Rock Spring Farm is for sale

Dear Contestants:

One of the benefits of this contest is that we have met you; thank you for being such awesome people. We are honored and humbled when reading your essays. We admire your courage, your brutal honesty about how you arrived where you are today, and your dreams for the farm. Your ideas are creative and range from simply sitting on the porch enjoying the view to helping soldiers heal and raising heirloom vegetables to rescuing horses.

Another benefit of this contest is that Randy has accepted it is time for us to begin our adventure! I am so grateful. Thank you for affirming his creativity and craftsmanship and giving him permission to dream and pass along his beloved Rock Spring Farm.

We are heartbroken that we have to tell you we did not receive enough entries for the judges to select a winning essay. Nothing would have made us happier than to have awarded Rock Spring Farm to one of you! We appreciate the countless hours you spent dreaming, crafting your essays, agonizing over just the right word to convey your thoughts, and, finally, waiting in joyful anticipation. We only can imagine your disappointment.

We cannot begin our adventure until we sell the farm. We are offering you the first opportunity to buy it. The price is $615,000, which is below market value. If you are interested in buying the farm, please send an e-mail to rockspringfarmvirginia@gmail.com, or call Randy at 804-241-5200. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to finance the farm, but we can give you the contact information of the bankers with whom we work. If none of you is interested, we will list the farm with a real estate firm for a much greater asking price.

Keep in mind that the cottage is rented to a retired police officer who recently completed paramedic training. He works for a firm that provides security detail for high-profile clients. He travels extensively and pays his rent on time. He would like to live on the farm for a long, long time.

We sincerely regret we could not complete the contest as we had expected. We hope you continue to dream, work fervently to accomplish you goals, and live the life you envision. Thank you for sharing your hopes and dreams with us!

We will begin refunding entry fees December 1 in the order we received them.

Randy and Carolyn

Antique walking wheel

Until I purchased this spinning wheel five years ago, 

it had been in the same Essex County family since the Civil War. $450

Three rocking horses

This antique doll rocker (#1) measures 27 inches tall  (19 inches to the withers) 

and 37 inches long tip-to-tip on the rockers. Original condition; showing signs 

that children enjoyed this toy! $350

Randy bought this horse (#2) at an antique store knowing that it is NOT an antique. 

He and Margie liked it and wanted to add this horse to their collection. It is 18 inches

 tall (13 inches to withers) and 21 inches long. $100

This toy horse/rocker (#3) on the rocker measures 15 inches to the saddle, 20 inches tall, and 23 inches long. Randy and Margie were told this was an antique and paid a lot of money for it. After they brought it home, they suspected it is not an antique. $150

Antique baby carriage in very good original condition

This antique baby carriage is in very good original condition. Since Margie and I did not have children, she collected dolls. Her favorites lived in the carriage. $425

Too much stuff!

Randy and I collectively have been married almost 70 years! We are like most American couples: we have too much stuff!!! With our impending move, we have to get rid of stuff. The most logical place to sell our stuff is this Web site. Pictures and descriptions of the stuff we will be selling will be interspersed with our posts about the farm and the contest.

George Carlin was a great comedian, although I never appreciated his language. If you can get past the four-letter words, his routine about too much stuff is hilarious. If you cannot get past his language, please skip the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac



If you want our treasured and beloved stuff, send an email to rockspringfarmvirginia@gmail.com!

We have a ton of stuff to post, so check back often!

What a day!

Today Margie would have been 62. I've heard lots of stories about her, and I knew I had big shoes to fill when I married Randy. Her friends welcomed me after I had been "vetted." They were polite when "getting to know me," but I knew they were making sure Margie would approve!

Many thanks to Collin Burkott for publishing this poem on the RSF Facebook page in Margie's memory: 

Each year I think of you as I shed so many tears.

It feels like just yesterday though it has been many years.

You're in a better place than this world could give.

Have a happy birthday, the memories I will relive."

Author Unknown

I attended two events today. The first was to meet Harry de Leyer, who in the 1950s bought Snowman for $80. Snowman, a former plowhorse, proved to be a great jumper and all around champion; the pair made history. A documentary of the friendship will be released next year. Tomorrow the film will debut at the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville. You can view the trailer here: www.harryandsnowman.com/trailer

I met Mr. de Leyer at Triple L Tack in Fredericksburg. He signed the Breyer company's replica of Snowman, which I bought, and a copy of a book about him, which I had bought a while back.

I left there to attend a Family Fun Day at the King George Recreation Center. I had bought a booth for my school. We played Spin the Wheel and asked lots of trivia questions. Some of the children answered the questions correctly, and some did not. Each received a prize! The children had fun, and the teachers had fun! We talked with lots of parents, and several said they would call me next week to schedule testing and tutoring classes!

Looking at the Rock Spring Farm Essay Contest Facebook tonight page felt strange. Today was the last day to submit an essay. Now the long wait begins.

The big question weighing on everyone's mind is, "How many entries do you have?" The answer is, "We do not know." We will not know for two to three weeks. We hope we reach our goal; if not, we hope we receive enough entries still to award the farm to a winner. The enrolled agent with whom I spoke earlier this week has not received an answer from the IRS about the taxes we will need to pay on the entry fees. That answer may have a huge impact on the outcome of this contest. As difficult as it is to wait, we must wait patiently

PLEASE do not continue to ask if we reached our goal. To me it feels the same as when (many years ago) I was pregnant and people would ask, "Have you had the baby yet?" You get the idea! Randy and I are reading and evaluating the essays as we get them, and WE PROMISE ... as soon as we know how many essays we received, we will let you know! 

As noted, Randy and I will select 25 finalists and pass those essays along to our judges. At that point, Randy will notify the 25 finalists. We will ask those who make the top 25 to keep their identities confidential, and we will invite them to contact us with questions about the property. Once the judges have selected a winner and two runners-up, we will contact the top three and post the 25 names in no particular order.

Here's the timetable:

November 7, Last day to submit essays
November 30, All essays must be received by this date
December 15, We will give 25 essays to the judges and notify the finalists by 9 p.m.
December 16, We will post the 25 entry numbers (not names), in no particular order.
January 1, 2016, We will contact the winner and the first and second runners-up.
TBD, The winner will visit Rock Spring Farm
TBD, After the winner has acknowledged in writing his or her intent to accept the property, we will announce the name of the winner. However, if for any reason the winner decides not to accept the property, we will repeat the process with the first runner-up.

You are free to continue posting on the RSF Facebook page. Please understand that 'Randy and I will be READING essays and not posting on FB on a regular basis.

Thanks for being such a wonderful, supportive, and amazing community!

You are one decision away from a totally different life!

The Rock Spring Farm Essay Contest will end in about 14 hours. What will you do?

If you are interested in owning a 35-acre hobby farm in rural Essex County, VA, you could write a 1,000-word essay describing what you would do with it and why you want to live in the country.

Here's how to turn that dream into a reality!

Step 1. Visit Rock Spring Farm's Google Drive and access the contest documents. There you will find all the rules and information you need to submit your entry.

Step 2. Visit the contest's Facebook page and look at the photos and the posts about the farm.

Step 3. Organize your thought and start writing!

Step 4. Proofread, revise, and edit your essay until it is says what your heart feels.

Step 5. Print your essay and get it in the mail before the post office closes Nov. 7!!!

Good luck to you!

View the new Rock Spring Farm video!

Enter the RSF Essay Contest today! Deadline November 7, 2015.