This is Our Home

Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2020/09 – September | Photograph By: Marjorie Christiansen Photography

Close your eyes. 

Glide back-and-forth in a favorite rocker on a century-old porch floor. Listen as the yielding wood gently creaks a soothing mantra. Sip and savor a fresh mint julep. Inhale the intoxicating fragrance of honeysuckle. Hear cows mooing across the meadow. Fill your lungs with delicious, safe air. 

Voila! 

You just entered a timeless realm, experiencing the kind of passionate romance we all yearn to make everlasting.

That’s how the owners of Wayside (their placeholder name until it names itself), Jack Austin (General Manager of Old Edwards Inn) and Lec Hobbs (Manager of Highland Hiker in Cashiers) felt when they first saw their retreat and walked its luscious landscape and ancient forest.

Short of asking Mother Nature’s hand in marriage (she can be so obstinate), they did the next best thing. They purchased the 10 acres of land on which that venerable farmhouse rested and set about making it a heaven-on-earth gathering-place for friends and family, one faith-filled step at a time. 

Eventually there’ll be a new barn, a firepit, a potager garden, split-rail fencing, the removal of brush to expose a 100-year-old focal point red maple, and much more. When it comes down to only Jack and Lec, Wayside’s farmhouse is just about perfect as it is. … a sweet, simple, cozy haven to call home with a kitchen/dining area, living room, three bedrooms, a Hobbit room (den with a low-slung doorway), and two baths.

‘Twas probably the magnificent land and the palpable stillness that initially launched the love affair. Pastoral scenes of doe and fawn, flurries of fireflies that would light a canyon, Kodak-moments galore featuring fox, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, birds flaunting a rainbow of feathers, black- and blueberries swathed in dew, and apples, delicious heritage apples in deep, dark crimsons, warm reds, bright greens and rustic yellows. 

Jack says, ”Last year’s abundant apple harvest inspired our house cocktail, apple old-fashioned: rye whiskey, a dash of apple bitters, and a slice of heritage apple.”

Wayside is a little over a half hour from Highlands in the Glenville area. That’s just far enough to detox from the day on the drive home. And it removes the temptation to pop into work for after-hours problem-solving. The rural setting is a daily dose of serenity worth its weight in gold and therapy.

How did Covid 19 affect the land’s purchase and renovation?  

 Jack says, “Oddly enough, it was a  blessing when we had the shutdown. I’d go home and take off my mask. Covid-19 vanished. Cows don’t know there was a pandemic. And it didn’t become a part of my life again until I drove back into town. During lockdown, I got to sit at the house and watch spring happen. It was a real refuge from what was going on in the world and very healing and centering.”

Jack and Lec share their home with two venerable Beagles and a sweet old cat who have adapted well to the new digs. Dogs are not allowed free rein because of the genetic disposition for hunting dogs to, well, run and hunt, even the old-timers. It’s all about the chase and who nose where that will lead.  (Editor’s Note: Sorry about that. It’s just Donna.) 

Jack and Lec enjoy sharing stories about their home quest. When Covid is no longer a concern, they will welcome questions and conversations.

Follow them on Instagram @jackraustinjr and @lechobbs.