Our Story
Thirty‑three summers in the making
Our story began more than three decades ago — a young family in a big blue house with a lot of moon dust for a yard. Move‑in day fell on our daughter Chelsea’s third birthday; our son Collin was one month old. Hiring landscapers was unthinkable, so our formula was simple: one summer, one project — with our children helping every step of the way.
The years passed quicker than we could imagine. When the nest emptied, the sounds of family gatherings went missing from our yard — and it only seemed right to share the blessings of this property with our community. That is how our backyard became On Collin’s Pond.
The Early Years
A willow, planted by a four‑year‑old
Chelsea planted her “Grandmother Willow,” named for the tree in Pocahontas. Today it stands forty feet tall and forty wide — refuge to our resident owl, the occasional heron, and a childhood’s worth of tree forts and hammock afternoons.
A Seed from the Post Office
Collin’s mighty pin oak
At two years old, Collin and his Grandma Swanton picked up a fallen acorn outside the Middleton Post Office and tended it in a pot until a tiny tree sprouted. It now towers over the property — and in 2016, a sapling from that oak stood as the ceremony tree at Chelsea’s own wedding.
2004
Nine holes and one fire pit
Ten‑year‑old Collin spent a slow country summer digging nine holes deep enough to stand in. Told to keep just one and give it a purpose, he chose well: that hole became our fire pit, and the fire pit inspired the backyard wildlife preserve that now shelters owls, quail, ducks and red fox.
2012
The pond that named the place
At seventeen, Collin researched the science of water gardening and designed our pond himself — island, bog‑garden filtration and all. It remains true to his design today, home to more than seventy‑five koi — Elvis and Nessie among the most famous.
2018
The greenhouse — Phil’s gift to Donna
Some couples travel; we landscape. To celebrate a lifetime of quality time spent on these grounds, Phil and the kids built Donna a custom greenhouse of rough‑cut lumber for her birthday — a labor of love with the look of something centuries old.
Spring 2020
The gates open
After prayerful consideration, we opened our little two‑acre piece of Heaven as a small wedding and event venue — returning the sounds of gatherings and children’s laughter to the backyard, and sharing the love we’ve enjoyed all these years on our son Collin’s pond.