It All Started With The Apple

Anyone who knows the lore about how Brent and Josh wound up at the Beekman mansion in Sharon Springs knows about the central role an annual apple-picking excursion played in its eventual acquisition by the self-described “city boys.”

Each autumn, Brent and Josh would travel to upstate New York from their apartment in Manhattan to pick apples in one of the region’s many orchards, loading up on this versatile and delicious fruit to use for baking. One fateful weekend, their apple-picking expedition led them astray and they found themselves in a town they had never heard of before: Sharon Springs. They instantly felt a connection to the place and spent the night. The next day, they saw the For-Sale sign in front of the 1802 mansion just outside the town proper, beautifully restored and majestic against its 60-acre backdrop of rolling hills and old trees. Somehow, they knew it was home.

We can never really comprehend  how fate and duty can shape the course of our lives. Tried-and-true traditions may end up sparking a brilliant new chapter full of risk and adventure. Accidents and ‘wrong turns’ can lead to fortuitous discoveries, inspiration and new perspectives. Mistakes and bad luck can take us on beautiful journeys of realization and enlightenment.

So, this week let’s celebrate the humble apple, for all its promise and goodness, versatility and simplicity – and for how the pursuit of this lovely fruit accidentally brought a courageous couple with a vision back to their rural roots.

Photos:

1. Birdcagewalk.tumblr.com

2. Birdcagewalk.tumblr.com

3. Photobucket.com

4. en.wikipedia.org

5. almondejournals.com

Andrew Ritchie is the creator of Martha Moments, a blog devoted to Martha-Stewart related content and her community of supporters. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada, and has been a longtime friend of Brent & Josh, Beekman 1802 and Sharon Springs. Each week he’ll scour the world (wide web) to find the 5 most beautiful things to inspire you. Follow Andrew on Pinterest.