Digging In the Dirt for the Drain Field

We’ve been moving some earth at Stevenson Ridge this week!

In preparation for the completion of our newest house, the Tobacco Barn, we’ve spent the week installing a new drain field on the property. A drain field is an environmentally friendly way to deal with waste water. The new drain field will allow us to eventually add as many as seven more historic houses to our property (and Dan says he’s already thinking ahead to the next one).

While we had to clear some trees to make room for the drain field, many of those trees found their way into the Tobacco Barn. Dan sent them off to the lumber mill, where they were trimmed and planed and sent back. Dan used the boards on the interior of the new building.

We're getting closer and closer to our grand opening of the Tobacco Barn. We’ll have some news to share about it next week!

Bring on the Funk

DJ Gerry Bradshaw gave guests a 70s flashback at a recent Stevenson Ridge wedding in the Riddick House. To help guests get into the mood, he broke out a few props and threw an Afro party! Time to get down and bring on the funk!

Dillwyn House

Dan has a new project underway—and a new mystery to solve!

Dan recently purchased the disassembled frame of another historic building. The Dillwyn House, as it was once known, is a timber-frame home that dates back to the late 18th century. It measured fifteen feet by thirty, and once stood a story and a half high. It had four fireplaces—two on each story—a staircase, and three doors featuring distinctive Battenberg markings.

The only problem is that the building didn’t come with any instructions for reassembly!

But for Dan, who loves restoring old homes, there are no such things as problems—only challenges. He enjoys a good puzzle, and already he’s been reaching out to friends in the business and other experts who might be able to help him piece this one back together.

The building was rescued from Buckingham County, which sits at the geographic center of Virginia. According to records, two Civil War soldiers—including a major—had been buried on the property (Chris says he has a new mystery to investigate!). The home’s last tenant was a woman who had a large purple hydrangea beside the house; reportedly, her only piece of furniture was her piano.

Currently, the hand-planed timbers of the floor and one of the walls are already up. Dan has the rest of the structure stacked nearby, ready to go. Every time he has a free hour or two, he’s puzzling over the pieces, savoring the challenge.

Get a "Spectacular" View of Spotsylvania's Fireworks

Who doesn’t like fireworks? Spotsylvania’s “Star Spectacular” is coming up at the end of the month, and Stevenson Ridge is offering front-row seats and special amenities—and no traffic or parking hassles!

The Star Spectacular actually happens just before Independence Day, on Saturday, June 28. Festivities kick off in Spotsylvania’s Courthouse District at 3:00 p.m. with food, games, and three stages of live music. Then, in the evening: fireworks!

At Stevenson Ridge, we have a perfect view of those fireworks—and we want to share it with our guests. On Saturday evening, we’ll provide front-row seats, with blankets and chairs, sparklers, and a little extra “sparkling” surprise to cap off the celebration!

For guests who want a little something extra special, we’re offering a special “Star Spectacular” package that includes a fruit and cheese basket with a bottle of wine for Saturday evening and a breakfast basket—including muffins, fresh fruit, and juice—delivered to your cabin on Sunday morning. Add the “Star Spectacular” package to your stay for only $75.

Join us on the lawn, and give yourself a relaxing—and spectacular—start to the Independence season!

An Unexpected Amenity

A guest left this message in one of our cabins this week. It's now one of our new favorite notes!

We're glad they survived their stay!

Turtle Watch

I wish my camera did a better job
at catching our turtles!

Watching turtles can be slow business—and I have a bunch to watch.

Because we’ve not yet done spring maintenance on our fountain, we’ve not yet turned it on. The base sits out in the middle of our pond poking above the surface like a perfectly round little island. All it's missing is a lone coconut tree and it could be something right out of a cartoon.

We have four or five turtles that make their home in our pond. Normally, the plume of water from the fountain keeps them off the base. But this spring, that little round island has served as a turtle resort!

By mid-morning, the first one has pulled himself out of the water and up onto the fountain to bask in the sun. Two or three more join him within the hour. There, they spend their day lounging in the sun.

From the bank of the pond, I can't get close enough to them to identify them exactly, especially because they look little black rocks stacked on the round black island. Chris tells me they are eastern painted turtles. If so, they’re painted like little black rocks. ;-)

We have a couple snapping turtles around. too. Chris picked one up out of the yard other day. It was about the size of my fist. Holding it gingerly between thumb and forefinger at the outermost edges of its shell, Chris carried it back to the pond.

When the sun finally dips to the tree line in the evening, the turtles on our fountain slide back underwater, usually all of them within a minute or two of each other. It's like one of them suddenly says in a quiet voice, “Man, this was a tough day of work. Time to pack it in, boys.”

This is the moment I watch for. One minute they are there; the next they are gone.

Watching for that moment can be a long process. Turtles seem to embody patience as they sit still for hours and hours at a time. You just can't out-stare them. You can't out-wait them. You have to just hope to catch them at the right moment.

In the grand scheme of things, this hardly counts as excitement, but I have come to look forward to my turtle watch each evening. It's just one more of the small, familiar comforts that make Stevenson Ridge feel like home.

A Thank You at the Gates

Happy Memorial Day!