We had a delightful visit to the Hidden Happiness Bee Farm. Thanks to our friends Michael and Virginia for the tip. Located in Deep Gap, about 15 minutes outside Boone, NC, owner H. S. Greene, and his wife run a nice, friendly little shop where you can taste and buy honey as well as various gift items and an assortment of old-fashioned candy. For the Christmas season, he has a cute Beeville display for kids and holiday gifts and ornaments. I enjoyed the active observation hive where you can see the ‘inside story’ of the bees at work and how they completely cover their queen.  But the highlight for us was venturing outside to see H.S.’s 40 hives and hear his stories about bees and beekeeping in the area. He is currently building an expanded education room and will continue to host local school children with educational programs.

I asked H.S. what his initials stood for and he laughed and said “High Speed.” Obviously, I was not going to find out his real name, but high speed fits him well. He is rather like a busy bee, enthusiastically explaining his latest bee projects, as well as the history and scientific background of bees. It’s not fancy, but sure was interesting and I look forward to taking our granddaughter when she is older. It was a beautiful drive to get there and a pleasant interlude in this crazy world.