Mother's Day at the Hunt House - Sour Cream Pound Cake

The Hunt's like to gather. We gather for all kinds of occasions and sometimes for no reason at all. With Mama and five other mothers in our immediate family, we spread out the chores and have Mother's Day at The Hunt House. The Hunt House is where Daddy grew up in Lattimore, NC. Nanny and PaPa (this sounds like Paw Paw) were married in 1911 and they built the Hunt House in about 1930. The Hunt House originally had 7 bedrooms to accomodate Nanny, Papa and their four children - Burnette, Robert, Julia and my father, Jack. Sometimes teachers from Lattimore school would also live with the family.

PaPa (Robert L Hunt) was a dentist and co-owned Hunt and Hewitt General Merchandise. The store was in a building on Main Street that was later Martin Milling Company and is now a restaurant called The Depot. Lattimore in those days was a busy intersection of two major railroads - The Southern and The Seaboard. PaPa's dental office was above the store on Main Street. He built the Hunt House on the corner of Main and Lee Streets. Lattimore School was across Lee Street on the other corner and Daddy remembers shooting basketball in the playground at all hours of the day and night - sometimes by moonlight. Across Main Street from The Hunt House is the two story red brick house where my family lived and where my sisters and I used to dance on the roof. I barely remember PaPa because he died when I was about 2 years old. I know alot of stories about him and I know that he was very involved in the community. I also know he had alot of energy and alot of fun.

I remember skipping across the street to visit Nanny at the Hunt House and how, in the mornings, her kitchen always smelled like coffee and cinnamon toast. Later in the day, it seems like she always had a chicken stewing in a big pot on the stove. There were dairy cows in Nanny's pasture. There was a barn with stalls for the cows to be herded into and then their necks were clamped into a harness to keep them still. Golly Hopper, Nishie's husband, would attach milking machines to their udders. The milking machines reminded me of an octopus. The milk was pumped through hoses into another room that had a huge electric stainless steel container where the milk was kept cool until the Sealtest man came to pick it up. Sometimes, my sisters and I would carry a glass milk jug from our house across the street to the milk barn. If we got there just after the cows had been milked, the milk was still warm. Warm milk on your cheerios is awful.

The railroad tracks run behind the Hunt House and under a bridge on Lee Street. When we would hear the train, every kid within earshot would run to the bridge and the conductors would throw candy from the train up to all the kids on the bridge. This was one of the highlights of the day for a kid in Lattimore.

There were hills between Nanny's house and her sister's, Garva Blanton (she was called Garvey). Once I remember there was a huge snowfall. It seemed like it snowed about 8 feet, but I am guessing that would be a slight exaggeration. All of the Blantons, Hunts, Martins, and other Lattimore kids went sledding in a big canoe on the hills between Nanny's and Aunt Garvey's.

So, the Hunt House is full of memories for everyone and this is where we spent Mother's Day Lunch.

When my grandmother and my Aunt Burnette passed away, Daddy bought the Hunt House, renovated the kitchen, added extra bathrooms, and it is now a five bedroom house. My sister, Judy, and her husband, Hanse, have bought the house from Daddy. They live in Blowing Rock full time and I think they are the only people who have ever had a permanent home in Blowing Rock and a vacation home in Lattimore! But I am so glad they do, because we all enjoy being at the Hunt House.

My sister, Libby, organized the menu for the Mother's Day lunch. Libby and Mama had the house warm with peonies on the tables and mint in the kitchen window. Daddy had it warm with a fire in the fireplace. Mama and Daddy brought corn and green beans from last years garden. My mother-in-law, Katherine Mabry, (we call her Sister), made her special coconut cake and layered salad. Unfortunately, she was not feeling well on Mother's Day, but she insisted on sending her delicious cake and salad. Judy, Penny, Libby, Cindy and I brought specified dishes and we did our very best to make them the way Mama and Daddy taught us. We must have done okay because Daddy called later and said he and Mama had now learned that they don't have to cook anymore! Doubtful that they won't cook anymore, but it was nice to hear him give us such a compliment.

The menu was ham, potato salad, strawberry salad, deviled eggs, corn, beans, mac and cheese, broccoli casserole, Sister's Layered Salad, and Biscuits. For dessert, as if we needed any, we had Sour Cream Pound Cake with strawberries and whipped cream, Sister's Coconut Cake, Nanny's Pecan Pie, and Mama Crowder's Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.

Friends and cousins started pouring into the house. When Mama arrived, I was struck by how pretty she is and how she always has a smile on her face. Mama has always been pretty, but that day she looked even prettier than usual.

We told stories and remembered and laughed and missed the ones who weren't with us, but mostly we were grateful that we could enjoy sharing the day together.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

2 sticks real butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour (sift, measure and don't sift again)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream (a little more)
1 tsp vanilla (more)
1/2 tsp lemon extract (more)

With electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add soda and flour alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla and lemon. Bake at 300 degrees for 90 minutes. This is a really big cake so I use a large bundt pan. Leave in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a plate and then flipping back over onto a cake plate. The top is the best part!

Cut up strawberries and add a little sugar if needed. Serve cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

Any leftover cake is great toasted for breakfast!