About Gracewood Farm
From a very young age, I’ve been fascinated by the great outdoors and Mother Nature. Whether I was making mud pies as a toddler or making fresh fruit pies as a newly married thirty something, my hobbies have always centered on gardening and cooking.
Although my parents met and married in California, they both had deep farming roots from their childhoods in the great state of Iowa. As a young girl in the sixties, I was fortunate to spend many delightful summers on those family farms in Iowa.
Fast forward thirty years and my husband, Rick and I, are on our decade long quest for the perfect retirement property. We owned and gardened at a beautiful Spanish home in Pasadena. But there was just not enough property to fulfill my lifetime dreams of growing antique roses, heirloom tomatoes and fresh fruit. And since I had recently taken an early retirement from corporate life, I also wanted to start showing English Cocker Spaniels, a breed that we had loved and owned for the previous 10 years.
Little did I know that when in 1995 we purchased our first show quality English Cocker Spaniel, CH. Seabreeze Amazing Grace, the road map of our lives would be forever altered. Our first years with Gracie were filled with a flurry of dog shows, learning to groom and handle, and the wonder of whelping puppies. A growing friendship with Gracie’s breeders gave us constant support and introduced us to the beauty of the Central California countryside.
And in 1999, two city slickers and multiple English Cockers traded life in Pasadena for a rural, 5 acre piece of paradise named appropriately, Gracewood Farm. Gone were the sports car, the shopping trips to Nordstrom’s, and dinner at the latest trendy restaurants. Entertaining in the wine cellar has been replaced by a glass of wine and a stroll through the gardens we have created over the last 17 or so years.
“Garden as though you will live forever” said William Kent. And that is what we intend to do. Let our gardens reflect our patience, our watchfulness and our intense hard work. And in return, may our glorious gardens feed not just our bodies, but more importantly our souls.
Come stay at our Rose Cottage vacation rental to see for yourself. You can click one of the links below to make your reservation.
