We rented a cabin in Madison County, VA, over Memorial Day weekend through a silent auction to benefit the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. 

We know one family in that county--a wonderful couple and their daughter who have opened their farm for years to campers, cider-pressers, wreath-makers, and otherwise stressed-out city folk who need a few days out in nature. I have been an occasional visitor for many years.

So, wouldn't you know, the cabin was located down the road from their farm. It was a charming place, a combination of modern (nice kitchen and bathroom) and "rustic" (no A/C, pretty basic sleeping rooms). Next to it stood a huge lodge/house/something in some stage of renovation (shown here--it looks much more finished outside than in). 

When we visited our friends, we learned that they knew an earlier owner of the cabin property. In fact, the "lodge" began as an attempt, never completed, to build a solar house in the 1970s. I had even been in it myself for a look-around. Our friends had not been back there since the 1990s, so, of course, they were very curious to see how it had changed. 

What began as supporting the Scholarship Fund ended up with us re-establishing contact with our friends, and them connecting with a part of their past. Pretty cool.