Living and writing in a circa 1840 New England Farmhouse with three generations of my family
A Magical Trip to Moss Mountain Farm – #Garden2Grow2016
Every so often, life presents you with an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, a chance to do something extraordinary. This spring, life did just that when I was invited to travel to P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm in Arkansas to participate in the Garden2Grow2016 conference. It seemed surreal that I would be invited to attend.
The grand scale of the trip was a bit intimidating. I’m happiest at home surrounded by my family, our animals, and the comforts of the farmhouse. Leaving that behind along with all the daily tasks on the farm as we readied for the summer growing season was daunting. I talked myself out of going dozens of times, convinced that the timing wasn’t quite right, that there were too many reasons that I couldn’t go to ignore.
Yet I wanted desperately to see Moss Mountain, to take in the views of a landscape so beautiful that the memory of it would stay with me for a lifetime. After talking over the logistics with my family, I decided to plan my trip. I simply couldn’t allow this chance to pass me by.
The trip was magical. I met an amazing group of people and was overwhelmed by the generosity of our host. The grounds of the farm were indeed beautiful and the time flew by. Before I knew it, the trip was over and it was time to return home.
I was thrilled to be back at the farmhouse, to share the details and photos from my wonderful trip. I did feel a bit wistful about leaving the sights of Moss Mountain Farm behind. I’ll forever remember standing beneath the Big Sister Oak and feeling a renewed sense of passion about following the dream I had about spending my days sharing my journey at1840 Farm with you.
It seems only fair that I also share the photos from my wonderful trip with you. Without you, Dear Reader, I would have never been offered such an amazing opportunity to travel to such a glorious place. Thank you for following along and for making this trip part of the journey.
I couldn't be any more excited about my invitation to #Garden2Grow2016! Moss Mountain Farm, here I come!
I arrived at The Capital Hotel in a thunderstorm which turned into a tornado warning, but it was warm and inviting inside!
The Capital Hotel in Little Rock was a beautiful place to call home for a few days!
P. Allen Smith greeted us at Lost Forty Brewing and welcomed us to his fair city.
Starting my trip with this delicious breakfast at Lost Forty Brewing definitely got things off on a good note. The cast iron skillet cinnamon roll was amazing and the good coffee and beermosa didn't hurt matters any!
We started our morning with a delicious breakfast at Lost Forty Brewing in Little Rock. The tour of the canning line was really fascinating.
More photos from our tour of Lost Forth Brewing.
Fresh cans straight off the line at Lost Forty Brewing in Little Rock. Cold and delicious!
After breakfast, we stopped for a morning field trip at Heifer International. I have been captivated by this organization and their mission for years. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to see their facility in person.
Before lunch, we had a fascinating tour of the new gardens on the Heifer International Campus.
I couldn't help but ogle the design of this hoophouse at Heifer International during our tour of their gardens. I plan on using this open side design on my next one. It's pure genius!
The gardens at Heifer International are relatively new. They've reclaimed previously unused land and are bringing it back to lush, green life.
The gardens at Heifer International in Little Rock are coming to life and creating a beautiful green backdrop for their campus.
Strawberry season was in full swing in Arkansas during my trip. With at least 45 days to wait until New England berries would be ripe, I enjoyed every single bite!
If you're ever in Little Rock, make time for a stop at Heifer International for a tour. It was so inspiring to learn about their work and to see it firsthand in the garden.
After listening to the important work that Heifer International does around the globe, this collection of photos and matching sentiment really spoke to me.
Locally raised, beautiful, and delicious. You just can't do any better than that for lunch!
Lunch at Heifer International was delicious and all locally grown and raised.
Our host P. Allen Smith welcomes us to his home. What a warm welcome it was!
The farmhouse is beautiful from every possible angle.
The farmhouse at Moss Mountain Farm is simply glorious. The two story sleeping porch overlooking the river is such a beautiful spot. I'd love to spend days on end there!
The Big Sister Oak is more than 300 years old. She's a grand tree that provides the axis to everything at Moss Mountain Farm. Oh, the stories she could tell from her centuries of watching activity on this beautiful property!
Miss Big Fig in all her glory.
Miss Big Fig is busy setting baby figs for this year's harvest.
Another shot of Miss Big Fig and those glorious baby figs of hers!
I love the colorful blooms lining this path and the curve of the arbor and gate up ahead. Everything about it is so inviting, just begging me to explore what is right beyond that gate and hedge.
A closer view of that beautiful gate. I just love the curve of the top of the gate. It's so beautiful.
P. Allen Smith introduced us to each garden "room" at Moss Mountain Farm. He told wonderfully warm stories and explained the inspiration for every single detail. It was so fascinating.
The walk to the rose garden.
The path leading to the rose garden.
The outer rim of the rose garden is a beautiful sight.
Beautiful details in the rose garden.
The rose garden seemed like a magical, secret garden.
A perfect rose in the rose garden.
Every detail in its place...
The swan pond with a beautiful reflection of the majestic trees and farmhouse.
Home entrances don't get any more inviting than this. The porch, the salmon colored wooden chairs, that grand front door. Every single detail seemed to beckon me up on to the porch.
After a great day, our shadows grew long on the porch of the farmhouse. These salmon colored chairs were even more beautiful in person!
I loved everything about the farmhouse, but the two story sleeping porch was just amazing.
Every room of the farmhouse was inviting, beautiful, and full of gorgeous details. It felt like a place that you could spend a lifetime and never want to leave.
