After a fun drive down a curvy forest flanked road, you emerge into the sunlight with expansive fields on either side of you. You turn left down a dirt path that takes you by an old farmhouse. You dogleg around another field and enter the woods on a gravel road. When you get to the gate you step out and inhale deeply. Through the trees, you can vaguely see the vastness of the James River and you hear the sound of a light breeze as it tumbles amid the leaves. You work the gate and as you push it open you feel that you just opened a portal to something profound. Your gut does not deceive you. The time you will spend on this sacred land connects you to more than 100 years of family gathering and natural balance.
Back in your vehicle you steer right, around the driveway loop and notice that you are at the peak of a hill that drops deeply into a great wooded ravine on either side. Straight in front of you is the cottage which sits at the tip of the peninsula surrounded by views of the River. You shut off the vehicle and step outside. There is not another home or person in sight!!! THIS IS JUST ONE...of the many things that sets this place into a league of its own….and why you selected it for your most precious time with the ones you love.
NOW....You are feeling like your officially on vacation. You stroll down the brown pebble path with pep in your step and pass an open pole shed that was built by Boy Scouts, who camped here annually, in the early 1900's. The breeze from the river feels stronger now and you can see some details of the water and the white sandy beach below. Your heart rate increases in anticipation.
The cottage you approach isn’t a perfect architectural specimen but you can tell it’s rich with history and an evolving design. A work in progress so to speak. Then again, as you stop at the edge of the walkway, you acknowledge the entrance before you is stunning and evokes the entrance to an elegant treehouse or the gangway to a yacht. Either way, you sense that once your feet leave the ground you will be disconnected from the reality you are seeking refuge from.
Just as you step onto the entry deck you receive an affirmation of your whimsical notions. Two adult bald eagles catch your eye as they soar above the beach looking for prey. They catch your eye because you didn't have to look up to see them as they were at eye level with you. As you near the front door the scale of things comes into focus and you realize you are 70' above the river and the surrounding forest floor. Your instinctive foresight was correct, this experience is like being in a treehouse, except without the downsides of luggage up a rope ladder and a composting toilet.
The breeze is loud in the trees now and this gives you the feeling of being enticed, prodded, pushed by nature. Go! Go! Go! You enter your code, nudge the thick iron and glass door open and you are inside. Looking around its not a fancy place, yet everything is curated, special and somehow comforting and calming. Americana, books, toys and furnishings reflective of a gathering place that's been a family heirloom for generations. You place your bags down, cold stuff is put into the fridge and you want to settle in further.. but looking out the walls of windows you see an inviting path that winds around the hill and dissipates into the woods. You think, “I bet that leads to the river” and with that you are out the back door on your first of many adventures.
