One place comprehended can make us understand other places better. Sense of place gives

equilibrium; extended, it is a sense of direction too. Carried off we might be in spirit, and should

be, when we are reading or writing something good; but it is the sense of place going with us

still that is the ball of golden thread to carry us there and back, and in every sense of the word to bring us home. ~ Eudora Welty

Bellair Farm represents something elegant and resonant that shoulders a great history with

warmth and meaning. I asked permission of Cynnie Davis to study it from the viewpoint of the

landscape and not that as merely a picture of what we think a farm should be. How would this

beautiful site see and consider itself? What was important? What would the curl of a year or so

of visits and observations teach me about this varied and protean landscape?

That ball of golden thread is a lovely image that has connected a handful of families to this

place; I am always humbled by the graveyard that holds Reverend Timberlake and his family

next to where I am painting. He was an original Trustee of the college I have taught in for over

forty years. Am I part of that thread now? I always say hello and place my hand on his

headstone when I pass him by. He’s checking on me…

In my short time, I realized the effect of the swell of the hills that trickle water down the sides to

help form a new pond and nurture the small frogs that chirp and peep while I work standing in

the light grey mud. I cannot see them, but they tell me they see me! I respect the floodplain that

reaches out from the Hardware to lay down a particulate that will create a talcum in the summer

swirling around the cars driving down the farm road to where the vegetables are waiting to be

picked. My black truck treasures whatever residue sticks to its bumpers and wheels when I

leave to return home, the remnants of honest labor in the fields! I have found some sacred

places here, viewpoints and vantages that encourage stillness and contemplation. I have found

allies in my investigations: the wonderful people who work the farm and turn the soil and give

me good advice and good questions, who know so much more than me about the ebb and flow

of this landscape. My good colleague, Franklin, who guards the house and escorts me around

the grounds when I venture into the higher clouds of heaven…all these things get into the paint.

Cynnie Davis is the longest resident of this farm. She walks the paths and spreads the

wildflowers with grace and love. She has lost a beloved husband and son while living in this

spiritual place and she has taken upon herself to share and nurture its benefits to those around

her. People are welcome to walk trails and pick the vegetables and bounty of her CSA and

enjoy for a bit, the dream of living a life here. Her generosity and sense of giving comes as

naturally to her as the mud and hard labor of farm work does to this beautiful estate. It’s good to

have a sense of humor about such beauty because it’s hard work, making such a place a home

as well. She would just say, “easy-peasy”!

Ray Berry

Randolph-Macon College