Come enjoy the Spa Suite at Blackberry Farm. Unwind in a bubble bath for two or stimulate your immune system & relax sore muscles in the infrared sauna after an invigorating hike in the Finger Lakes National Forest. Enjoy wineries and fine dining and then let the straw bale walls of this hand-made home insulate you from the world for a while. Drift off watching the stars from your pillow. Delight your senses, soothe your body... join us tonight The suite is on the first floor of our straw bale home separated from the main house by a hallway closed with handmade doors. It has its own private entrance, bedroom, bathing room with soaking tub and open shower as well as a separate half bath. There is a coffee nook with Keurig, Microwave and small fridge. The infrared sauna adjoins a the hallway where you can set your bags, hang coats etc. There are infrared fireplaces in the bedroom and bath in cool weather. The masonry floor is warm and cozy in winter, cool in summer. The exterior walls of the suite are 2 feet thick so air conditioning is not necessary in summer- just receive breezes off the fields through the screened french doors and immerse yourself in the sounds of summer. Our exterior remains a work in progress as you can see in the photos. I am still experimenting with different exterior plasters and learning to lay fieldstones on the foundation. There is plenty of parking and you are of course free to wander the acreage- there are neighbors but so far off you cannot actually see or hear them. There is wildlife a plenty. Blackberry Farm is a remote rural property of 20+ acres near the edge of the Fingerlakes National Forest. Cozy and snug, the home is sculpted of straw and mud, massive timbers, masonry and tile. Since I was covered in this mud during construction, I laced it with essential oils and pounds of spices like cinnamon and clove, rosemary and cardamom, whatever was on sale and pleased me. Some say they can still catch these scents on first entering. Your room is hand plastered in butter yellow with fine mica flecks that sparkle a bit when the sun is just so. By night the room glows, warmed by the inviting light of sconces set right into the wall itself. Large handmade french doors open to the outside and night stars and the moon are visible through them and the skylights over the bed. The queen bed is just right and very comfortable. Your exterior walls are nearly two feet thick because they are made of bales of straw plastered with mud and lime. Handmade french doors lead from the bedroom to the hallway where your infrared sauna sits waiting to ease tension and aches. The relief that infrared light waves offer is of great interest just now as we are unlock the secrets of the immune system and the essence of pain. I am a health care provider and endorse it enough to have made this significant investment in my own health and I offer you the opportunity to experience it. The heat is different from a typical sauna in that it will heat you up, not so much the air. You can get in as soon as it is warm enough for you and you will note the temperature fall as you begin absorbing the heat. You can read in the sauna or listen to audio books or music as it will pair with your device (keep that outside the sauna though). Fill the bath before your sauna, add bubbles or salts- both are provided – then slide right in after your sauna. There is a half bath adjacent to the bathing room and, of course, the shower over which a second skylight is set, high above. We offer a bucolic experience complete with all the pleasures of living close to nature. These include fresh air and breezes, delightful vistas and the ability to slip deeply into nature … Of course, with nature just outside your door you may encounter wildlife including the usual bunnies, hawks, pheasants, turkeys and other birds (sometimes a woodpecker takes after the beams outside, feel free to chase him off). There will be bugs, bees, peepers (love those peepers), neighbor cats, Fisher Cats (this one has a piercing cry, similar to a fox, which we also host plenty of), Bob Cats and the many Coyote howling at night (they are right there beyond the hedgerow in the field below your room. We love them and they have never made a nuisance of themselves but then again, neither have we pestered them. We delight in walking the driveway and down to Logan Road at night and have never met with any problem though we do not venture into the forest itself at night. Deer abound on the property and once even a bear, so don't leave food about. This is a country listing in a house made of mud and straw; it is lovely, literally sculpted from the earth. Your suite is Cinderella-scrubbed on hands and knees with brushes and buckets and is scrupulously clean and scented with essential oils but is more like staying in a Medieval Keep than the Waldorf. Uniquely outfitted and entirely modern it is still most definitely rustic. There is ample parking but we will save you a special spot - or two- up close to the house and from there you will be a short walk across the lawn to your private entrance. In all seasons there will be solar fairy lights to follow to your door. There is a keypad on your suite door and once snug inside you can bolt the doors against wind or you can just latch the screen doors and leave the french doors open to the night air. If you don't latch the screens, they will shuffle in the wind. Your suite is separated from the main home by a hallway with locked doors (locked from both sides). If you are available on Saturday mornings, we love you host you for home-made muffins and coffee /tea by the fire or on the porch - so please let us know if that suits you, usually around 9. This is a family home in it's empty-nest phase but at times it will bustle with activity. If there is family dinner on a saturday night - you are most welcome to join- the table seats 14 easily and you'll just fold in if you want to... You might see Carter's red pickup in the drive or meet him on the property - he is adorable and keeps tabs on all the wildlife for us and sometimes brings us firewood. The other 4 children are not so local but may come - my Connor has a white truck, Rowan and Justin a green one. William is often about and very charming and Christine's Connor lives far but sometimes visits and he has a white sedan. The home is very large, even beyond your suite of rooms , and you may not even notice us at all. Certainly, I planned the master suite, which is what you will occupy, as a retreat from all that bustle! We love being hosts and meeting new people and you will likely meet one or both of us during your stay but we understand people book a romantic spa suite for alone time. With regard to languages, I am born to English but Spanish is my love and we travel mainly in Spanish speaking countries so I get to drench myself in it. I dabble still in the bantu languages of East Africa as I lived on Lake Malawi 2 years. It does take a bit for the lyrical patois of those Kiswahili dialects to come back to me but its always such a thrill to meet someone from there, or who has been to Africa - the place claims a piece of your soul and somehow connects you to others who have felt it in their own bones. The neighborhood is decidedly rural. We are nearly in the national forest. Blackberry Farm Rd. is actually our driveway. The driveway is long- you cannot see the house from the road. It offers big-sky views that steal my breath every time I come home. The driveway is gravel. Go slow and watch out for kids, hikers and horses in the driveway. This is a magical place to be in a snow storm. The house is in its glory then and you can watch it all unfold outside from your cozy bed. HOWEVER, the driveway is long and, though it WILL get plowed, during a snow-storm, WHEN that will happen depends upon conditions. If you are coming in the winter months we will need to communicate about conditions and you should be confident in your vehicle’s ability to manage snow. We drive a Subaru Forester and Cross Trek and have no trouble but occasionally even we have to wait for the plow. If you decide to brave an anticipated storm regardless, you are welcome to give it a whirl but please keep in mind the suite does not lend itself to food preparation, there are only a small fridge and microwave and a Keurig-like coffee maker. Power loss up here is surprisingly rare and we will all adapt if that occurs. We are game if you are. Bring winter gear and play on the hill outside or up in the forest. If you leave the driveway and head uphill, you will quickly enter the Finger lakes National Forest: 16,000 acres of forest boasting 30 miles of trails, camping, ponds and at least one lean-to shelter. Seasonal forest roads are passable by car, truck, ATV and trail bicycle in good weather and always on foot, snowshoe, skis, ski-mobile and horse. You can hike on all trails. Horses, bicycles and ATVs are allowed on all forest roads but only on designated trails so check the Forest Map. There is a lot of mud in wet weather- stout boots are recommended. If you leave the driveway and turn down hill, take a moment to appreciate that breathtaking view of the back side of Skyline drive. To get to Watktins Glen, take a left onto Logan Rd (County Route 4) then a right onto Rt 79 and a left at the light at the H&E Bar then prepare for some gorgeous lake views as you drop down from Burdett into Watkins Glen. To experience the wonders of Seneca Lake, book a sail on the True Love or rent a pontoon boat down at Frog Hollow Marina or a kayak at Clute Park or just visit Clute Park. And no trip to Watkins Glen is complete without a hike through the actual glen. Park off street or in designated lots near the park entrance in town or go up to the South Entrance where campers enter and where the public pool facility is located. The trail along the falls is magical ( and wet) so plan for that. The falls trail is open mid-May-Nov1 but there are other trails in Watkins Glen State Park that are accessible year round. To hit the whole of the Hector wine, beer and spirits trail from Watkins Glen, take 414 along the East side of Seneca Lake. Reservations are recommended for large groups as are designated drivers. If you want to hire a designated driver to chauffeur you in your own car, contact Christine directly and she can help you with that. There is also a west-side wine trail - you can drive all the way around the lake if you have time, stopping for wine tasting here and a meal there. Expect one breathtaking view after another. Christine sometimes drives for a tour company and is an excellent resource when deciding which wineries to visit. You'll get around Schuyler County in your personal vehicle unless you arrange a wine tour or to ride the new Trolly winery service opening in summer 2023. Contact Christine directly for information about wine touring as she does drive for FLX wine tours, which you can easily find online. Watkins Glen can be busy in summer and fall though parking is not usually an issue. There is free parking between the Harbor Hotel and the Marina on the waterfront itself. There is a parking fee at Clute Park at the end of the lake in Watkins; this is a very nice spot to spend a day at the lake with a splash pad, bathrooms and food stands. There is ample parking at Walmart as a last resort and you can walk to the lakefront at Clute or into town. You can put in a Kayak or rent one right at the south east corner of the lake, just beyond Clute Park. If you want to get out onto the lake you can rent a pontoon boat , with a captain if you prefer, from Sunshine Boat Rentals down at Frog Hollow Marina. If you are bringing a boat, please let us know and we'll help you figure out where to put in. Everyone is welcome here, including hunters, but there is no guest hunting on our actual property. If apples or peaches or berries are in season, you may help yourself. Wandering the area: The property is over 20 acres and you are free to wander but out here folks buy huge tracts because we prefer privacy and you will eventually encounter signage to that effect if you approach the upper fields or explore beyond the lower hedgerows- so please do comply with signage. The 10 acres of hay along the drive and below the house are yours to wander unless the tractors are out cutting. If we have a bonfire on the knoll, you are most certainly invited but we do not do this if it has been dry and there are often municipal burning bans to prevent grass fires. The pond is not for swimming - its an Ag pond for wildlife only, quite mucky on the bottom but nice to sit by- the frogs get going if you sit still enough in the grass. The national forest is 16,000 acres of trails, glades, fields and groves and its edge is just at the top of Wyckoff Road, 5 minutes walk from the end of the driveway. All trails and roads are open to you there if you are on foot. There are dirt roads and some trails allow bikes. There are nearby horse farms where you can book trail rides. I will happily direct you to different hikes or local farms if you ask. If you are with us during rifle season, Orange is required, even on the roads. I myself steer clear of the national forest from mid November through mid December.... keeping to the rim trails at Watkins Glen park or at Treman and Buttermilk Falls parks in Ithaca.