Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in one of LandVest’s properties?
We invite our owners to tell us a bit about their experience, what they love about their homes and a bit of their history. The owners of Glenmorgan share their story about how they were smitten by this elegant South Woodstock, Vermont farm.
How were you introduced to Glenmorgan?
Lori: It was happenstance, almost, or maybe fate. We went for a drive with friends. Coming up that beautiful hill – Morgan Hill Road is so lovely – we saw this striking brick Federal house, and it had a “for sale” sign out front. We almost couldn’t believe it. There was this funny thing, David’s friends’ parents were selling a house we loved numbered 5403, and this was 5403, too.
David: I was smitten. The sense of calm. The pond, the views, the old barn. The house is so beautifully finished and well-proportioned, with views everywhere. It took us about five minutes to know we wanted to buy it, and we weren’t even in the market to buy anything. It is magical.
Lori: I remember thinking as David was falling in love with the place: “I wonder who has lived here over the years.” I was trying to imagine the owners in the past. The place has a real presence. It’s not formal, but it does have a feeling of provenance. It is very much a Vermont property and a farm, and feels welcoming too.
Looking back on your “first date”, how have your feelings about Glenmorgan changed over the years?
David: Like all good things, I think our love and respect for the place has deepened. But some of the things we loved when we first saw Glenmorgan are exactly the same. Like the kitchen – I remember when I first saw it I said, “Lori, this is the kitchen you’ve always wanted!”
Lori: Definitely the kitchen. And the quiet. And going for drives up Morgan Hill. We have the Mustang convertible to drive around with the top down in the fresh air.
David: What we didn’t know, of course, when we were first there is how amazing the location really is. The property abuts The Loop, the “prettiest mile in Vermont”, a quiet country road with brooks and ponds traversing it and sunlight penetrating the surrounding woods. We are fortunate that our property abuts Birch Hill and the other estates and is threaded by the Green Mountain Horse Association trails, so you can go for miles through stunningly beautiful country.
Lori: There’s nothing like seeing the horse drawn carriages go by the house, too.
If you had to distill it down, what would be ten things you love about Glenmorgan?
Lori: In no particular order:
- Sitting in rocking chairs, drinking coffee and looking out over the pond.
- Dinners at sunset on the upper stone patio. Amazing.
- Long special family time together: whether it’s gathering by the fire in the den, playing board games; playing badminton, or going skiing. We also enjoy outdoor ping pong, kids picking blueberries by the garage, shooting hoops in the barn, making s’mores at the fire pit by Mackenzie Hall.
We also hosted my brother’s wedding, dinner and dancing in the barn, with tea lights flickering in the quiet air. The wedding brunch was on the grass outside the barn with 200 people!
- Breakfast in the country kitchen at the big table with the French doors open to the air.
- Laying in the hammock or sitting by the pond reading a book
David:
- The stars in the night sky. The quiet, the air.
- Fly fishing and swimming in the pond.
- Fabulous hikes to the Top of the World, through the birch groves, to the Village. Such an easy, comfortable, human-scaled landscape.
- The impeccable level of detail of the house, it’s got a superb level of finish yet is warm and inviting. You know you are in Vermont, the wide pine floors, the beautiful windows, the brick, the views of the farmstead and the meadows from every window.
- The feeling of being truly away
Lori: We feel really good about turning it to the next stewards in really perfect condition. The house is turnkey, and we have great folks here that help care for it. It’s not complicated, and it’s so solidly done that it doesn’t take a lot of fuss.
For more information about Glenmorgan click here. If you have other questions for Lori and David, please let Ruth or Story know, and we’ll get right back to you!
Visit our Woodstock page for more information on the community and our other listings in the area.
