Late Summer Wonder

It's late summer at the Field Station. The apple trees are full of fruit for the first time in years. The blueberry bushes, nearly thirty of them, have been generous again this year. We pick what we can and share the rest with the robins and blue jays (who did none of the work but feel plenty entitled to the reward). The zucchini has reached the point in the season where I am no longer cooking it so much as redistributing it. Friends, lock your cars.

Out front, I have been planting flowers for the butterflies, and the zinnia garden started by two dear friends is in full swing.

A monarch on Mexican sunflower, spotted in a friend's garden. As with all nature photography on the site, the photo is mine: real butterfly, real flower, real human standing very still with a camera (ps, must add tithonia to next year's gardening list)

A few hours a week in the dirt, finally. I've missed it. But it's not just the humans and plants busy at work. The animals are having a heck of a summer. A wren pair has fledged at least two broods, and the current one is tucked into a shower vent, which we are now guarding like the crown jewels (showers have been rescheduled accordingly).

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/fda901_951dfa58533b4bd9b024b1d9d780b5e0/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

PROOF! (Sound on for this one!)

The Phoebes are all around the house too, flicking those little tails and talking to one another while they raise their young. Watching all of it... that is a huge piece of what we do here. The field scientist in me never clocks out.

Here is the thing, though. None of this started with us.

This home belonged to our neighbors. Moving here with that connection meant we never really arrived as strangers. They are wonderful humans, incredibly creative and talented (in so many ways), and this space still carries their spirit. Nearly thirty blueberry bushes do not plant themselves. Neither does a life this rooted. From our very first days here they have been a source of kindness and support; a bridge into a new life and a new community. I am not sure they know how grateful we are - for their friendship, and for this lovely home.

The rest happened the way connections seem to happen around here; by being present. The gallery became a big piece of the puzzle connecting us to others. When we first moved Fischer Arts into that little space on the green, it was old friends, the lifelong kind, who rolled up their sleeves and helped us get the doors open. There was much hauling and hanging, second-guessing paint colors, troubleshooting and brainstorming. Then... celebrating an opening. None of it could have been done alone. One does not forget that kind of showing up.

Once the doors opened, the town came in. Strangers became regulars; faces I looked forward to, conversations that picked up right where they left off. Some of the people who first walked through that door as customers are now my dearest friends. They came in for the art and stayed in my life. Those friendships keep growing.

The artists we have worked with for years, who were there at the start, are still very much with us. We are thrilled to carry a selection of work from Joe McKendry and Jason Brockert. Their pieces are the perfect match to what we do at Fieldwork. Keep an eye out, as more contemporary artists are joining us soon.

Connections from that little space grew into collaborations. Starry, Starry Night was a joy to put together with so many wonderful people. Even after closing the gallery, the collaborations continue. When friends expanded Collected, LTD into their beautiful new space, a hand-picked selection of Fieldwork's antique nature prints found their place. So - some of our antique pieces hang on the green again, in the best of hands (if you have not been in yet... you must go). Who was present at their Front-Door-Opening? Lovely Liz from Lover's Lane Flower Farm.

And there is so much happening here in Chester. Wonderful, kind friends at Meditrina have built the most thoughtfully created (and crazy delicious) dining spot imaginable. Works on Paper now has its home in Chester, giving new life to the beautiful red building on the corner. Alder Bakery (which is my breakfast go-to) is an incredible addition to our community. And, Sage Jewelry and Gifts is thriving in our old space.

Dinners out turn into reunions with friends. Knowing the people behind the counters and watching friends' businesses grow... it is its own kind of gardening.

The connections are circling home...

That same community is now helping us bring the Field Station to life. Good friends (and talented musicians, Faux in Love) are helping us to redefine how we live at home. The wonderful crew at Lucky Fields created that beautiful zinnia garden, but for years they have helped shape the space around this home. They have also jumped in with nearly everything when life got too crazy to keep up, along with the amazing LW (you know who you are friend - we couldn't do it without you!)

Stepping back from the gallery was heartbreaking. But it made room for this next chapter. Room for my family when they need me. Room for new work at the college that I love. Room to stand in the garden with dirt under my nails, watching our lives evolve. And through all of it, we have built these new friendships. I am grateful beyond words.

Years ago we arrived here with a moving truck and a great many unknowns. Now we have a community. Well, that - and apples and blueberries and baby birds chirping in the bathroom...

Here is to late summer in Chester, friends. May your neighbors be kind, your friends' businesses be busy, and your zucchini find good homes.