A Winter Walk

Winter has a charm all its own. Frost hugs the mountaintops and tree branches, the creek water turns ice cold and snowflakes fall from the sky, coating Blackberry Farm in a still and open beauty different from any other season. If you choose to the brave the cold for a walk, you’ll be rewarded with stunning landscapes that are transformed by the magic of Winter.

You step out the door and are met by the crisp temperature and the frosty cloud of your exhale. The cold weather pushes against your warm layers and you set out.

A stop at the Main House Veranda gives you the perfect vantage point to scan the distant horizon and admire the layers of mountains revealed through barer branches. As you continue down the hill, mist rises off of Walland Pond as all around the Boathouse, dew and icy crystals sparkle in the Winter sun.

You might venture off the path to crunch the frozen ground beneath your boots and leave a shallow footprint to commemorate your journey. Along the fenceline, the pastures open up, their patchwork brown and green grasses a sign of the season. The sheep may be huddled together, soaking up the warmth of company and sunlight. Or perhaps, they’re grazing, their thick wool swinging as they walk, their donkey guardian keeping a calm but watchful eye.

You spot a pair of birds fluttering through the trees, unphased by the cool air and enjoying the beauty of the day. Past the Dairy Barn, quieter in the cold months as the chickens prefer to nestle indoors, you hear the playful barking of Logattos. The cold can’t slow them down!

As you near the garden, you notice it’s docile for the season. Less lively and green than it will be in just a few months as Spring thaws the ground. But even so, there’s a palpable energy there. A rumbling just below the surface of nutrients, seeds, plants waiting to burst forth when the timing is right.

In the midst of the season, we may mourn the absence of Summer’s greenery and bright colors, but pause and take a closer look at what Winter has to offer.