The weather in June is always a little questionable. Today as I’m writing this it is a beautiful 77 degrees Fahrenheit, with barely a cloud in the sky and a light leaf-ruffling breeze. Friday afternoon, however, my parents and I were a little unsure how the day would pan out, but we decided to take the chance and go for a motorcycle ride anyway.

Our destination was the Snow Goose produce stand in Mt. Vernon, though we took some winding roads through Arlington to get there, grateful that the rain decided to hold off for the first part of our trip. It was windy with the threat of an oncoming rainstorm, and as we road up the highway, huge wafts of the manure scented Mt. Vernon air filled my lungs. (It was almost as bad as the smell in the Republique metro station in Paris. Almost.)

Snow Goose is famous for its fresh fruits and veggies, wild-caught salmon, and crab, as well as lots of other locally made products. But as soon as we drove into the parking lot, and the smell of manure was completely replaced with the delightful smell of fresh waffle cones, and my stomach grumbled with a reminder of the reason for our motorcycle ride: Snow Goose’s delicious home made waffle cones accompanied with a scoop of ice cream big enough for a small giant.

Her scoop of rocky road was pretty much the same size as my mom’s head.

Since it’s berry season, Snow Goose also had some pretty spectacular displays of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and more, as well as some fresh eggs, sugar snap peas, and fish. We got a slice of salmon to take home for dinner and an olive baguette from the Bread Farm.

 

It took me nearly two years to finish my gigantic scoop of marionberry sorbet, but eventually I licked my fingers clean, pulled on my riding gloves, and we headed to our next destination with the sun still shining.

At Christianson’s plant nursery we said hello to some friendly llamas and sheep and wandered through the plants, becoming slightly worried as it started to drizzle. Eventually that drizzle turned into a small downpour, and we had to wait in the perennials green house for the storm to die down.

This llama smiled at me when I took a picture.

The rainclouds passing over the nursery made the green leaves in the rose garden stand out.

The storm eventually passed, but unfortunately it went in the same direction as we did on our way home. I got completely soaked, but it was nothing a cup of tea and a marathon of Teen Wolf reruns couldn’t fix.

Ultimately the cold rain was worth it for the ride… and the ice cream!

XOLily