We arrived at my son's doorstep late Friday afternoon. It seemed he and his sister had developed a birthday itinerary that was full of food, fun and laughter. I eyed the stops we would make and the one that stood out above the rest was 9:30 a.m. - The Peach Truck. (Okay... and the nap) As a former resident of Georgia, the sweet taste of Georgia peaches still calls to me. My mouth watered as I thought of the stand of peaches waiting for me on my birthday. The itinerary included gourmet snow cones, shopping, too much food and a midnight movie. There was a long day ahead of us and we would need sleep before we began.
Afraid that our overnight lodging may be with an axe murderer, I had my son go with us to the house, for protection. Three screams are better than two, so it couldn't hurt. We arrived at a lovely home that seemed quite safe and secure. The owners were out of town, but there were other guests who would be staying in another room. Something about it felt so wrong, but then the comforts of home beckoned us in and we shut the front door behind us. We were the only ones in the large unfamiliar home with many locked doors and we settled into our room armed with cell phones and large curling brushes. It was some time after my son left that we heard the front door open. Frozen in our bed, unknowing who was mere steps away, we listened to our housemates disappear into the silent house. I could only assume they were as curious about us as we were of them. Eventually sleep took hold and we woke to a new day... my birthday.
Of all the activities of this day, my favorite was the Farmer's Market where my children and I washed fresh fruit in a garden hose and ate it near the Peach Truck. The sun was already hot and the taste of plums and peaches quenched our thirst. Our fingers were sticky from the fruit juice running down our hands, but the taste was that of summer and it reminded me of days gone by. Better than birthday cake, simple peaches delivered happiness on my special day.
The day continued forward with many great stops and food fit for a queen. At 11:07 p.m., I had to call it quits on the birthday itinerary of fun. Perhaps I was too old for a midnight movie, or perhaps I had already achieved just the right amount of fun. My children understood and we returned to our home away from home where we would once again sleep with strangers in the house. When we arrived, the other guests were already home. A chance meeting in the kitchen dispelled all of our fears as we learned that the two school teachers upstairs were just as worried about us as we were of them. We laughed, made new friends and all returned to our rooms where we still locked our doors behind us because, really, what good is a curling brush when a stranger comes calling in the middle of the night.
The birthday weekend was grand and we love our Nashville home. Our host family was wonderful and we hope to visit again. As we traveled back to our own home, we took with us a small paper sack of peaches so that we could share a taste of summer with friends and family.
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