Brewster conservation

by Donna Cain, innkeeper and owner

For us, conservation is a lifestyle. For example, we strive to do the right things in being green at the inn, using farm to table practices and reusing things whenever possible. This philosophy took on a new twist when we lost part of a beautiful Norwegian Maple in the back of the Captain Freeman. This tree is probably about 125 years old, based on it’s size and countable rings. When we purchased the Captain Freeman our new neighbors came over to introduce themselves and laughed when they said they had adopted our tree, as the inn had been vacant for several years. The grass on the rest of our property was several feet high, but our gracious neighbors had mowed the grass around the tree and had set a bench at the base. It really was a lovely thought as their grandchildren came to visit in the summer, and they all gathered around  this tree to let the kids play in a small  pool. Since then we have lovingly restored the grounds around the inn and have also enjoyed it’s shade and respite in the summer months. This past winter we had several North Easters that brought down two large limbs of the tree.

Side lawn at the Captain Freeman

We were saddened as it was evident that the tree was diseased and would probably have to be totally removed in the next few years. My husband Byron cut up some of the branches and again our neighbor came and asked if we would mind if a friend took some of the wood as he was a craftsman that made lovely bowls. We were glad to share and know that the wood was put to some good use.

This morning as we were finishing up breakfast and had a surprise visit from Craig McConchie. Criag is a talented artist who specializes in wood and glass. He brought us a beautiful round bowl made from our tree:)

Wood bowl by Craig McConchie

Byron and I were both so tickled when we looked at this web site, Tobias Wood and Glass and saw all of his beautiful pieces.Some of Craig’s other pieces that can be purchased on Etsy include:

Wood bowls

Stained glass

Stained glass

We had a great conversation with Craig and were delighted to learn that his grandparents use to own “High Brewster” We had heard many stories from our guests about this restaurant and inn that was renowned for their great home style meals.

High Brewster Homested

High Brewster was built in 1738 by the Winslow family on the north edge of Lower Mill Pond. It was run as an inn for most of the past century. The Thorne family bought it in 2001 and have been restoring it ever since.

I was also excited to learn that Craig raises chickens (I have wanted to get a chicken coop for year) and honey and would be able to provide us with some fresh eggs and honey for our breakfasts at the Captain Freeman Inn.

So all in all a great day! So much fun to have a beautiful bowl to remember our beautiful tree. We are talking about what species we will replace it with ….. thinking about a Tupelo or Swamp Oak Tree.