Serenbe

The Blue Eyed Daisy Bake Shop , where I had an excellent BLT...

The Inn at Serenbe

The Farmhouse Restaurant, where the menu changes daily depending on the seasonal, farm-fresh ingredients that the chef uses.

Getting Around, a "local tourism boutique" offers such adventures as group zip-lining and hot-air balloon rides.

For as long as I can remember, my favorite animal has always been the donkey--I'd bet that in terms of temperament, we're almost the same animal. My ideal living environment would indeed provide a place for a couple of donkeys to roam about, perhaps nipping visitors I'm not particularly fond of. (This is one of my many eccentricities that my husband has learned to chuckle about.) So imagine my delight when we ran across these rascals in the fields next to the Inn...

My own little one, milling about...

I was with the fam a few weeks ago in a charming cottage community called Serenbe, and I came across this inviting alcove of crepe myrtles. Two little girls jumped into the photo, running as speedily as they could through the grove to the croquet greens on the other side. (Croquet, to this day, never fails to bring to mind the 80's film Heathers, but that's another matter.) Anyway, the girls totally MADE this shot. It's one of my favorite photos of the day there. (Click to enlarge, PUH-LEEESE. (: )

I suppose what attracted me most to the place after reading an article about it in Cottage Living magazine is the "self-sustaining" nature of this village. They have set aside their own farmland, which the residents themselves use to grow their food. (Their website explains: "Serenbe Farms is a 25-acre working, organic farm located at Serenbe and part of the national Community Supported Agriculture partnership. Serenbe Farms provides organic produce throughout Atlanta and The Chattahoochee Hill Country.") Every weekend, the community holds a Farmer's Market to sell any surplus of what they've grown. While my family was there, I managed to acquire a delicious jar of Strawberry Lavender Preserves, which I shared with my Artist's Way group that week. With brie and crackers, it was divine. The close, communal feeling of Serenbe was reminiscent of the German village where I spent my teen years, and it moved me toward a warm, contented nostalgia. But even better than that nostalgia (which however lovely is still based in the past), the place filled me with a strong sense of living in the exact moment, the consciousness of breathing in the details, the luxury and wealth of recognizing that "now" is all we have.