The two-story white farm house is tucked away at the end of a winding gravel road; deer and other wildlife share the land with a couple of dogs and a few other homes along that road but here, life is tranquil and meditative. The front end of two old rusted trucks peer from the overgrown brush and remain near the roadside as do remnants of delapitated old barns; at night, only headlights of vehicles traveling up and down that road light the path – otherwise, the stars are the only other source of light.
Red currants still grow on the property as do a variety of berries and flowers; metal artwork blends beautifully into the rest of the gardens. It’s an idyllic summer setting; blueberries and peaches are in season and vegetable gardens are prolific with their crops as well – tomatoes, corn, potatoes and green beans.
Hickory Hill is where we share our first dinner with the Cook-n-Scribble Longhouse interns we’ll be working with for three days; we’re there to teach an intensive, hands-on video and photography workshop so that they can gather food stories to share at Longhouse. Some of the interns have basic photography skills but none of them have any video experience – all have an insatiable desire to learn.
If you’re passionate about food, writing, storytelling and collaboration, then grab a ticket, pull up a bench in a converted red barn, share in the exchange of ideas and then grab a seat at the dinner table that evening. And if you’d like to peek at last year’s Longhouse, I wrote a piece called ‘Barn’ – you can view it here.
We’ll be teaching more of these workshops so if you have an interest, please let us know!
Love it, Deb and Rod! So wonderful to have you visit and share your skills. We miss you!