Babbling Brook Cottages

06/15/2026

Lately I've noticed that many of my friends, many of our Babbling Brook Cottages guests, and even I seem to be navigating a similar season of life.

The years are full in a different way now. Our kids are building lives of their own. Our schedules have changed. The routines have changed. And suddenly there is a little more space in each day than there used to be. I've found myself thinking about that lately, and about what we do with that space when it finally arrives.

This one is a little more personal than most of what I write. Part reflection, part observation, and probably a conversation I've had with many of you over the years.

The kids remember the vacation. You remember everything it took to make it happen. A reflection on motherhood, empty nest years, and why travel begins to feel different in this season of life.

06/06/2026

The Stargazer at Babbling Brook Cottages has looked a little different lately.

I’ll admit, it hurt my heart to remove the landscaping around the cabin and beneath the red maple. The hostas, holly bush, and pachysandra had been there for years and had become part of the cabin’s character. BUT preserving these nearly 90-year-old cabins sometimes means making changes that aren’t always easy.

The goal was to improve drainage and move water away from the cabin to help protect the wood structure for years to come. We also expanded the entrance step to make access a little easier for guests.

The good news is that the hostas, holly bush, and pachysandra were all relocated elsewhere on the property, the red maple received much-needed love and fresh soil, and we’re already planning new plantings for this fall. Sometimes caring for an old place means looking beyond what it looks like today and making decisions that help preserve it for the future.

The Stargazer may look a little different, but that beautiful red maple is still watching over the cabin just as it always has. And if I’m being honest, I may already have a few ideas for new outdoor Christmas decorations this year. Lol.

06/01/2026

This is why we love living in nature and being in the right place at the right time! Welcome to the world little Robin. Our newest edition at Snugglers Notch.

05/30/2026

Nature is amazing. We have a new guest at Babbling Brook Cottages and he sings!

05/28/2026

It’s always about the people.

05/25/2026

The best days are just this. Fresh air, green trees, sunshine and water.

Babbling Brook Cottages

05/23/2026

A few captured moments from around Babbling Brook Cottages this week. New blooms, lots of green, fresh blue eggs outside Snugglers Notch, hatchlings in the nest at our home, sleepy Stella and a new friend found while moving rocks.

05/18/2026

The last few weeks at Babbling Brook Cottages, we have shifted into a new season. We can suddenly see and hear it all around us.

The big trees are exploding with leaves, the birdhouses are full of chirping babies, new nests are tucked into every branch, and the robins have been busy all over the property collecting worms and bugs for their new hatchlings. Guests, and honestly me too, are stopping constantly to photograph all the color showing up around the cabins almost overnight.

The deep hum of the bumble bees around the azaleas returned this week too. And like clockwork, the rhododendrons are beginning to open and announce that summer is near.

One of the best parts about living here year-round is getting to watch it all wake back up season by season.

Babbling Brook Cottages
Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania

05/11/2026

Not every part of running a cabin retreat is cozy.

Sometimes it looks like this: exhaustion, dusty shoes, long days, and trying to finish mowing before guests arrive.

And we are so very grateful for this life in the woods.

05/05/2026

It’s early. The kind of quiet where the only thing moving is the breeze through the trees and the birds starting their day.

A small birdhouse, tucked into the branches—nothing elaborate, just something simple, waiting. If you stand still long enough, you start to notice how much is already happening.

This is what slow mornings look like here. No rush. No noise. Just a soft start.

Babbling Brook Cottages
Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania