Stopping on a Whim and Simple Pleasures

When I started this blog, I had no idea what I was going to write about so I simply called it Life Happens since that covers about anything under the sun.  I figured that would give me a bit of writer's liberty, a phrase I made up - you know, like "poetic license" - a freedom to deviate from my normal writing style from post to post.  I've written about an odd assortment of things, but all of them easily fall under the category of "life happens".  It's a safe subject.  Life does just happen.  It brings us joy,  it brings us sorrow - sometimes at the same time.  It's relentless - it doesn't wait on anyone or anything - and it passes by all too quickly.

My blogs have been pretty wishy-washy at times.  Some days I write about thought provoking things - other days I try to find the funny side of life.  For a while there I wrote about road trips we made traveling the back roads of South Carolina -  throwing darts at a map, jumping in the car and making a day trip to a town that we've never been before.  We do an awful lot of riding going to and from the coast and we see places we would like to stop, but lately we've always been in a hurry and we pass by those places saying we'll do it next time.

Yesterday, on our way home, we noticed a sign that we've seen a couple of times before.  On the spur of the moment, we decided to follow the sign and we ended up at an old Victorian house for a Sunday lunch buffet.  It's called the Hagood House and it's a Bed & Breakfast right in the heart of Aynor, South Carolina.   We were in for a pleasant surprise!  You walk into the large foyer of the old house and follow the smell of food to the kitchen and dining areas.  There were no signs displaying the cost of the food anywhere and since we were already in the place, we didn't even ask.  There's three or four banquet size tables set up and several tables for four.  We sat at the end of one of the large tables and chatted with another couple at the other end.  We got there just ahead of the Sunday church crowds.

The food looked wonderful.  They had a beautiful salad bar and the buffet serving line had fried chicken, ham, mac & cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes, peas, rutabaga, fresh corn, and a few other things I can't remember.  The veggies were not the "out of the can" style that you get in so many restaurants - the macaroni and cheese was the homemade style - not a box mix.  We thought it couldn't get any better, but that was before we saw the dessert bar.  All the desserts were homemade.  There was a blueberry cream cake, banana pudding, chocolate eclair, pineapple upside down cake, and a couple more that I didn't get around to.  Oh yes, and ice cream to top it all off.   While we were eating, we could hear in another room the sweet sounds of singing - three men playing various musical instruments were singing some old fashioned gospel music and were quite good.  Now it was time to pay up.  A mere grand total of $20 for an excellent meal - well worth it!   I talked to the owner and she told me that they are open Monday through Friday for breakfast from 9 - ll a.m. and at lunch from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. She said if we're ever driving through during those times, just give them a call thirty minutes prior to our arrival and they would have our food ready for us.  We'll definitely do it the next time we're going through.  Every Sunday they have their lunch buffet from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

We decided we want to go back sometime and stay for the night.  Take a look at their website. The rooms are beautiful and the food is out of this world.  Give them a try sometime if you're ever in the town of Aynor. http://www.thehagoodhouseinn.com/  I'll guarantee that you won't leave hungry.

It's the little things that give us pleasure in life - sometime we just have to stop long enough to savor them.  When good things are happening in your life, write about it and share your joy.  It makes life a little more fun for all of us.