My husband, Douglas, has spent the last few days at our recently built cabin in West Virginia. He's in the process of getting our property ready for the delivery of a garage. Our idea was to have a place to getaway and relax. I'm the type of person who loves her work. I spend 6 days a week at the Wildwood Crest office and usually end up doing real estate business on Wednesday, my day off. Douglas divides his time between our 2 offices, his landscaping business and working on our property at home. He has made our home a paradise. We only have 3/4 of an acre but every inch is something special.
Douglas spent 8 years designing a waterfall we would one day have. That dream finally came true 2 years ago when he started the final construction of the waterfall. With the help of 3 fantastic people they created a 17 foot high by 64 foot around masterpiece. It just takes your breath away. We also have a green house and 12 raised vegetable beds along with other buildings and gardens. Anyway, Douglas felt the only way to get me to really relax was to have a second home and schedule time away. It's amazing that the world doesn't come to an end when I'm not there.
In his blog below, I'm reminded of why we bought our property in West Virginia and that we all need to stop and smell the roses.
The left picture is our comfortable living room. The picture on the right is our front porch.
It's my next to last day at our log cabin in Green Bank, West Virginia. Tomorrow evening I'll be heading back to New Jersey, so after as full day today of cutting downed trees into firewood length pieces, I headed out about 3:45 to run some errands.
After a stop at the bank to refresh my funds, I headed north on Route 92. Less than a mile beyond the bank, I spotted a bald eagle sitting in the very top of a 60-foot dead tree. He had a panoramic view of the fields to his west and the river to his east. No mouse or vole or squirrel would sneak past him.
I was struck by how regal he looked, and his posture took on a sense that he may just know how important he is. Could it be? Does a bald eagle know that he is revered by Americans? Am I forcing my perception?
I slowed down and watched him as I passed by at 30 mph. Maybe it was my imagination, but it seemed as though he was watching me, too. Staring, even. Had my powerful feeling of awe been exposed to him? He was looking down at me from top of that the big tree, but was he looking down at me, figuratively? Did he know he was regarded as great? I had no answers, just questions.
I proceeded to take care of the rest of my chores, my thoughts never too far from the image of his white head and brown body with pumped up chest. It wasn't the first bald eagle I'd ever seen, but the feeling that he was checking me out as much as I was him left me spellbound.
Near dusk, I headed back south on Route 92 toward Green Bank. The deer were in almost every large field getting their last nibbles of brown, dormant grass before nightfall. The 12 mile drive found me counting 77 deer. They were unperturbed by passing cars. Perhaps they knew that hunting season had passed, and they were safe until the following autumn. Maybe it was safety in numbers. Maybe hunger outweighed fear.
When I passed the field where the bald eagle had held court, I was transfixed on the top of that dead tree. The bald eagle was gone, as I expected, but his ghostly aura remained in my mind. I will never look at that tree the same way, again. He'll always be in it.
I turned off Route 92 for the final 2.5 miles up a small, winding, paved road to our cabin. The cattle, often sharing their fields with the peaceful deer, were also getting their last mouthfuls of grass. I spotted a young white calf suckling the nipples of its brown mother. I flashed back to my days as a dairy farmer. The calves had such a unique and pleasing aroma, maybe even the odor of innocence.
I thought of their sweet milk breath. It was much like a baby's breath and smells. It's so sweet - that's the only way to describe it. When I smell that, I just want to hold the calf or baby and give them hugs and kisses.
The stately bald eagle, the aloof deer, and the sweet calf combined to leave me with one feeling - tranquility. Feeling whole and wholesome and connected to the cycle of nature. Isn't life grand?!
- Mountain Man
Visit with Douglas and Joyce on the personal side - http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
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