Springtime in the 'ville is pretty hard to beat. Trees are blooming. The Iron Horse trail is filled with bikes, trikes, trailers and hikers. Thanks to a rainy winter, the water features at our local parks are running again. The smell of barbecued hamburgers fills the air in our neighborhood. And iced coffee has returned. Yes, we Danville folks have it pretty good.
Who else in suburban American can boast of their extensive biking trails, green open spaces, award-winning local food, small town and family-friendly places? When Ben and I moved here nearly seven years ago, we instantly fell in love with this town. In just a few short months we began bumping into people we recognized on the downtown streets. Frequent trips to coffee shops and restaurants earned us first-name privileges with staff. And when we added Maddie and Sam to our family, we found out even more about our great locale.
Just yesterday we spent an hour downtown before meeting family for lunch. We hopped in and out of the , where both my kids snagged great books and made new friends. We frolicked on the library lawn before heading to Hartz Avenue. Shopkeepers smiled and greeted us as we shopped, the cacophony of our enthusiastic entourage preceding and following us.
Maddie announced she would be having her "usual buttered noodles" to Wes, son of the chef and owners of , before skipping over and pouring herself a glass of fruit-infused water. We grabbed an outside table while the kids ran around the old hotel plaza, "locking" themselves in the old jail, playing tag between crepe myrtle trees, and filling the air with their laughter.
On Saturday morning we'll head down to the , our usual weekend activity. Our favorite farmers and fishermen are like old friends, asking about the kids, telling us what tastes good this week, relishing the fair weather we've had lately. Maddie will want to pick out a new vegetable to try, or perhaps will be drawn to a rainbow-colored bunch of chard simply because it's beautiful. We'll grab samples of kettle corn and maybe even share a savory galette from our mate the Frenchman. Our final stop will be to load up on veggies for the week, plus zucchini and tomatoes for a new recipe.
Saturday night we'll gather for an early meal with some of our dearest friends on their outside patio. Wine will be poured (harvested and produced locally), we will nosh on delicious pasta, salad, a zucchini-tomato gratin, and homemade dessert. We'll laugh and share and wonder aloud how blessed we are to have found sweet community together.
Yes indeed, we love it here in Danville.
