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 Two
hundred years ago the entire village of Newfane sat on top of Newfane
Hill just a few feet from Scott and Dave’s house. Where there
are now trees and a meadow there was once a jail and a courthouse,
two hotels, an academy and, interestingly enough, a pillory! Then,
around 1820, the whole shebang was moved 1,000 vertical feet and two
miles down to the present site of Newfane Village. In the 1970’s
the local historical society marked the locations of the old buildings,
and now it’s possible to take a hike around the top of Newfane
Hill to see where the buildings once stood.
Fast forward to 1995 when Scott and Dave were searching for the perfect
home site: Dave had lived in Newfane off and on for 25 years at that
point and when the piece of land where Frog Meadow now sits came on
the market it was love at first sight.
The property was covered with thick brush and trees, and there was
a 200-year-old house foundation (from the old village) with three-foot
diameter trees growing out of it. But, when Dave climbed a tree and
saw the view, it was all over but the building.
Now that Scott and Dave had this great place, it needed a name. One
Thanksgiving as Dave was preparing the menu (Tuscan turkey with chestnut
stuffing, pumpkin risotto and wild mushroom polenta) and printing
it up for fun, he put “Frog Meadow Farm” at the top of
the menu, reasoning that there were frogs in the pond, which was surrounded
by a meadow, and while it isn’t exactly a farm (not yet anyway!),
two out of three ain’t bad. Scott loved it, and the name stuck.
 Scott
& Dave
Scott and Dave met in May 1991 while Scott was at Mount Snow training
for a triathlon and Dave was directing the Mountain Bike School there.
Scantily clothed and cold, Scott walked in after a grueling 25-mile
bike ride over the mountain from Brattleboro and asked: “Hey
Dave! (Dave was wearing a nametag.) Where can a guy get a cup of coffee
around here?” The rest, as they say, is history. Sixteen years
later, after many changes, trials and tribulations, Scott and Dave
are happier than ever. Living the good life at Frog Meadow sure doesn’t
hurt. Come and see what it’s all about!
By the way, Scott never got his coffee.
Vision for the Future
What do two guys with a big house on 63 acres do with themselves?
Open a Bed and Breakfast and Massage Retreat for men!
When Scott and Dave went to the Puna coast off the Big Island of Hawaii
in December 2005, they rented a house from a wonderful massage therapist
and Body
Electric sacred intimate named Dwight. The area was very rural,
progressive and gay friendly, kind of like a tropical Vermont by the
sea. Days spent on the black sand naked beach, swimming with the dolphins,
followed by a 90-minute massage in a seaside Indonesian hut, restored
and replenished the soul. The experience was so powerful that Dave
decided then and there the next chapter of his life would be to go
to massage school and focus on working with men.
This is the vision for the future of Frog Meadow: To provide a welcoming
and restorative space for men to relax, take off their clothes and
leave the outside world behind. Dave’s intention with his massage
is to heal, soothe, and restore balance in the body, mind and spirit.
So much of today’s mass media society is about exploitative
sex, violence, wealth and physical perfection. All this serves to
stifle the ability to be comfortable in one’s own body and the
opportunity to embrace your imperfections and those of others. Frog
Meadow is a place to leave that all behind and celebrate the brotherhood
of men. |
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