“Wanna go to Nova Scotia?”

In December 2020 it was becoming clear that the dream we'd been working toward was becoming less plausible. We hadn’t just been dreaming, we’d been scheming. In our beautiful future we'd fly off to tropical Belize. There we'd grow a business, bask in the glory of nature, soak up the sun, and wash our worries away in the river.

Several snags cropped up, one right after another. Our plans unravelled. Our hopes started to sink.

Then Jim said it,

“Wanna go to Nova Scotia?”

Aerial view of the red sands of the ocean floor and cliff edge. On the green pastures, are two cabins with blue roofs.
Blue grey sky with golden yellow horizon. The sun surrounded with pops of pink. Beneath the skyline the waters reflect the colours.
Skyline pink, yellow, and purple as sun appears to touch the ocean. Folks gather around the communal firepit as the sun sets.

It took nanoseconds for me to say yes.

Our moment of choice

It took nanoseconds for me to say yes. From that moment on, folks met us with reactions in one of two categories:

the “Umm, are you sure? (Oh no… they’ve lost it…) or
the “That sounds amazing!” (When can I come? How can I help?)

Nearing the end of the traditional western career model, we'd started thinking about retirement. What needed to be done now to make sure we were prepared to transition out of the workforce.
(You know the thing they have seminars about to remind you, you're getting old and should be leaving soon.)

Sitting down, we brainstormed our criteria.

After decades in careers with days that began at dawn and stretched into the evening, we found ourselves unbalanced and burnt out. Like so many others, we were drained from the daily duties of juggling careers, family, commitments–life. We were making ourselves miserable. We knew change was necessary, and the more upheaval the world hit us with (remember, this was 2020), the more timely it all seemed.

Is waiting for retirement really the answer to an unbalanced life?

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

— Henry David Thoreau

Never having been much for fence-sitting, after Jim suggested Nova Scotia and we thought,
Yup, this feels right! Our home was listed two months later and sold just as quickly as we’d decided to go for it.

Why not now?

Couple standing in tall green grass, smiling widely. Behind them is cliff edge and blue waters of Bay of Fundy.

The space we now call home was imagined, found, and bought in the three short months from December 2020 to February 2021. Being February 2021, we only had the chance to see our new home through screens.

We took a leap of faith that our eyes would not deceive us—trusting what we knew in our bones. It would only be three more months before we crossed four provinces to come home to roost in April 2021 to find out if we were right.

We are still pinching ourselves.

Aerial view of the Ravens Rest. Long lane leads to main farm. In the distances, the cabins and cliff’s edge to the ocean.

Is this real?

A striking sunset with golden hues and grey clouds. Atop a hill two cabins bathe in the evening's glow.

Can everyday life be this mystical?

Restful & Refreshing

The moment we met the soil, our agricultural roots resurfaced. We made hay when the sun was shining. No time was wasted getting the property tidied up, and our first cabin booking was in June 2021. Additional cabins were built in Spring 2022. The steady growth of bookings has continued as we got to work on the side of business and brand.

Companion animals trotted into our lives once more: chickens, Highlanders, and Belted Galloways graze and grow alongside our woodland friends. The property is growing with purposeful additions that will maintain the balance of privacy, serenity, and harmony—the physical space and the vibe: equal parts restful and refreshing.

Sun low in the sky, white ball with yellow glow blending into vibrant blue sky. People are enjoying a stay at the Spirit Cabin.
Aerial view of Ravens Rest from drone over ocean waters. Shows vastness of the 65 acre property and the natural splendor.

The Retreat is the embodiment of our belief that nature and the elements restore us as humans. It is our way of living our values: slowing down to savour everyday abundance.

Two dogs run through the grass outside a cabin with red roof & red door, on a bright day. Yellow flowers are among the grass.
Chicken with black-red colouring nuzzling and resting its head on the elbow of a young girl’s arm. She wears a blue tshirt.
A breathtaking sunset: a white against a flooded gold sky. A yoga class does a one-legged, downward-facing dog on the grass.
Three women in light yoga gear and sweaters sit at a picnic table talking & enjoying the sunset on a warm summer’s evening.
Three generations of women stand tall, smiling, on a rolling green hill with the cliffs of the coast in the background.
Close up on beautiful caramel highland cattle, horn prominent. Sunlight filters through trees in the background.
Mother and daughter sit in a hammock with the bright sun directly behind. The sky is vivid blue with white, whispy clouds.
Owner Jim feeds highland cattle with some visitors at a fence on a bright day.
Retreat owner Heidi smiles gleefully holding beautiful black feathered chickens. In front of the orange Fire cabin door.
Grass appears deep green. Sun is disappearing on the horizon—people gather around roaring fire at the communal firepit.
Owners Heidi & Jim face each other, grinning in tall green grass, blue ocean on horizon, gentle breeze moves her green skirt.
By blazing fire a guest enjoys a sticky smore—smiling. Folks to his left and right, and he are made red by the fire’s glow.

Are you ready to recharge?

Search our listings to find the perfect time to reset yourself: mind, body, and spirit.