Amazing Corner of Heaven on Earth
My wife, Marilyn, and I returned home yesterday from our first two-day stay at Paws Crossing Woods Retreat. The faint scent of forest and wood fire smoke still lingers in my hair! Last night as I lay in bed at home, I found myself longing to look out of the Paws cabin window and see twinkling stars and the comforting silhouettes of trees standing watch around us all night.
No photograph or words can possibly describe the joy and wonder this woodland retreat evokes. For each guest this experience will be different, because it is all about the intimate relationship each person forms with the natural surroundings.
We parked the car near the farm house and were greeted by Gayle and Linda who loaded our gear into the Side-by-Side. After a brief hello to the goats and a salute to the three dogs watching from the house window, Gayle transported our stuff to the site while Linda walked down with us. The meandering meadow and forest path led us gradually from the outside world of people, work, and responsibilities into the enchantment and quiet calm of the woodland world.
The site is nestled deep in a forest of mixed trees, plants, mosses, mushrooms, and wild flowers which thrive in rich, loamy soil. They are blessed to exist in a place where they are treated with love and respect.
The cabin was built by Gayle and every bit of it reveals her love of the beauty of natural wood, and her artistic and creative energy. It is a comfortable dwelling place for humans with minimal impact on the surroundings. Small details such as the ingenious ways doors are fastened, the stout tree trunk which supports a beam, the slimmer trunks which provide convenient grab bars as dwellers climb stairs to the loft, and well-screened windows and doors make this cabin a joyful eco-friendly abode.
The sleeping spaces are flexible. A tent nearby & the cabin loft create possibilities for various combinations of sleeping bags, air mattresses, foam rolls & camp cots.
The outdoor shower created entirely from trees blends perfectly into the surrounding forest. The swaying-in-the-breeze artistic "shower curtain" is also a wind chime of metal tubing, sounding wood and lengths of rope.
There is a great peeing and pooping system, easy to use, and consistent with Gayle's concern to keep the site uncontaminated and clean. The garbage system is compliant with local separation regulations.
Two small portable battery-powered lights were helpful because the solar light battery needed replacing. Once that is working again, that light, plus the many candles is a perfect energy-efficient lighting and ambiance combination.
The forest partners with Gayle's cutting, chopping and sawing generously supplying dry firepit wood, for a beautiful campfire each night! Glad we ordered extra kindling as the second night the temperature plunged unexpectedly to 7C! I arose at 6:00 and soon had a good campfire blazing. Got my dad's camp coffee perc going, toasted a bun over the fire, heaped peanut butter into it, and thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
Ketchup With That Kitchen Mac 'n Cheese and a dozen fresh eggs ordered in advance from a nearby farm were fantastic!
We took two swims in the clean spring-fed pond, nestled among rushes and wild flowers -- a delicious thing to do on lazy summer afternoons. Floating on my back and gazing at the blue sky, I wondered how Gayle and Linda managed to leave the farm to go to work! The cabana at the edge, whimsical and comfy to sit in and read, also functions as a changing room. I looked at the zip line and wished I were 10 again!
We are 79 and 85 -- not spring chickens! Rustic camp life is not as easy as it was when we were younger, but I am glad Paws Crossing exists because it provides enough comfort to make it possible for us. My iPhone worked fine so we were not cut off should we need help. (Alert! Bring a recharging stick.)
We enjoyed exploring the trails, gorgeous in this late summer season. The fall colours here will be absolutely breathtaking.
This is a city kid's paradise, with ponies and horses, hilarious goats, hens, and dogs. Zeus, the young American Shepherd, loves to ride with Gayle in the Sidecar, and is a highly intelligent, beautifully mannered dog. (The pet dogs are always kept under control).
We will return! Thank you, Gayle and Linda, for sharing with us your Amazing Corner of Heaven on Earth.