The Beginning of Fall - Tarrytown Field Trip

Last weekend, my mom came to town so she and I could attend a workshop together in Tarrytown. Afterwards, we were feeling very inspired, and I decided to take her to what has become one of my favorite places - Stone Barns. To get there, we drove through the legendary Sleepy Hollow, and down a beautiful, hilly road. My mom commented that it reminded her of where she grew up in West Virginia.


The sun was beginning to set in the early-October sky. The sheep were in the meadow, and rather shy. The pigs were in the woods, and had no qualms about hamming it up for the camera. Sunlight streaked across trees that were only just beginning to consider changing colors.

My mom and I strolled around, finding delight in so many things. I wanted to show her all the treasures of the farm. I took her into their 22,000 SF greenhouse (the largest greenhouse in the country existing for the purpose of providing fresh produce to the affiliated restaurant), and we wandered over hill and dale. It felt so good to have her there with me - to feel the amazing sense of nature all around us in the rolling hills, tall trees, and spunky animals. A mom is a very good person to share these things with, and my mom is just happens to be one of the best moms there is.


We strolled and walked and explored the grounds that are a tiny tip of what is the historic Rockefeller estate. To a New Yorker, a farm of rolling hills contains a sense of immenseness they cannot relate to the claustrophobic caverns they're using to barreling through. It is simply breathtaking. And unless you've lived in a big city for a long time, I doubt you really know what it's like to be under a giant open sky, smelling plants, hearing crickets, and taking in huge, deep breaths. The contrast makes it something else entirely.

My mom lives in the country, so I don't know that she knew what I was feeling. Still, I loved her companionship. I loved having those beautiful moments that we had set aside just to spend with each other.