I frequent this town so often that it feels like my second home. Woodstock morphs every season. Now, in the cold (I'm talking literally 0 degrees), it is a different town than in the summertime. Woodstock comes alive in the winter. It is so cheerful, charming, and well lit, even in the ice, that I could almost smell gingerbread cookies baking in the air.
Woodstock has been the recipient of a great deal of press lately. Probably because it is photogenic... There is no shortage of cute hotels here (Jackson House Inn, The Woodstock Inn, The Ardmore Inn, and of course 506 On The River Inn, amongst many more) and the Rockefeller estate and rolling hills around it take one back in time to a more dignified, slower, precise era.
This library is so cool. This town has recently beckoned to a series of entrepreneurs who hail from larger cities and who have opened little mom and pop shops selling goods, the most successful of which is Farmhouse Pottery: handcrafted goods sold far and wide. I love local business, and what is so enchanting about this town is that they support one another. I ordered some granola, and saw a stack of mugs at the coffee shop. All of them were from Farmhouse Pottery.
Last weekend, I was invited back to 506 On The River Inn to photograph the hotel for social media purposes. I had so much fun. I explored the snow covered grounds, I curled up by the fire place and read my book....I curled up by the Christmas tree and read my book, I brought a Brandy Alexander to the fire pit out side and watched the sun set, and I went into the hot tub at night (and the sauna).
The inn was so comforting in the severe cold.
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The Penthouse Suite |
The light really starts to dance when the temperature drops below 15 degrees. I was awake and taking photos of this winter wonderland at sunrise. That cold makes me more introverted, thankful, and meditative at times, which I appreciate.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Years, Happy Everything! I hope your season (and entire lives) is filled with as much joy as I felt while meandering through Woodstock at dusk in 14 degree weather. I was oddly ecstatic, I promise.
