Time to get out of town Out of the city Out of the neighborhood Away from the concerts, the theme parks, and the sports arenas Away from the job, the school, and the people we know Away from the politics, the neighbors, and the traffic Away from social media, cable news, and gossip Out - into nature Out into the world Out into our beautiful state Here's a little series of posts about the great state of Missouri. It's time to get off the beaten path and do some exploring! |
The signs advertised a place called Bakersville, or the Baker Creek Seed Store. We were about the first to visit on the day we were there, and things were very quiet, making for a sweet and humble visit to a pretty cool place. Quite certainly off the beaten path, Baker Seeds boasts a rectangle of aged buildings with a variety of purposes. We were intrigued by the first shop we entered, where some unique items were displayed for sale - from gardening supplies to earth-friendly items, to nostalgic throwbacks to the days of yore. And seeds. Thousands of different types of seed. Watermelon, peppers, tomatoes, and unique seeds to plant breeds that would otherwise be extinct. It turns out that this is a bigger company than this little "village" portrays, shipping heirloom seeds worldwide. With a half-inch-thick professional catalog, I became more and more interested as I walked through the main corridor of the shop.
Outside again, we strolled by vintage poultry, as well. These were not like the chickens we see at Tyson or Butterball farms. Some were scraggly, upright things, with the strangest postures and appendages. Some appeared to be more penguin-like than chicken. The peafowl were typical, however, and the cocks were displaying all of their colorful tail feathers for the hens (as seen in the photo above).
Next door was a small, sit-down restaurant with an unusual menu. Not only were the food items unusual, but the billing system was unique, as well: it seems you can eat what you want and then pay what you you want. They suggest five to ten dollars, but there are no prices in the menu. I suspect people usually overpay. It wasn't time for lunch yet, and we were trying to save our money, so we didn't stay.
The only thing I saw that was glaringly outside of the character was the pink Chevrolet pictured below. Though I would agree that it's cool, and I can appreciate its distinctiveness, it didn't belong in front of any of the buildings on these grounds. It would have been more at home in the parking lot, or outside the walking portion of the property.