5 - This Mountain Home

This is the final blog from the first chapter representing a time from 30 years ago!  As I reflect, I am just so proud of those crazy kids for making this home happen!  We were confident (and maybe a little ignorant) enough to go for it, humble enough to ask for help, and grateful for the lessons at each step.

Having spent most of our careers within buildings, the satisfaction of building our mountain home in these beautiful surroundings cannot be overstated.  This place is immersed in nature.  We built in the center of our 18 acres and to this day you cannot see any neighbors from the home.  We got to know the sounds of the birds from the early morning greeting to the evening song as the cool air dropped down our mountain to settle out in the valley before us.  While the occasional hunter’s gunshots in the distance were not something we had experienced before, even those sounds reminded us of this new country life we had chosen.  The views around us gave, and continues to give, a sense of expanse and breathing room, the breezes in the pines have always felt like the property cheering us on, the fresh air, and the sounds of silence, and of birds, all mixed to create a sense of home.

Apple orchards from nearby Greenbluff made us want to understand our orchard better and so even the first year of building we had a couple specialists come out and assess it.  They believed the ancient grove was likely from the early 1900s and we loved the nostalgia of that.  However, one of the farmers said the best course of action would be the ‘stihl cut method’ essentially cutting them all down because they won’t produce much.  No, that was not a solution to us.  We have enjoyed many years of apple sauce, apple pie, and apple juice even if there is work to get to the good stuff because the fruit is small and wormy.  And the boys (including Mark) always enjoyed a good early winter game of ‘Apple Smash’.  When the apples had passed their prime and dropped to the ground, they loved hitting them with bats into the forest and watching them explode.  Ha!  Love those boys!

We used a variety of recycled goods to build the house which we will go into greater detail about later, but one item we worked with early on were slate stones from Mark’s childhood home front walkway.  We moved them to the property, and I laid them and grouted to serve as our hearth, for our wood stove, which was our primary source of heat in the winter for the many years to come.

What is Making Space Retreats?

Making Space Retreats is the next chapter of our mountain home.  A place we’re transforming from a long-loved family house into an intimate retreat space for small groups (both our retreats, and rented by other leaders). It will be a place for rest, reflection, creativity, and reconnection.

Why turn your family home into a retreat space?

This home is so special to us, and we want to share it. After raising our sons here and later having it as a rental, it feels natural to now shape it into something that supports nurturing experience for others, a place where people can step out of their routines and listen more closely to themselves through creativity, reframing, and pause in a beautiful setting.

What will the renovations include?

We’re reimagining the space room by room. Some bedrooms will become private spaces, others shared. The attached shop will become a retreat leader’s suite, and the garage will be transformed into an art and movement space. We’re also updating flooring, paint, fixtures, and reworking spaces to better support group gatherings.  Check out the ‘venue’ section of the website for more details about the place.

When will the retreats begin?

Spring 2027!  We’re still in the early stages of renovation, but plan to have an open house in October of this year. We’ll be sharing the journey as it unfolds through this blog. This is as much about the process as it is about the final space (so is life!). So, fill out a contact form and get on our mailing list.