Hunting season is right around the corner! So today we went to the woods to scout for deer. At least, that's why James went. Anouk and I were there because we want to live deliberately and suck out all the marrow from life.
The Big Woods State Forest is located in Wakefield, Virginia, way out in Sussex County (It's about an hour and fifteen minute drive from the Ocean View area of Norfolk -- more with traffic). I had never heard of Wakefield before, but it turns out it's kind of a big deal when it comes to peanuts. The first peanuts in America were planted in the town, before it was a town, and peanut-flavored dishes are served in many of the town's restaurants.
As you can also see, Wakefield is also kind of a big deal when it comes to reality TV stars. Peanuts and TV? How can that be anything other than a winning combination?
After we had tramped through the woods (and these were real woods, with very authentically woodsily overgrown trails, it should be noted), marked some deer tracks and had a snack, we drove around Sussex County for a while and saw the sights. One prominent one being miles and miles of fields of cotton in full bloom (does cotton bloom?) I have probably passed fields of cotton a million times before in my life, but this was my first in full bloom, and seeing a stretch of this gorgeous, purest white all the way to the horizon made me feel mindful of a lot of things. Of the great beauty in the world, the great work it would have taken to plant and tend and pick, and the great numbers of men and women who were made to plant and tend and pick it over hundreds of years. I think everybody should try to see a field of cotton in full bloom once in their lives, to feel these feelings.
Quote of the day:
ME: There's mud on my duck boots!
JAMES: They're duck boots...they can handle a little mud.
ME: I bought these duck boots for FASHION.
Some other things to see near Wakefield, VA:
-Virginia Diner (in Wakefield): featuring peanut pie and peanut dressing
-Miles B. Carpenter Museum Complex (in Waverly, VA): with a Victorian House, folk art and peanut museum.
-Country Store (in Waverly): You can buy bacon, fresh from the pig! And also hog jowls. But let's focus on the bacon.
I'd never heard of this forest, so I looked it up and saw it's fairly new. How beautiful. I've seen cotton fields on the eastern shore and out in the country headed toward Surry and past Suffolk and totally agree with you. It's breathtaking, saddening, and amazing to see.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great place because unlike some of the state parks in the area, it's not very manicured, so you feel a little closer to nature in a way that's really hard to find nowadays. I didn't really realize how rare that is until we were there this weekend!
ReplyDeleteNoted too, the Airfield 4H and convention center is not far and they have cabins for rent so there is a place to actually stay that is less than a mile hike away. Be kind to us locals we may invite you in for a fresh lemonade on your way back to Airfield!
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