Our Pearl Anniversary

The Man and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary today. 

That's a big number.

I certainly don't feel old enough to be married for thirty years. 

__________

We took a drive and meandered our way through parts of four states. We left bright and early in the morning. Well, sort of. 

We got a coffee for the road and took off, heading to a shop I had found that featured over 500 different artisans. Handmade, unique items. I was thinking Christmas shopping.

The Man was in it for the foliage.

We stopped about an hour into our trip and had breakfast at a super cute cafe. I had crunchy french toast topped with blueberry sauce and lemon curd and fresh whipped cream. And I capped it off with an iced maple latte made with their own maple syrup.

Delicious. Lick your plate and suck your straw delicious.

The Man had eggs and bacon. 

We got back on the road and drove for another hour. We found the artisan shop easily enough. It looked a little small from the outside but sometimes buildings can be deceiving and wind up being much larger than they look. 

It was drizzling a little so we ran inside and stopped short as soon as we entered. It was almost all jewelry. Case after case of jewelry. And not local. I could tell by looking at it. I've seen this jewelry in other gift shops all across America.

I didn't dare look at the Man. I had told him there would be lots of different kinds of craftsmen displaying their items. You know, since that's what the website said.

"This is all jewelry," he said. In a tone that implied I knew it would be like this. "Yup," I answered and scooted away, trying not to make eye contact. 

I wandered through the aisles fairly quickly since there was no way there were over 500 artisans displayed. I managed to find a locally made pair of earrings as a gift for someone and we were out of there in about fifteen minutes.

A grand disappointment. 

We had nothing else planned so we got back in the car and drove.

We found a pottery shop and poked around in there. There were a few pieces made by local potters but most of the items were labeled "Made in China".

Another grand disappointment. I was hoping to support the local artisans and buy local and instead found tourist traps.

_________

We drove for a while, meandering along back country roads, enjoying the foliage. We missed a turnoff and wound up on a dirt road driving in circles. 

"I think we're in a Twilight Zone episode," said the Man. 

The foliage was beautifully colorful. 

It was very cloudy and drizzled most of the day. I think it would have been breathtaking if there was a blue sky.

Autumn scene on the side of the road.

___________

It was such a nice day, driving around together and reminiscing about what we were doing thirty years ago. It seems like just yesterday.