Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Farview Farm in Fair Play

"How did you ever find this place?" is a frequently asked question, since it's out in the back of beyond in a place no one ever heard of.  Steve and I were working different shifts and communicated through post-its and the occasional phone call during the week.  Coming home one night, I found a real estate throw-away on the table with a note that said, "Look through this.  I know which place you want."  We had not even considered moving, so what was this about?  I thumbed through the little paper, saw one place that had appeal, and when Steve called, he said, "You like the one on page such-and-such, second down next to the fold," and he was right.  "Want to go take a look?"  I called Deb, she was up for an adventure too, and we made an appointment with the realtor.  Following detailed directions, we finally found Somerset.  Bill (he's also a neighbor) showed us a couple of other, unsuitable,  places first, and then the house on Gray Rock.  Deb and I were whispering in the back seat that, yeah, like anyone would live on this bumpy dirt road, but as soon as we turned up the drive, I knew we were home, and so did Steve.  The house needed a lot of work - didn't matter.  The residents had their trash pile and a pumpkin patch in the front yard - didn't matter.  The fields were overgrown with weeds - didn't matter.  We were home and that was that.  We moved in two months later.  But where did we live?  Where did you ever live where they asked where you wanted your mail to come?  We could have our pick of Somerset, Mt. Aukum, or as far south as River Pines.  We chose Somerset, only six miles away.  It wasn't until later that we could use Fair Play (Wines With Altitude!) as our address (same post office and zip).  Inspired by Gladys Taber and her tales of Stillmeadow Farm in Connecticut, this place deserved a name and, given the surroundings, Farview Farm seemed appropriate...if it weren't for one stretch of hills, we could see all the way across the valley to the coastal range.  And that's how Farview Farm in Fair Play came about. 

7 comments:

Linda Cox said...

I might as well go public with my dyslexia and confess that until you started publishing your blog, I ALWAYS added an “I” to Farview. The property is so beautiful, I just assumed that you had made a rare typo when you set up the address!

Bo said...

I know, and I've always giggled at your goof. Decided it was about time to set the record straight!

Kathryn said...

How long ago did you find your dream home?? And I'm assuming the "shift work" stopped when the "home on Gray Rock" started??

Bo said...

Twelve years ago...and the rest is a story for another day!

Kathryn said...

Ah...........but of course!!

Anonymous said...

nice story

Judy said...

I'm glad I'm not the only one that suffers from dyslexia! Mine is a worse case than Linda's, however. All this time I thought the name of the farm was "Fair Play", just like the area.