pick and pay for your purchase (and that $3 you paid for the wristband is credited to you in that transaction).

This was my view from a bench under a shade tree.

I decided it was too hot that day to actually pick berries (it was in the 90s, I believe!), so instead I acclimated myself to what the farm had to offer. I found out that there was an indoor (and air-conditioned!) farm market, so I first peeked my head in there. They had all kinds of food and gifts available for purchase, including produce, baked goods, kitchen and baking utensils, items made from honey, and things with a bee theme (of course, these were my favorites!) It also smelled heavenly in there, because the area where they do the baking is in the back of the store. That olfactory stimulation made me realize I hadn't had breakfast, yet, so I went in search of food.

You can buy all kinds of goodies here.

I was then made aware that right next door to the market is a food barn, where they serve basic seasonal breakfast items (like pancakes with fresh berries and blueberry donuts), coffee, tea, beverages, etc.

Get breakfast or lunch during your visit!

I got a short stack of pancakes with fresh blueberries and strawberries on them. It came with a side of sausage patties. I couldn't finish it, even the small plate, but it was delicious!

The Food Barn is comfortable and cozy.

After my meal, I took my coffee outside and sat on a bench under a tree, where a breeze was flowing and two gentlemen were conversing nearby. I sat and watched the world go by for a while, breathing deeply and enjoying my coffee and the warmth of a beautiful day.

The two gentlemen—who turned out to be the founder of the farm, Ron, and his buddy George—struck up a conversation with me and made me feel very welcomed. They even introduced me to many of the family and staff who were present while I was there.

After sitting under the shade tree with Ron and George for a while, I finished my coffee and decided to work off that pancake and sausage by exploring the farm a bit. I started up the path to the rest of the farm.

Path leading to the bee and goat areas.

As I walked, I realized that if you look closely at the buildings, there are little signs giving you important facts about bees. You know this caught my attention! I then started looking for all of them.

These signs were all over the farm.

As I continued up the walkway, I discovered there was an entire display all about bees and their importance to the ecosystem!

Beautiful sign about how bees help the ecosystem.

In addition to the really nice signage, there was a Bee Barn where you could find out how queen bees are marked by the beekeepers to keep track of their ages and other facts about how hives operate.

Need I say more?

You could even view a hive inside the Bee Barn! The signage around the hive gave you important facts about bees and their life cycle and encouraged you to find the queen. I couldn't see her, myself, but I'm sure she and the other bees were quite busy!

View a working colony at the Bee Barn.

I really enjoyed learning about bees while I was there. What a wonderful display; it must have taken much time and care to not only to install but maintain it. I'm sure kids love it!

More learning available near the Bee Barn.

After hanging out with the bees, I continued up the path to find this guy staring down at me:

Do you see him up top?

Oh. My. Gosh. GOATS! I bet you could hear my "Squeeeeeee!" all the way back in the City of Pittsburgh. I'm pretty sure I went supersonic because they were SO cute!

This guy wanted a snack!

Two of the smallest goats obviously have people pegged as possible sources of food, LOL! There were goat-food machines (kind of like gumball machines) dotted all around the perimeter of the enclosure. For twenty-five cents, you could get a handful of feed and give these guys a snack. 

Not shy at all, is he?

After walking all up and down the hills of the farm, I started making my way back down towards the market. I noticed on my walk that there was a really nice playground across from the berry-picking stands, giving parents another opportunity to entertain their kids if they tired of picking fruit.

Before leaving, of course, I shopped! I grabbed some pints of a variety of berries, including the most delicious golden raspberries I've ever had! I also grabbed a few baked goods and a new mug:

You know I HAD to have this, right? 🐝

I then said my goodbyes to everybody I had met there and left to go back home, smiling all the way. As I drove, I again rolled down my windows and turned my music off so I could just feel the vibe of being in the country. As I reentered the city, I carried that vibe with me into the rest of my day, feeling content and happy. 

And then I sat down to work on my deadline for Monday. Not a thing bothered me the rest of the weekend! And I realized: this simple trip to Triple B Farms healed my soul a bit. I was in danger of getting stressy and anxious, and instead, I was happy and fulfilled!

It really does help if you're able to get away for a bit, even if it's just a day trip or a morning spent at a local attraction. Break up your routine, say goodbye to to-do lists and stress, and live your life fully. Have fun, and bring that sense of fun back with you when you come back to your routine.

I hope if you're ever in the Pittsburgh area, you'll check Triple B Farms out! They're open May–October, and have a seasonal schedule of activities throughout the picking season, whether berries in spring and summer or apples and pumpkins in autumn. 

I hope you enjoyed this mini travelogue! And hey, let me know if you've taken any neat day trips, lately: just drop a comment below 👇 and share some of your favorite outings around your local area! 

Have a great week, everyone! 🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

Gathering 2018: That's a Wrap!

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures. 

I have been home from Tennessee for a couple of weeks, and have been reflecting on my experiences leading up to the event and while there. I also wanted to spend time reviewing photos for the best ones to share with you. As I tend to do, this will be part travelogue, part event summary!

Beautiful native flora at a Banner Elk restaurant.

My parents and I met up in Tennessee earlier in the week so we could get a family vacation in prior to the event. And first, I need to start with a neat story of synchronicity:

My parents and I live about a 10-hour drive from each other. I was coming from Pittsburgh (7 hours from Roan Mountain), and they were coming from coastal North Carolina (6 hours from Roan Mountain). We were going to meet up at the State Park, and the plan was I'd get the keys to the cabin and they'd meet me there. They knew I was aiming to arrive by ~3pm, but you never know with traffic how long it'll take.

Rolling down a TN road.

As I was driving down Rt. 19 and turned right onto State Hwy 143 (the road the park office is on), I voice-texted my parents my location while I still had a little bit of signal. They replied: "Right behind you!" I looked in my rear-view mirror, and there they were!

You see: to get to the cabins, eventually, all of us would end up on Rt. 19 and have to turn onto the State Park's road. I turned right, and they turned left, since we came from opposite directions, and yet somehow, by the grace of God, we ended up literally arriving together!

You can't ask to start a week together better than that! I love synchronicities like that!

Anyway, onto the rest of this post:

If you've never been to the Roan Mountain State Park, I highly recommend it! The cabins are nicer than some hotel rooms I've been in, and the staff are all very nice. They come fully stocked with everything you'd need, save for food, beverages, and your personal toiletries (though, like hotel rooms, they do provide bars of soap, but no shampoo, conditioner or moisturizer). There is a grocery store in the town of Roan Mountain, and then a larger shopping area (Walmart, etc.) in nearby Elizabethton, so you can get anything you may need for your stay.

Hauntingly beautiful picnic area in the middle of a forest of giant rhododendrons - Roan Mountain.

The mountains of Eastern Tennessee provide a gorgeous, peaceful setting. While the summer days are hot and humid, and there is no AC in the cabins, at night it cools down enough that if you open the windows and turn on the ceiling fan, you can get comfortable fairly quickly.  I was situated in a bed in the loft, giving my parents the first-floor queen bed, so it was a little warmer up there. This was quickly remedied by the small desktop fan I'd brought with me. The cabins have full electric in every room, and also heaters should you choose to stay in the cooler times of year. They are rentable year-round and have large wood stoves to use for heating in the main great room of each cabin, and the bedrooms and bathroom have small wall heaters for individualized comfort.

The cabins have free wifi that mostly works (as they say); it'll go down during storms, but only for a little while, then come back up. I found it more reliable this year than last year. They also installed a Verizon cell tower repeater up by the park office, so if you needed to make a call that wasn't local (there are phones in the cabin for local calls), you could do so by driving to the park office (which is only a 1/4 mile from the cabins).

Huge rock outcropping at Grandfather Mountain

There is plenty of nature to be seen in the area: deer, birds, various chipmunks and squirrels, butterflies/moths, fish, and evidence (but no sightings) of bears! There were even baby birds in a nest on our cabin's porch! While there, we enjoyed a lot of small hikes on Grandfather Mountain and Roan Mountain, explored nearby towns (Blowing Rock and Banner Elk, to name two), and visited the Rhododendron Gardens and the Miller Farmstead up on Roan Mountain. We also explored nearby Elizabethton, TN, which is a town kind of reminiscent of the 1950s-1960s, including piped-in music of that era and vintage car shows on weekends. Elizabethton also has Carter Mansion, the oldest standing frame house in Tennessee.

The largest amethyst I have ever seen!
This is in the museum at Grandfather Mountain.

After several days of family vacation, the Gathering got under way on Friday, June 29th. We went to our host's house and got my canopy set up. I was offering inspirational jewelry and dreamcatchers that I'd made. You can see a Facebook live video that I did if you want to see some of the setup and surroundings. I unfortunately did not get another opportunity to go live during the rest of the weekend, but I did take plenty of photos to share with you!

The Miller Farmstead, Roan Mountain

In short, the Gathering was a success! It was about the same size as last year's, which is nice because there was time over the course of the weekend to meet each attendee and get to know them a little bit.

On Friday night, we had a cookout and meet and greet. These were included in the ticket price, and the food was great! Thank you, Cat Young, for your hospitality!

 After we ate, Cat Young and Chris Wingerd told some legends of local Bigfoot sightings in the area, and then Chris led a hike up on the mountain to go find him. 👣 No luck there, but I understand the hike was a bit spooky at times. :)

cozy outdoor fireplace

Those of us who didn't do the night hike sat by the outdoor fireplace and chilled. We had a hard time getting the fire going at first, but Dad was able to get a draft going and then it was blazing! :) There was some music, followed by talking and getting to know one another. And there were plenty of fireflies around, too! After some time around the campfire, we all turned in to our respective lodgings and would reconvene the next day.

Tess Hughes led a meditation class.

On Saturday morning, the day began in a beautiful clearing next to the creek that courses down the mountain. Tess Hughes of the Mountain Gypsies kicked the day off with a meditation class.

While you would think the natural setting and gently babbling brook would lend to a peaceful meditation, actually, the point of the class was to teach us how to meditate despite distractions! I loved this take on teaching meditation, and through her exercises (she distracted us with phone calls, conversations, etc.), I feel like I learned a lot.

Our hostess, Cat Young.

After the meditation class, we did a creek walk. Some folks went all the way in and let the creek carry them down, especially the three people who were baptized by Cat Young while there. (I don't know if this was planned, but it was wonderful to witness these baptisms in such a beautiful, natural setting.)

Nothing like a creek walk selfie!

Dad and I collected a lot of cool rocks from the creek, including a bunch of quartz. I like to scatter these around my home and office, and I feel closer to the mountains just by having them with me. They're a great reminder of my trip and time with friends and family!

After the creek walk, there was a yoga class presented by Debbie Hart. I did not stay for this, as I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before due to all the excitement, and wanted to rest and shower before heading back to Cat's house for the speaking part of the event.

Cool rocks from the creek.

Back at the Gathering, Cat had a great hot dog stand going with brats, hot dogs, sautéed peppers and onions, potato and macaroni salads, beans, chips, cookies, etc., all for a nominal fee. After lunch, the speakers began.

Carolyn LeCrone's tent and the start of a charity blanket.

First up was Carolyn LeCrone, who read to us something she had written during a meditation on the theme of the event, which was "As I Speak Into These Hills." It was beautifully done—a poem to the mountain, to speaking and remembrances, and I was very touched by it. She had a way of bringing those wild, gorgeous hills alive with her recitation.

Next up was me. I spoke about how communication is important to human beings, and yet we are capable of making a thorough mess of it sometimes. In my own life, I've discovered that by employing certain listening, intuitive, and mindset skills, I have finally found my own voice, and this has both improved relationships and allowed me to branch out creatively.

My tent and items I've made.

Additionally, I believe each of us has a unique voice that we can use to heal ourselves and others, and I explained why. I then ran the group through an exercise to raise positivity and allow each person to take home some simple skills to start finding their own voices. I got great feedback on the talk, so I'm glad it made an impact!

My tent and Dana Wingerd speaking.

Dana Wingerd discussed her journey back to faith despite some of her disappointment with organized religion throughout her life, and encouraged people that they can have a relationship with God if they want. What I took away from her talk was that each person's  journey is their own, but it is possible to break any chains restricting us from following a spiritual path and forging a new one if that's what we want.

Debbie Hart told us her incredible story of having a sleeping stroke—typically fatal—and being so convinced that she was going to be fine that she was just...fine. You really have to hear it from her, but it's a story of faith, determination, and not confining herself to others' expectations of her medical condition and how it's "supposed" to be for stroke patients. If you ever get to hear her speak about this, please take that opportunity and hear her speak. It'll give you chills!

Many hands made short work of a charity blanket.

During breaks from the speakers, our host, Cat Young, announced that she'd hoped we'd all make a blanket together to be raffled off to benefit a women's shelter. That bidding is just about done, and it looks like she has raised about $150 for a local women's shelter!

Hiking trail on Grandfather Mountain

Prior to the event, Cat asked if I would facilitate a workshop in making giant arm-knit blankets, so I brought the supplies with me and spent time training people how to do a row or two of arm-knitting. We not only have the blanket we all made together, but I also made a sample beforehand to show everyone what we'd be doing. Stay tuned, because I will be auctioning that one off to benefit a Pittsburgh women's shelter as soon as the big blanket's bidding is done. Watch this space for that!

I guess this is the Elk of Banner Elk?

I do like that nearly every single attendee of the Gathering participated in this endeavor. Many hands made small work of that project, and working together, we were able to connect our energies towards something bigger than ourselves. Best of all, many people told me how fun it was! It truly energized the event!

After all the speakers were done, we headed to Sorrento's Italian Bistro for the party! The food was great: salad, pizza, and chicken parmigiana with penne marinara, which was all included in the ticket price for the event. After dinner, we took a walk through Banner Elk to the Red Door Candy Store before some people stayed for 
a spirit investigation at an undisclosed location. I am not a paranormal investigator like many of the attendees, so my parents and I headed back to Roan Mountain and chilled in our cabin, instead. Have I mentioned how grateful I am for this time spent with my family?

Carter Mansion, Elizabethton, TN

On Sunday, we met at Cat Young's house for her talk, "As I Speak Into These Hills," where she discussed the power of our words when spoken aloud, especially when it comes to prayer. While doing so, she demonstrated some of the healing techniques that she and her daughter Tess employ.

Top of Grandfather Mountain

And then...that was it! We finished the blanket, packed our stuff, ate some leftovers for lunch, hugged and kissed and said "see you next year" and just like that, it was over! It seemed to go by too fast.

Soldiers' memorial, Elizabethton, TN

My parents and I spent the remainder of Sunday exploring Roan Mountain on both the TN and NC sides, ending up for dinner in Banner Elk at a nice steakhouse, Stonewalls.

After over a week in TN, my parents and I packed up each of our cars and said goodbye to each other for our respective long trips back to our homes. By that point, I'd missed my husband a lot and couldn't wait to get home, but it was bittersweet saying goodbye to my folks, too.

Stonewalls - a steakhouse in Banner Elk, NC

We had a really great time together, and I love our sense of adventure. We're the kind of people who just love exploring and no matter where we are, we can have a good time.

The trip was restorative and eye-opening, for me. I learned a lot about myself and where I came from on that trip, and had much to reflect on about that. Travel is good for the soul; it breaks us out of our daily routines and allows us the latitude to not only try different things, but the change of scenery can prompt a shift within ourselves, as well. I've been experiencing that shift within myself, and know there are more good things coming from it. :)

I hope you enjoyed this summary of my trip to Tennessee and the Gathering. Lots of good things are coming from it, not only for me, but for others, too. I'm really proud of everyone who attended and worked together to benefit survivors of domestic abuse, for instance. And I know there were a lot of eyes opened to how we can improve our lives and ourselves if given half the chance.

Drop me a line and let me know if you have any questions or comments about the Gathering or any part of this post! I hope you are having an amazing summer, too—let me know if you're taking any cool vacation trips! 💛🐝

Goodbye, TN. Til next time!

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

A City as Symbol of Resilience

(This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclaimers & Policies on my About page.)

Today's post is going to be part travel/local tourism blog and part lesson about resilience and remaking ourselves when what we're doing is no longer working for us.

The City of Pittsburgh has a long tradition of hard work, being synonymous with the mighty steel industry of days gone by.

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

When the steel industry suffered, Pittsburgh (and other cities who based their economy on steel) suffered along with it for a period of time. But Pittsburgh ended up surprising me!

When I first visited this city with my now-husband (who is a native of this fine town), I was expecting something like what I'd seen in old pictures: dirty, polluted air, bad traffic, and a sea of black and gold everywhere.

I was pleasantly surprised to find, well, still a sea of black and gold (sports pride is a big thing here!), but otherwise there were pretty, blue skies; majestic, green hills; beautiful neighborhoods and architecture; universities, museums, galleries, and shops; and an interesting incorporation of the old steel town heritage with a new and blossoming tech industry. Since that first visit many years ago, I have often seen Pittsburgh rank on the best places to live in the country.

It speaks to a sort of resilience, doesn't it? Where other cities struggled during the economic downturn, Pittsburgh seemed to remain fairly stable with both unemployment rates and cost of living, and now there is job growth projected in future. When the old ways in the steel industry no longer served, this city reinvented itself as a hub of future industry in the tech and healthcare spaces, instead.

Now, companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook all have offices here, as do a variety of tech startups (Duolingo and Wombat Security, for example) and several self-driving car companies (Uber, Argo AI and Aurora Innovation) have set up shop here. Pittsburgh also put in a bid for the new Amazon east coast HQ, and the Pittsburgh Technology Council released a really jam-packed tech map of the city.

Tech companies are attracted to the many highly-trained students coming out of Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pittsburgh is known for cutting-edge medical research, the sum of which is that Pittsburgh is now a hub for robotics, computer vision, computer science, and healthcare vocations.

Indeed, there have been billboard signs seen in Silicon Valley enticing people to come live and work here, where housing is still available and affordable. Inc.com lists Pittsburgh as the "best startup city in America."

Check out this really cool video on how Pittsburgh has remade itself from Steel Giant to Tech Giant. I am very impressed with how my adopted city looks.

Positive press aside, Pittsburgh is just a nice place to live. This post is in honor of the 10th anniversary of my move to Pittsburgh, and I still love it here. What I love MOST about Pittsburgh is the people. They, like their city, are tough, resilient, and friendly. And this won't be my only post on Pittsburgh, to be sure. There is so much to talk about, be on the lookout for future content about things to do here.

I think we can all take something away from this, right? That it is never too late to reinvent ourselves when we need to in order to not only survive, but to THRIVE.

Drop me a line below or on social media, and let me know: have you been to Pittsburgh, or wanted to? Or tell me something cool about where you live! 🐝

~ positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there! ~

P.S.: This book on Pittsburgh looks pretty cool!

Gathering 2018: Get Your Tickets Before They're Gone!

(This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclaimers & Policies on my About page.)

🔔Hear ye! Hear ye!🔔

Tickets to the Gathering 2018 are limited and are starting to sell! Get yours today before they are sold out! 🌸

WHAT
Gathering 2018 is a small-scale festival where you can kick back, relax, listen, laugh, and learn, and by the time you leave, you will have made new friends for life. There will be speakers, vendors, singing and spooky tales around the campfire, horse and buggy rides through historic Roan Mountain, a creek walk in the park, workshops, and so much more.

Details can be found here, and make sure you check out the Event page. Our host, Cat Young of the Mountain Gypsies, will be posting the speaker and workshop schedule there.

(Click here to see what I posted about this event, previously.)

WHEN
June 29-July 1, 2018 (Friday to Sunday).

WHERE
Breathtaking Roan Mountain, TN, at a cottage nestled at the bottom of the mountains. Yes, the host actually does this shindig in her back yard! You will be surrounded by beauty and magic in this historic State Park area of eastern Tennessee.

COST
$30 for the entire 3-day event buys you entrance to the event, which includes the speakers/workshops and a dinner party at an upscale restaurant in Banner Elk, NC, on Saturday night.* You can't beat this price with a stick!

*Note: the horse & buggy rides are provided by another vendor for an additional fee, and any other food, accommodations, and incidentals are at your own cost.

ACCOMMODATIONS
There are cabins in the Roan Mountain State Park that are clean and come with all of the linens, dishes, etc., that you would need. I stayed in these last year and they were cleaner than some hotel rooms I've stayed in, plus the staff and rangers were all very friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed our stay there last year and I thought the pricing was reasonable because you can fit several people into one cabin.

If you prefer, you also have the option to camp "rustic" style at the site of the event itself. Our host will offer a Porta Potty, water, electricity, and a spot to put your tent for the cost of $40 for the 3-day weekend.

Otherwise there are some B&Bs, AirBnBs, and hotels in the area within a 25-30 minute drive of the event.

So get your tickets now! Yes, you! :)

If you want to learn more about the Mountain Gypsies and what they do, check out this nifty video they made. A link to their Facebook page is listed there as well.

Alrighty—getting your tickets now? Great! :) Don't forget to mark yourself as "Going" on the Event page! And next time I post about this, I will be previewing some of items I'll be offering at positively b.e.e.'s table at this event, some of which are limited edition—made only for this event. Be there or be square!

🐝

 ~ positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there! ~

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