I met Jeff at the Pendleton Spring Jubilee and liked his soaps and his story. I bumped into him again at the Grove Arcade in Asheville and made up my mind that I needed to visit him one day and check out his soap making enterprise.

I finally got my visit. One fall day I was driving up 74A from Bat Cave, North Carolina and heading to Asheville. I came around a bend in the road at Fairview and caught a fleeting glimpse of a sign directing me to Zara's Barn. I braked and backed up, as I suspected that I had stumbled upon Jeff's little corner of the world.

I was right. I pulled into the driveway and was greeted by an assortment of dogs and cats and chickens and bunnies. Jeff appeared. He was working in his herb gardens and seemed delighted to have a visitor. Jeff showed me all the gardens that provide herbs and flowers for his soaps. He also showed me the lake and quaint house that had belonged to his grandmother. I was struck with the way that Jeff and his wife, Annette, had stripped away all distracting and unnecessary elements from their life, which allowed them to focus on and enjoy the simple elements that were core to their being.

After a tour of the soap making operation, we sat out by the lake and discussed the events that had led him to this spot and lifestyle. We went to the store (Zara's Barn) and I selected soaps and salves for the gallery at Pixel Point.

The shed was a self service type of store. On the "check out" table was a jar of honey that had been left as payment for some soap. I could think of no better way to sum up what Jeff is all about!

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