EEEAAA-ONGK! EEEEAAA-OOONGK! It’s hard to judge if the abrupt braying of mother-and-son donkey duo Little Edie and Diego is truly as loud as it seems, or if the clamor is more a reflection of the prevailing tranquility of DrinkWater Farm.
Regardless, it doesn’t long distract from the spot’s serene spell. Situated not far from the Blue Ridge Parkway, the home of Wade Billeisen and Frank Carochi is reached via ten miles of narrowing rural roads southwest of bluegrass-loving Floyd, Virginia, that lead to a long gravel drive that runs along Burks Fork creek and a copse of trees with firewood stacked neatly between trunks.
Of DrinkWater’s 140 heavily wooded acres below Buffalo Mountain, the couple has spent the last few years carving out (literally, pretty much) a central tract that showcases lushly diverse plantings in degrees of formality, an abundant kitchen garden that achieves comparable flair, and several beguiling outdoor spaces for entertaining frequent guests. “We’re tucked back in a holler, surrounded by forest, so it’s important to create vistas that pull the eye along,” says Billeisen, who has taken on much of the planning and labor required to transform the property from its former life as a fairly staid farmette. “I believe in lots of layering—looking past one thing to
