Ahead, a few porch lights glow dimly around another cluster of buildings.
“That’s the cookhouse and dining hall,” I tell him as we approach.
The big, rustic building sits low and wide, smoke stains marking the chimney above the roofline.
“Students eat there?” he asks.
I nod. “They will. It’s a great space. We used it for our family holiday gatherings last year since we’re starting to outgrow Grandma’s dining room.”
Beside it are two long bunkhouses with simple wooden porches.
“And that’s where the students will sleep.”
Past the bunkhouses, the path narrows again, winding through a tiny cluster of trees before opening into a clearing.
A row of tiny cabins sits along the edge of the forest.
Dim porch lights glow above each door, casting cozy pools of light onto the wooden steps.
“And these are the instructor cabins,” I explain.
Porter slows beside me as we approach the first one.
“They’re new,” I add. “They finished them this summer.”
The cabins are small but charming—rough cedar siding, a little porch with two wooden chairs, a lantern hanging beside the door.
I stop at the first one.
Porter climbs the two steps, glances down, and lifts the corner of the welcome mat.
Sure enough, a key sits underneath.
He picks it up and unlocks the door.
The hinges creak faintly as it swings open. He steps inside and flips on the lamp sitting on a table just inside. Then he looks back at me, holding the door wide.
Warm light spills across the dainty space.
It’s a studio-style cabin—simple and brand-new.
The interior is all knotty pine walls and rich wood tones, making the place feel cozy despite its size.
A little woodstove sits in the corner near the door with a neat stack of firewood beside it.
Across from that is a kitchenette tucked against the wall—just a mini fridge, a single farm sink, a microwave, and a coffee maker sitting on a narrow counter.
Between the kitchenette and the rest of the space is a four-foot island that separates the kitchen area from the living space.
A leather recliner sits beside a small side table.
Above it, a flat-screen television is mounted to the wall.
And beyond that is a queen-size bed with big, fluffy pillows and crisp white sheets.
A green-and-white quilt folded neatly across the bottom.
There’s a standing wardrobe in the corner and a narrow door that leads into a bathroom.
