Curtis and I stepped a few decades back in time today when we stopped by the Hotel Blessing in Blessing, TX.  I love old places, especially old places that aren’t fancy but down-home.  This place fit the bill perfectly!

We had fun ambling down the hall from the main entrance to the Coffee Shop (our main reason for dropping by).  The overnight accomodations seem to be a throwback to the threadbare ’30s …

… and there are an awful lot of deer heads sticking out of walls.

You thought I was exaggerating again, didn’t you?

But the Coffee Shop was well worth the trip!  Not because the food was like nothing I’d ever had before, but because it was like gathering at grandma’s for a big family dinner.

Meals are served buffet-style on the stove …

… with desserts waiting at the end of the line.

I wanted to take photos of the variety of customers there — hard-working farmers in semi-grimy jeans and shirts, polite ladies visiting quietly together, a man and his son in matching workclothes, and the man and woman who later joined that table with about 10 little kids — but I didn’t want to be too much of a nuisance.  Fortunately Curtis loves getting his picture taken.

We tried to make some sense out of all the stuff surrounding the cash register as we paid our bill … 

… then headed out to take one last look around before making our way back home.

This place has stood the test of time for more than 100 years.

It’s a landmark I’m glad to have finally visited.

I do believe I will return for another helping of Blessing someday soon.

 Give away your life;

you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back — given back with bonus and blessing.

Giving, not getting is the way.  Generosity begets generosity.

Luke 6:38 MESSAGE

My friend Jessie and I had a berry nice day at Froberg Farm today.

Practically everyone has been talking about going out to pick strawberries at Froberg’s, and I was a little worried they’d already be picked clean.  Not hardly!

Acres upon acres of strawberry plants are waiting for YOU to stop by.  Even though buckets upon buckets have already been picked, the next wave will be ready soon.

We left plenty of berries for you that should be perfect in a couple of days.

I loved seeing all of the stages of development within a single cluster.

And I can vouch for how perfectly sweet these strawberries are.  Even the tiniest ones!

If the lady at the gate tells you it’s worth walking all the way to the back to get the biggest, ripest berries, do exactly what she says.  The fields are enormous, and most pickers (especially the youngest ones) stop at the very first rows. 

Beware of being overtaken by the feelings of deja vu and pouncing on the first berries you see.  You are not at an Easter egg hunt, and there will be more than enough for all!

On your way back in, be sure to take time to check out the rest of the goodies at Froberg’s.  No telling what you’ll find there that you didn’t even know you needed!  

On a gorgeously crisp spring day, or even on an overcast or muggy day for that matter, Froberg Farm is a place that just sets your soul aright.

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see — how good God is!

Blessed are you who run to Him.

Psalm 34:8 MSG