On V.V. Summer Assignment, Day 6: Homeward Bound

I took several winding mountain roads inside morning’s low-hanging clouds, much to the surprise of feasting deer families, to reach Unger, West Virginia’s Farnham Colossi, the home of George and Pam Farnham… and their collection of colossal lawn ornaments. I had driven the extra mile for roadside attractions before, but I was very eager to make it to the Farnham property. It would be the equivalent of many stops in one. 

The couple’s fiberglass family greets passers-by. Some of those passers-by stop, take some pictures, and chat. I was one of the latter, climbing onto the property as a professional photographer maneuvered his noisy drone, recording aerial shots of the property, as an excited George Farnham stood by. 

The Farnhams reap the benefits of West Virginia’s nonexistent zoning laws. As a former Washington lawyer, Mr. Farnham has experience in such ins and outs. 

I couldn’t help but notice that some of the giants were adorned with tattoos. George let me know that those were painted on after delivery. The giants were given the same tattoos Pam had, proof of their love for these towering characters.  

My favorite was the pacified Paul Bunyan. The flannel-clad giant was without his signature ax. 

As if it wasn’t amazing enough, the property also has a roller coaster with the entire Simpson family.

Another shot of the giants with George to the left as he admired the drone next to the grazing area of their 10 alpacas. I look forward to seeing the footage on Roadside America.

Now for the kicker–I was delighted to learn that Big John, below, is soon going to go vegetarian! That’s right. George, who is vegetarian, is ready to update the apron and grocery bags with various vegetarian quotes and images. Maybe Big John will go vegan? I will have to come back after these transformations are complete. Equally exciting, the true Muffler Man to the left of Big John will also be “coming out.” Yes, George is thinking of aligning his fiberglass family with his progressive values, including gay rights and non-caucasian representation. If you build it, George, they will come!

Traveling on back east, I made a stop in historical Brunswick, Maryland to try their vegan options. It is always a treat to undercover stops like this. 

The two vegan cookie options were so unique: strawberry basil and lemon rosemary.

I got one of each and headed on my way. A very welcome and flavorful sweet bite!

My final stop on the way back north off the 95 was Drop Squad Kitchen in Wilmington, Delaware. Drop Squad Kitchen shares a space with an ice cream shop and features all-vegan versions of some down-home eats. I was excited to try their menu, another tucked away vegan option happily discovered by V.V. 

I tried their V-Steak sandwich, their recommendation. Their seitan was so good, flavorful and tender with nice crisp parts from the sauté. Also important to note: this ain’t no Daiya cheese. They used a housemade ?) noochy cheeze sauce. Fabulous! 

Thanks for the vegan eats in Delaware!  But it was time to head home…