Once upon a time in a land, not so far away from the enchanting town of Los Gatos, an apple and stone fruit tree farm lay neglected and dormant. Nearby these orchards in the redwood glen, the trees were resting and waiting. All of the trees within this hidden kingdom would whisper stories to the wind of days gone by, telling of their dreams of tender loving care.
This is where our story begins: 35 years ago when Barbara and Mark Beck began to leave their mark on the landscape.
In the early dot-com days, a young married couple with two small children had conjured up a vision: buy some land that was suitable to raise their children, and invite other kids to come and play. “We wanted a place that every kid in the mountains could come to, and our children would be safe and happy,” Barbara says.
Realtors were consulted. A Santa Cruz Mountains map was inspected. Just where in the fresh air of these hills would be suitable? Would a neglected fruit orchard, with a decrepit house and a barn that had fallen down upon itself work? They found it a tad unappealing.
On the second tour, the Beck’s noticed a grove and went to see what might be under the redwood canopy near the lake. It was here that the trees summoned their courage and whispered to Barbara, This is the place. She wept gently and then turned to her husband Mark. “This is the place,” she repeated. And they promptly purchased the 36 acres.
A land of fantasy
“We built the fantasy garden and playhouse first,” Barbara says. Around this time she met up with Alrie Middlebrook, who helped create a whimsical Nestldown garden. A Never-Never Land feeling was achieved by turning a run-down orchard into an enchanting combination of native plants and trees.
The Nestldown that we know today began as; a desire for a fun, safe and garden area with a fantasy playhouse for children. Here in this wonderland fantasy is a common occurrence and reality slips back to non existence.
“As the years passed, Nestldown’s gardens evolved to expose the healing, restorative place we felt on that first day,” reads their website. “We hosted events for nonprofits, and respite days for doctors, nurses, social workers and families who had lost a loved one. From that, people began asking to hold their weddings here. We said yes, and yes again.”
I only learned of this “Once upon a time” land when the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce held a business mixer on March 21. I—as well as many of the Chamber members (including many long-time residents)—had not previously known of Nestldown (though I have a “Save the date” notice for a wedding, set to take place there, next year).
Community activities seem to be the focus of their current marketing efforts (think rehearsal dinners, corporate retreats, and so on). If you wish to hold an event here you get the entire estate. As Barbra said, “We make it work.”
[…] Read Dinah Cotton’s storybook take on Nestldown’s operation. […]