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Dec 5, 2022

"If we were not here...the show would play to an empty house, as do all those falling stars which fall in the daytime. That is why I take walks: to keep an eye on things." --Annie Dillard

The Middle of Somewhere

At Elizabeth Sproul Ross's Shenandoah Valley farm, "she invites artists and art students to share her rustic studio for weeklong retreats. Her roots here reach back to the 1700s, when Scots-Irish ancestors settled this land. Now paintbrushes replace plows, as it's become a getaway from city life for those seeking new skills. And with each group, this spry 70-plus-year-old still climbs the hill behind the barn, funky knee and all, camera strapped around her neck, to fulfill the ritual of visiting an ancient apple tree." Suzanne Stryk is an artist who finds equal fascination in the natural world and the visual arts, she shares more in this evocative excerpt from her book, "The Middle of Somewhere."