Welcome to a special installment of Longview Alive, I am Aaron Brown, here with my co-host, Jessi Stead. She has put together an interactive virtual nature walk for this post, but first, I have an update on our outdoor initiatives.
Aaron Brown is a talented photographer & videographer. He combines his candid shots of our workshops & gallery receptions with unique closeup and aerial footage to create impressive promotional & instructional videos. - Jessi Stead
Enjoy this short recap video and read along as I recount my time behind the lens at this week’s workshops.
1. Outdoor Workshops
I spent the majority of my week capturing all of the fun activities we hosted on site. The relatively mild weather provided a perfect environment for these programs. Let’s take a peek at some of the event highlights.
Wineberry Harvest
This was the final week to harvest the wineberries found along the perimeter trail system at the farm. Even after all of the wildlife had their fill, there were plenty of fruits to be picked. In just a few minutes, we were able to fill our hands full of these sweet treats. What a great reason to get into Nature.
Plen Air Painting
Alexis Bocelli instructed us how to create a stunning landscape painting of the scenery that inspired the Longview Farm name. With seemingly effortless strokes of her brush, she transformed a white, barren, canvas into a captivating work of art. The setting sun was a perfect backdrop for such an inspirational workshop.
Mindful participation in the arts gives life purpose.
Yoga and Crafting
We all had a great stretch as Ally Antonini led the group through an array of yoga poses. The warmth of the sun and sounds of the wind rushing through the surrounding field of grass created an atmosphere for inner tranquility.
It was then time to head inside for a crafting session where we used materials found around the property to create dream catchers. Ally eagerly assisted us with our projects while describing some of her other artistic endeavors. The combination of the activities cultivated a sense of self-discovery and creativity.
Workshops mean a deeper sense of belonging in the community.
Nochino Spirits
The second of three sessions brought us together for a fun-filled afternoon of liqueur making. Ricky Eller directed the participants through the stages of filtration, sweetening, and mixing of the distilled walnut solutions. There were multiple recipes used to create a vast assortment of spirits. The taste testing was an invigoration experience, and we eagerly await sampling the mature beverage this Fall.
What next?
For our nature lovers following along, we are building some exciting educational resources like virtual workshops, an instructional video library and - you guessed it - more outdoor workshops!
My cohost, Jessi Stead, was engaged with learning more about the flora that can be found on the property. Her ability to convey a sense of curiosity and emotion through her photography is quite a unique talent. - Aaron
Thanks Aaron! Let’s find out what’s alive and well on the farm. - Jessi
This week I captured some exciting new developments as July came to a close. I spotted milkweed pods, wild thyme seeds, red clover seeds, and a pop of goldenrod.
Milkweed Pods (top right) Golden Rod (bottom right) St. John's Wart (bottom left) | Jessi Stead
I was able to identify St. John’s Wart with some help from our teammate, Ricky Eller. Can you help me identify the rest of the plants photographed above?
Alive & Well
Let’s play a game. Here’s some pretty white flowers we identified in 10 Weeks of Longview Alive. They are all still alive and well as of the beginning of Aug 2025.
Do you know which ones we should keep, and which ones we should kill?
Keep, keep, kill, keep (Left to Right, Top to Bottom) | Jessi Stead
Did you get it right? Let’s go again: Keep, Keep, Kill?
Keep, keep, kill, kill | Jessi Stead
Last round!
Keep, kill, keep, keep | Jessi Stead
Editor’s Notes
After some more close up shots of the Nightshade that’s lurking in our fields, I have identified it as Solanum carolinense - Wikipedia AKA Horsenettle AKA Devil’s Tomato, which is still a Nightshade, not in the Nettle family despite it’s thorns.
Keep or Kill? While it is true that Horesnettle is indigenous to the area and has been used medicinally, it contains high levels of the alkaloid Solanine, which can be deadly. These are the same alkaloids that make green potatoes (why potatoes are kept in the dark) and large quantities of tomato skin toxic.
While these purple plants are not Deadly Nightshade (thankfully!) the fact remains that they are a Nightshade and can be deadly.
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