Nov 10 2009
The Snowman Cometh….
Recently, someone asked Chris when the best time to visit Harmony Hill was. A loaded question as far as we’re concerned…we’re completely, utterly prejudice. Some people, like my kids who live and love it in Florida, think it’s freezing when it gets below 60….Winter in the Northeast would not be a good recommendation. But, if you’re like Chris and me, the Winter wonderland that the Northeast becomes is one of the most beautiful times of the year.
When we first purchased the property in December ’02, I was up here alone living full time in what we now refer to as the ‘Mountain Chalet’. Being a Florida native, the only time I saw large quantities of snow was on the occasions when I’d get somewhere for a few days to “snow ski”…and I use that term loosely because you can’t do that activity a few days out of the year and not really and more accurately term it “snow careening”! I remember the thrill I’d feel looking out seeing the snow falling and hurriedly I eat breakfast so I could go out and play in it. Boogie, the wonder dog, and I would get dressed (he had his own boots and winter coat of course) and go out snow shoeing on the trails. Boogie would run, leaping in and out of the deep snow, which at times would be chest deep on him, plunging his nose down in it to get a better whiff of whatever animal scent he’d picked up. Boogie was a chocolate lab and was never happier than when he was following the nose and never funnier than when he’d pull it out with snow all over his face, whiskers frozen and look at me like he’d just won the best doggie prize ever!
Built as a respite and art studio for the previous owner, the Mountain Chalet was already here when Chris and I bought the property. It has an open sleeping loft, huge skylights up above and floor to ceiling windows on all sides. No matter where you stand you can look out and literally get the feeling you are outdoors. I’ll never forget the night I awoke to what seemed like alot of light for middle of the night….in fact, it seemed like somehow the whole house was lit up. Half asleep I presumed I had left lights on. It was so bright I didn’t need light to head downstairs to see. The minute I set foot downstairs, the light flooded in but there were no house lights on at all….groggy, I deduced it must be a full moon out. I remember questioning that logic, because it was so bright in the house. But, as I stood and turned, looking from window to window, wall to wall of glass, sky light to sky light overhead….I knew I wasn’t wrong. The moon appeared directly over the meadow in front of the chalet. It was the brightest, fullest moon I think I’ve ever seen and the light was being made even brighter as it bounced off the snow out there. I ran to the front door, slipped on my boots, put a jacket over my PJ’s and out I went onto the deck. I wish I’d had night time photography available so I could have captured it in a way that everyone would be able to see what I saw that night. I wish I could do justice in describing what I saw , but I don’t think I possess the ability to come close with mere words….here’s as close as I can get; The night sky was a dark, black backdrop, not a cloud to be seen. Stars and the Milky Way were so close it felt like you could reach up and touch them and there were a bazillion of them. The moon was huge and hung low right over the two acre meadow out front. Rays of light shone down on the snow and the entire meadow sparkled like millions of diamonds scattered on the ground. I ran off the porch, out into the meadow and stood with my arms outstretched, reaching up feeling like the moon beams were flowing in through my finger tips and I swear I had a sensation of energy surging into my body. I have seen many full moons, in many locations…but I have never seen nor experienced one like I did that night. It was a magical event, something someone may only have the opportunity to experience once in a lifetime. The moon beams etching the moment into my memory banks forever.
Boogie is no longer with us. He is laid to rest in this very meadow and every once in a while when the moon is full and I catch it hanging over like it did that night, I imagine I can see him bounding through the snow, looking back at me saying “Hey Mom, remember that night when I chased moon beams for you in the snow?”
So, perhaps it is easy to understand why Winter…to me at least….is a very special time to be at Harmony Hill. When the snowman cometh I know from a very personal experience that extraordinary things, magical things are possible here.
Jana