roadtrips are a finest thing!

just back from a couple days away at blackberry farm!  it was a christmas-and-you’re-the-most-amazing-team-ever gift so we could 1) spend time together since ashleigh & lindsay mostly telecommute and as a huge thank you for all they do and 2) so we could soak up lessons on exceptional service (because blackberry is hands down, the most capable creative team i’ve ever met).

photo descriptions:

1 – the boathouse
2 – the day before we arrived they’d just wrapped up a stave puzzle festival…i was clueless about what stave puzzles were but we worked one for a few minutes before lunch and they are exquisite (handcrafted from wood in ct, lots of the pieces have stories to them – like the lamb and flowers that were a part of this one made for blackberry farm, and there’s NO picture on the box – ack!!)
3 – we learned how essential ashleigh’s morning cup of coffee is ;)
4 – exploring the garden, greenhouse and where they host farm to table dinners in the summer
5 – ashleigh & i with italian truffle puppies!!!!  you know those pigs that search in the forest for truffles?  well, after the pigs find them, getting them off the truffles is apparently quite a feat so these truffle dogs are an alternative.  and we’re smitten. clearly!
6 – lindsay with a horse that was about to get a new pair of shoes
7 – lambs and chicks had just arrived and the cheesemaker who was in to check on the lambs handed this chicken to katie on a stop during our bike ride
8 – the yallarhammer pavilion – a favorite stop of ours.  we had a group yoga session here overlooking the pond and went back and made a fire and chatted one evening after dinner.
9 – the barn!  dinner is here each evening and to say it’s a sublime experience falls short! (make sure you ask for a peek at the gorgeous wine cellar below)

so, if blackberry farm is on your list of to-do’s GO!  i was encouraged by katherine greene-owens and i’m forever grateful…they have special winter rates (all meals are included) and also an annual 2-day sale where there are discounts close to half off.  it’s nothing short of spectacular even in the winter!!  2 nights here feels like a week somewhere else because it’s so peaceful & beautiful!  and they host weddings (wink wink)!

distance: 3 hours (so nice to have a true getaway you can get to so quickly!)