ウッデッドバレーに囲まれたカントリーリトリート

I'm Lynn. My childhood was spent in New Jersey and next I landed in the midwest where I married, had 7 children and lived for 25 years. In 1999 we all (13 of us then) moved to CA to run a bamboo nursery where the whole family could work together. We had a bunch of teens and early 20's kids by then, and we rented out our MN home. This went rough on my MN house so I reclaimed it and have been restoring it for some years now. Our CA experience was tough and I lost my husband, so I supported my 2 youngest children, Forest and Meadow, for 15 years. I established a goat dairy in the Santa Cruz Mountains where I still reside. I was so happy to be able to return to my MN home, I was always homesick for it in CA and now love coming back whenever I can escape the farmwork. Now I have 9 precious grandchildren in CA and 3 great-grandchildren, so I treasure my time there also.

Building our home was my heart's desire, to live in this scenic valley, the same wilderness valley I had first moved to in the state in 1976. I had lived near the source of West Beaver Creek surrounded by wooded hills with my baby Willow. Years later we had 5 children and bought 5 acres, cleared the house site and milled the oaks for our home in the “big woods”. I loved gathering limestone rock to terrace the hillside, build the steps, even the entry floor. From pouring the footings to shingling the roof, it was a creative work of joy with help from many friends. My last 2 children were born here and 2 grand daughters. We homesteaded for many years, raised the 7 children with our gardens, chickens and goats.

I hope you sense the tranquility and beauty of nature all around you here. The fragrances of the valley, the earthy dampness cooling the summer evenings, the magic of fireflies twinkling in the deepening woods shadows, the call of the whippoorwill, owls hoot to each other, the coyotes yelp, a lone cry of a wolf, all are spellbinding. Every season here is rich for me. I find God's voice speaking to me and refreshing my spirit in this place.
I love the friendly small town feeling of this community. They celebrate their Norwegian heritage with colorful holidays like Nordic Fest in Decorah, IA, Syttende Mai in Spring Grove, and their farm life with harvest festivals, Steam-engine Days, horse and tractor pulls. I love the cultural aspects, Shakespeare Festivals in WInona, La Crosse's Art and Music Festival, Riverfest, Lanesboro's plays, and my favorite, Spring Grove's outdoor Black Barn plays. I love visiting the Amish farms with their produce stands, maple syrup, furniture and basket shops and bakeries.
My family have always enjoyed the outdoor activities, bike trails, canoeing the Upper Iowa and the Root River, the Mississippi backwaters around the islands. There's a bird sanctuary near Alma where during migrations, swans, pelicans, Canada geese and Snow Geese gather in noisy flocks. There are little towns up and down the Mississippi for shopping, music, great restaurants, wine-tasting. My kids loved the caves near Harmony, where you climb deep into the earth, a little too deep for some of us! We never run out of fun things to do!