When Reneé first sent me the information, I thought it was somewhere in Tennessee, but that would be because I didn't really read the details. But it sounded fun so I said we'd go. Then, as it got closer to leaving, I was looking at where we needed to go and realized that I knew about this place. My old pastor used to take his wife there on occasion and raved about it. He wasn't wrong.

It's a couple of hours east of Cincinnati, and you can get most of the way there by state highway. But at a point, you turn off and start in on the county roads. There's a sign, at least coming the way we did, that warns of a covered bridge. Nae didn't see this, of course, as she was knitting, but I told her to look up because there was a surprise. And then we came to a single lane bridge that was not a covered bridge. I explained to her what I had wanted her to watch for and we both lamented that it must have gone down during a storm or something. Until we rounded another corner and there the Harshaville covered bridge stood, awaiting our passage.

If you've never driven over a covered bridge, they are a treat. Made of wood, both the covering and the deck, your tires trod the wood like a drummer rattling out a rhythm on a snare and the percussive sound echoes through the structure. I want to see about doing that in a carriage one day. Unfortunately, no picture of that, as I didn't know about it before we went and the batteries were dead on the way home. We wound up and down some more and then, finally, we made it to Murphin Ridge Inn. Daryl and Sherry were welcoming and we got there shortly before our dinner reservations, just enough time to unpack and head over to the dining room.

What can I say about dinner? Well, to begin with,  Order "A Taste of the Murphin Ridge Inn" on-line. If you can't make it out, order the book and try their recipies. Delicious is one word for them. Melt in your mouth is another. I had a porkchop, which came with soup and salad, both with items fresh from the garden. And the pork chop literally melted in my mouth. Nae had the Rissotto and couldn't finish it. Afterwards, I had to try their dessert, a brownie with a decadent chocolate gnaché and vanilla bean ice cream. Nae was too full for dessert (though she had a bite or two of mine) but the couple in the corner had ordered ice cream with a ginger cookie and she had to try one of those. She asked Darryl if she could have one and he brought her two and the rrimming from my brownie with whip cream on it.

We were both a bit tired from the drive so we didn't do much else that night. The firepit was inviting but it was back to the room to enjoy the smell and feel of 100% cotton. And, unlike most hotels, Nae actually used the provided soap, it was luxurious. So we settled into our room, lit the gas fireplace and enjoyed each other's company, she knitting and I reading her selected stories from Neil Gaiman's "Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders." It was a pleasant evening.

The next day, after a delicious breakfast of Foggy Bottom Pancakes and Sausage and Homemade Applesauce, it was off for some touristing. One cannot visit Amish country without shopping for furniture. We bought a beautiful hall bench which Nae has been looking for and introduced her to Motion Clocks. Of course, while the shop keeper was showing her the two walls of motion clocks, I just settled into one of the chairs and read. It was a pleasing way to pass time. Nae already has plans to buy a couple of rocking chairs next time we come.

The we headed over to a bird store, where I picked up a beautiful feeder that I'll have to take pictures of later. The bird store is right across from Wheat Ridge Presbyterian Church, which was a pretty little picture of a church.

In order to take that picture, I had to cross the road and stood on a bit of an embankment:

You can't really tell from that picture, but there were dots of blue wild flowers all over it:

We headed back to the Inn and then took in some of the trails around the Inn. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera and didn't get any shots of Stone Hedge or the cemetery. Then we got cleaned up for dinner:

 It's a bit blurry because the camera's batteries were dying but it's a nice reminder of the weekend.

There's much more to relate. From seeing Turkey Vultures sitting next to the road, wings spread into the sun to warm up, to friendly conversation around the firepit. But I need to get some work done. Next year, when we go back, I'll take paper and pen and blog during the trip.

Peace, gentle readers