Today, Whetstone Branch Farm officially became ours.

After months of searching, negotiating, planning, and dreaming, we signed the papers and closed on the property.

For the first time, we walked the land as owners.

It didn't take long to realize the property had changed since our last visit. Summer had taken over, and some of the trails we'd walked before had disappeared beneath tall grass and thick brush. We spent part of the afternoon bushwhacking our way through sections of the property, sweating our way toward the back.

It was worth it.

We found old glass bottles, what we think may have been an old dump site tucked away near the back property line, a deer skull, a turtle making its way through the woods, and more butterflies than we could count.

There is still a lot of work ahead. A driveway to rebuild. Trails to clear. Buildings to design. Dreams to turn into plans.

But today wasn't about the work.

Today was about exploring, wondering what stories this land still holds, and taking in the fact that we finally get to call it ours.

This is just the beginning.

— Whetstone Branch Farm
Honoring the past. Building the future.