"We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. In my children's memories, the adventures we've had together in nature will always exist."

- Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
The landscape is now in full autumn splendor -- yellow, purple, orange and
red hues frame each field of view. The dark purple Japanese maples stand out
from the bright yellow locust trees; the sugar maples and kousa dogwoods
range from bright orange to fire engine red. And the greens! Have you ever
noticed how grass seems greener in the autumn? Together, the trees and
pastures produce a work of art so compelling - each one adding its distinct
part to compose a visual symphony of color and texture. And like a symphony, the landscape as a whole is always much larger than the sum of its
individual parts. We can only marvel at the sight before us - and be
forever grateful that we have eyes to see it!.
 

 Mark Smith

Executive Director
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Preservation at the Wakefield Estate:
Carriage House gets much needed repairs

This past month we broke ground on a major preservation project on the estate's Carriage House, often referred to as the barn. The carriage house is one of the estate's defining structures and the first you see when entering the property. Designed by architects William Pitt Preble Longfellow & Morris Dorr and built in the 1860s, the carriage house hasn't had a major renovation for 100 years. Mason Cook and Ethan Howard of Westmill Preservation are overseeing the work, as they did on the exterior envelope project on the Isaac Davenport mansion completed last year. Like most preservation projects on old structures, many surprises are found along the way. One day, while taking off the exterior siding, the workers found a piece of wood between two wall studs with the date and year of the last time the structure was sided (1911),  along with the names of the three carpenters who did the work. When complete, the barn will include public restrooms for our visitors. Stay tuned for further updates and developments! 
Upcoming Events:
Post-Halloween Pumpkin Drop-off
Friday, November 1, 9 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Bring us your post-Halloween Jack-o-lantern for our chickens to enjoy and get a raffle ticket for a dozen of our girls' farm fresh eggs! For more information, call 617-333-0924.
 
Pre-Holiday Floral Decorating Demo with Lisa Ahern of Cedar Grove Gardens
Wednesday, November 13, 7-8:30 p.m.


The crisp fall evenings remind us it's time for "Holiday Inspiration with Lisa," our annual holiday decoration workshop with Lisa Ahern, floral designer for Cedar Grove Gardens. During the workshop scheduled for Wednesday, November 13th, Lisa will demonstrate how to create beautiful and easy floral accents for the holiday home, emphasizing creative and fun ways to make your home and table "shine" during the holidays. Enjoy some light refreshments while watching Lisa work her magic! Most of the arrangements created during the workshop are raffled among those present at the end of the evening. Price for the workshop, which includes refreshments, is $20 per person. This is one of our most popular programs so pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, call 617-333-0924 or register by email.

 

Order your Locally-sourced Holiday Wreath! 
We are taking orders for hand-crafted holiday wreaths made with greens from the estate! The wreaths are 18 inches in diameter and can be hung or used as a holiday centerpiece. The deadline to order a wreath is Monday, Dec 2; order by calling 617-333-0924. Wreaths will be available for pick up at the Wakefield Estate during the week of Dec. 9-14, or earlier if arranged. The wreaths are $35; all proceeds benefit the Wakefield Charitable Trust's educational programming.
Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Staff:
Mark Smith, Executive Director - email: mark@dogwoodlanefarm.org
Erica Max, Program Director - email: erica@dogwoodlanefarm.org
Dave Cafaro, Grounds and Building Maintenance - email: dave@dogwoodlanefarm.org
Deb Merriam, Landscape Director - email: dmerriam@comcast.net
For more information, call us at (617) 333-0924 or check out our website at wakefieldtrust.org