The
Garden Bath
One can hardly
describe this experience; yet, travel writer Michael
McCarthy gives his version.
“Musing
upon the Hope and Glory founder’s words
“we’re on this earth about a minute
and a half, and I want joy. I want to feel good
about our collective lot in life”
McCarthy begins
“such thoughts are hard to resist as my
wife and I soak in warm suds in a claw-foot outdoor
bathtub, which is part of Hope and Glory’s
open-air shower – cloistered by an eight
foot fence and a huddle of old maples. We stare
a sweet crescent moon and listen to Ella Fitzgerald
tunes that drift from the main house. The hideaway
is about the size of a couple of tool sheds, with
retro sinks, antique mirrors and a 1950’s
– era shower that sports a head the size
of a hubcap. Divine accents include candles, strings
of white lights draped across the fences and the
whiff of honeysuckle.
Bathing under
the stars is primal, a reminder to our bodies
that they are, in fact, cousins of the chickweeds
that climb from underneath the tub (okay, distant
cousins). Just when I’m about to quote Whitman,
I notice two yellow rubber ducks standing guard
on a shelf to our left. Unblinking with painted
grins, they’re begging to dive into our
party.
"Only those without
hope and glory could say no.” |
Hope
and Glory is settled amongst English gardens featuring
flowers and rarely seen in contemporary Virginia gardens.
Meant to remind you of your grandmother’s garden,
it is not contrived or over-designed. Butterfly bushes,
heirloom roses, old-fashioned single hollyhocks and
walls of lavender wisteria form merely part of the Inn’s
whimsical stage. A small, winding path leads to the
most wonderful of outdoor showers, complete with claw
foot tub and sink in a totally private setting. There’s
even a moon garden which is in peak bloom and fragrance
in the evening, just in time for late night picnic and
assignations.
