Today, as I sit at my window dreaming and gazing at such beauty on the other side of that thin piece of glass, I am again reminded of just how much God must love us! Not only am I thankful for the earth and all of it’s wonders, but I think the “wonder” of our little slice of heaven, The Queen Village, warms my heart just as much. I like to think of it as… my own little storybook world!
Today, I thought I would invite you to spend some time with me in our little Victorian Village. She is aptly named The Queen Village… because she is said to be fit for a queen!
Here are a few recent pictures of our winter wonderland! The little river tucked deep in the forest is a favorite place of mine. Even though the village had just been covered with a heavy blanket of snow, you can still see the steam coming up off of the water. The beautiful snowflakes that cover the river banks and the surrounding woodlands, almost look like someone opened up a window of heaven & scattered a wealth of tiny crystals for us to enjoy!
This is our secret place, where just up the hill, we decided to carve out a little knoll to put our cottage so we could be as close to the river as possible. You’ll also see a few of our country roads, where along each side stately pines and mature maples stand guard.
Photos © of Pearl Sanborn
Here’s a little description about Camden NY… my storybook world 🙂
This little village is definitely something out of fairy tale land! The homes are mostly Victorian in style, and often there are some very special homes to be had for great prices!
In the center of the village is our village park. There you will see green lawn spread out like a blank for us to rest, surrounded by beds of flowers, benches, stately trees, and our quaint gazebo where most of our village socials and events are held.
Many evenings throughout the summer we are able to enjoy performances by area bands. The kids especially love the dancing tunes! It’s so cute to see the little ones arm in arm dancing in circles around the lawn.
Two or three times per year, we have large celebrations with parades down main street. You never know what kind of float you might see with all of the great talent around here 😉
During the Autumn season, you may hear the fire whistle going off a few to many times. This is our signal that rides are being given down at the fire house. While we’re waiting for our turn to ride atop the fire engine, free juice & doughnuts are served. It’s a great time to catch up on all of your visiting with the town folks, as well as a great way to celebrate fire prevention week.
Each Christmas Santa comes to the Queen Village in a horse drawn wagon (I think their jingle bells must be one of my favorite Christmas sounds!). As the horses take us through the village streets, our carols are accompanied by villagers who are putting the finishing touches on their holiday decorations. On this night, we all gather around the manger scene and sing Christmas carols, while we enjoy the sights and sounds of the season over hot chocolate and donuts.The thousands of little lights that encircle the trees, light poles, and street lamps are especially beautiful with a blanket of freshly fallen snow! Ever planted in our memories, are those joyful evenings spent with family and friends. We just love the 5th season of the year! What? You didn’t know there were 5 seasons? Well, around here folks call us “The Village With 5 Seasons”, because we celebrate Christmas in such a big way.
Our little library sits on the corner right off of the main street. On cold winter days, you’ll find a rocking chair pulled up to the big fireplace for a day of quiet lazy reading. The walls are always decorated with the work of local artisans.
One of my children’s favorite winter pastimes, is to go across the street to the “hill.” This is where we go sledding, tubing, and snowboarding. It’s a great way to spend time with the kids after a big snow. Of course, after all that “work” we need to come home & enjoy some hot coco beside the wood stove 😉 And while I’m on the subject, there’s something truly romantic about a night so cold, that the smoke from every village chimney is almost frozen in time – all of this against a backdrop of the full winter moon!
It’s wonderful to be a part of a small community where folks truly care about each other & work together for the good of all.
A friend of mine has a local TV show, where they take road trips to area villages. Take a ride with her as she travels home to Camden.
Forest park, as mentioned in the video, is a place that we enjoy as much as we can! It’s a wonderful place to talk walks, follow the nature trails, or to simply rest on the benches to do a little bird watching & enjoy the view of the river! A friend of mine has put together an awesome website about this wonderful public forest (thank you Chris ;)! Forest Park, Camden NY
I hope you have enjoyed spending some time with me today… and may your life be a storybook one!
Pearl
