Apple Atcha
A day's worth of wandering yields connections, cupcakes, and handcrafts.
Toward the Virginia Line
Yesterday we took a break. From work. From remodeling. It was a perfect day for exploration. In fact, it was the first day of exploration we’d undertaken since purchasing the cabin to house WoolTribe’s studio space, and offer mini-retreats. More than seven months into a major cabin rehabilitation endeavor that has proven to be as extensive as it has been rewarding, we were definitely due a break.
We’d just recently visited The Tartan Woolly in West Jefferson, embraced - literally, and with good cheer - by owner, Kevin Kim Mann, kilted, hatted, and smiling broadly. A delightful shop full to the brim with exceptional woolen goods from Scotland and Ireland, The Tartan Woolly inspired us to share about our love of wool, and the woolen goods our company produces. During the course of the conversation, Kevin enthusiastically encouraged us to visit the town of Lansing, North Carolina, up near the Virginia state line, and grab cider at Molley Chomper, just next door to the Lost Province Center for Cultural Arts. We took Kevin’s advice to heart and made Lansing, North Carolina our destination for yesterday’s outing.
Fish Stories
Situated along winding Hwy 194, aside the impressive Big Horse Creek, a trout stream, and tributary of the North Fork of the New River, Lansing was one of the many towns devastated by hurricane Helene in fall of 2024. Since then, the town has worked to rebuild, and several of the town’s businesses have reopened. We went to The Liar’s Bench for lunch, where we shared a delicious club sandwich and ginger ale. We wandered into the Old Orchard Creek General Store. Sheri had just mentioned wanting some blueberry jam to put on lemon toast, and as luck would have it, we found some at Old Orchard Creek General Store! It wasn’t until writing this post that we found out the blueberries in the jam are actually from Old Orchard Creek Blueberry Farm, a sustainable farm where you can hike, enjoy the incredible scenery, and pick your own blueberries from late June to mid-August. That’s definitely on our list for next year - and hopefully something we’ll do with folks who come for a weekend respite at our cabin!
“Not All Who Wander are Lost…” J.R.R. Tolkien
After lunching and browsing, we drove up to Molley Chomper and Lost Province Center for Cultural Arts, just three minutes away from downtown Lansing. We were pleased to find a fall festival happening. It was spooky themed, and complete with bake sale, silent auction, and festival games. The event was organized by Friends Assisting Neighbors, a local humanitarian organization, to raise money to assist Ashe County residents with payment for things like heating fuel and medicine. We got small pours of two Molley Chomper ciders - Bent Apple, the slightly drier of the two, and Porch Swing, offering a bit more sweetness - not surprisingly, my favorite. As we sat and sipped, I pulled out some knitting I’m doing with yarn I spun from some of our undyed superwash merino / Rambouillet blend. Soon, the gentleman doing the announcing came over and asked what I was making. The conversation wound along from there, and we ended up meeting Sharon, a member of the executive team at Lost Province Center for Cultural Arts. You’ll have to read all about the center - housed in part of the old Lansing High School. We came to learn from Sharon that Molley Chomper cidery is actually housed in the old school library. Funny how a small fact like that can be the sparkly stone, a perfect to cap a day of magical adventure. Having bid on, and won, a lovely vase turned from a cherry tree burl, we will be rolling back up the road to Lansing today or tomorrow to collect our win. I am excited to see this beautiful gem of a community again.
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
(Excerpt by J.R.R. Tolkien, Fellowship of the Ring)
What a wonderful adventure! ❤️