The idea for Blumenwald was inspired 23 years ago, when I lived in Freiburg, Germany. While riding my bicycle along Der Dreisam, I happened upon a PYO flower farm in a meadow at the base of the Black Forest hills. It was a magical moment, a bursting of vibrant colors and patterns, beauty and surprise. The “honor system payment process” allowed for a passerby to blissfully pause, to contemplate, to momentarily experience Wonder, Awe.

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The idea of sharing a magical experience stayed with me. What was it about the simplicity of this invitation? Can the connection between nature and people be sparked by an offering of generosity? Do flowers, nature have the capability to intertwine the lives of others, of strangers, of friends, opting into a participation where the worlds of nature and humanity collide?

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Fast forward to 2019, our family made a decision to move to Califon, New Jersey - a small town about an hour west of NYC. Home now included a forest, meadows, a river, a bike path, and views of hills - the similarities between this and my life in Germany was uncanny – there was an immediate familiarity, ‘ein Verbindung’. 

 

Over the next few years, (and especially during the pandemic), my children and I spent countless hours exploring the area, the property – becoming attune to the rhythms of the sunlight, the comforts of the bird songs, the mini migrations of toads and turtles across the meadow towards the river, the blooming seasons of native plants and flowers. We also learned firsthand of the devastating ash borer, which has now claimed the overwhelming majority of the forest. 

 

One morning, while sipping my (first) cup of coffee, I looked out the window and saw a blanket of sunlight in the forest. A quick walk revealed a plot of forest that, due to the surrounding dead ash trees, was now receiving direct sunlight. After observing this light through the various seasons, it dawned that perhaps this was the moment – the Edge – of attempting to bring that experience from so long ago to reality. Is this the circle of Time gently nudging me forward? …and this is how Blumenwald began.