Our Fabled Nest

Atticus, my sweet boy! Attihooskiii, as the daycare in New Hampshire used to call him, he would happily trot over, gently jump up and give the best smooches! Atticus is a very large, in charge, eighty plus pound fluff ball. He is a gentle giant, can be a lazy house cat when inside or sunning in the fenced yard… overall, he can be rather lazy. BUT once in his harness on a hike watch out! He will pull like an ox, excited to see what’s around the bend! Night and day difference but he is so much fun!

February’s date is for Atticus. It’s been a pleasure watching him learn and grow from a wee ten-week-old pup to his beautiful happy self, now, at four and a half years old. He is our adventurer, wild child, old soul all bottled in a beautiful wooly overgrown polar bear. We knew Midlothian Mines would be a perfect place to explore with him! That place checks his all of his adventure boxes like water views, climbing hills, and lots of woodland to explore. Even though, we’ve been there a handful of times – we knew he would be more than happy to go back for some one-on-one solo exploration!

Midlothian mines, another beautiful historical destination on the outskirts of Richmond. I adore abandoned places, where no one thought anything of them letting them and their history fade away until someone saw a vision of revitalizing, bringing light to what was lost, curating a historical, educational public space for us to learn of what it was and how it impacted our community. Beautiful, I think. Midlothian Mines story begins a few centuries ago. Thomas Jefferson remarked that the coal quality was excellent; someone wrote in their diary of a “very good” mine in 1709. In 1835, Midlothian Coal Mining was chartered and next year it was an organization. Tragedy struck several times during the 1800s. One at Black Heath mine where all 42 were killed (2 foreman and 40 men, sadly, mostly slaves). Later in 1882, Grove Shaft had a gas and dust explosion adding to the death toll by another 32 lives. This shaft’s ruins are the crumbling remains, seen at Mines Park. Quite worn, depilated but still standing. It’s quite haunting to stand near the remains of the hollow crumbling building for the past to still be echoing. Finished in several phases, starting with a grant back in 2004, Midlothian Mines is now home to the ruins of the shaft, several replicas, ADA trails surrounding a small lake, and boardwalks and beautiful woodlands. Check out more here: Virginia Energy and Mines

Atticus, like the rest of us, is a foodie. He might not be one to be in the kitchen like his sibbies but he will be lined up for the first bite out of the oven! When dining out, we love unique places, local joints and we especially love those farm to table local community supporting restaurants. Urban Farmhouse is just that! – Almost a year ago, we stopped in for a quick bite; found out it was dog friendly; they have a small local market, and we couldn’t wait to come back. Being near the Mine’s Park, we thought Atticus would love it even if it’s a bit chilly out. Turns out, Urban Farmhouse is 100% dog friendly inside and out! As long as your dog is potty trained, well mannered, and good with humans, they can join in on the fun! Atticus is all of the above and so much more! He is seriously the best when he goes in pet friendly stores- a perfect gentleman!

Our usual is to order two gluten free items and half each so we can both try something new. Today, I was more in the mood for a snack versus an actual meal and hubs (and Atticus) were hungry. Weekends are for brunching – I think! Here, breakfast is available all day on the weekends. Brunch options include fresh waffles, egg scramblers with egg whites as an option. Your scrambler could include rosemary and cheddar or meat and cheese plus bread with gluten free options. Oatmeal, completely underrated, is also a choice with fruit. French Toast and yogurt parfaits are other yummy choices! Veggie Sausage, a vegan option, is also available as well as AnnaB’s gluten free bread and bagels. Other fun options include Lox Bagels and traditional breakfast sandwiches. The lunch item that jumped out to me immediately was a Grilled Pimento Cheese… the sound of this made my mouth water – a southern girl at heart, I can’t help but love a good home-made Pimento Cheese Spread! I am also a huge fan of a simple Avocado Toast, something so good about creamy avocado on warm toast with the slightly salty everything bagel seasoning…yum. I love places like this; creative, diverse options with a little something for everyone’s tastebuds.

The lattes here are phenomenal – classic espresso and oat milk with a bit of stevia. Simply Perfect! Hubs has two moods when it comes to coffee. More often than not, it’s blacker than night, bold as bold can be, not sleeping for 12 plus hours kind of coffee… heck he will even add a shot of espresso too. Sheesh no thanks! I don’t think my heart or nerves could handle than amount of caffeine and the smell alone could possibly wake the dead. Today, he went with his other favorite: iced caramel macchiato with oat milk. The restaurant has a small gluten free section with AnnaB’s gluten free items. Double chocolate muffins, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Raisin Cookies and a few scones. Easy choice was the orange cranberry scone- one of my favorite flavor combos! Hubs settled on bacon, egg and cheddar pressed sandwich. Grilled to perfection; it looked delicious with all that melty cheese and crispy bacon. Other fun finds here are shakes, smoothies, salads, and a juice bar with my favorite green juice. The kid’s menu is actually healthy with a few choices I think parents would agree with! Simple grilled cheese, baked chicken strips along with healthy sides of carrot sticks, fruit or organic animal crackers. Then as a bonus they even offer organic milk for kiddos too! Definitely one of those restaurants, you’ll want to sit relax and conversate over a meal. Even though, it was a bit chilly, and the weather was threatening to dump rain, we had a fabulous date with our sweet Atticus!

Cheers to our next adventure!