Many neighbors have volunteered help: Jerry Pittman made a major contribution of limbs to the tree fence, Nashville’ s landscape artist Todd Baker, who designs and maintains the town’ s landscaping, including the parking lot across the street, was a natural connection. Nell Percival donated large blocks of Brown County stone. David Wagler helped remedy erosion problems.
One of the first steps was clearing the property of invasive species. Ruth Ann Ingraham, naturalist and author of Swimming With Frogs: Life in the Brown County Hills, helped with the identification of the invasive species. They pulled up the euonymus and stilt grass. Thick briars drove Bob and Cindy into long sleeves and coats, despite soaring summer heat, when they worked to clear them.
Cindy and Bob both have a Brown County heritage. They were friends and dancing partners in the early 1970s, during the last of Nashville’ s quieter days when Foxfire books and Whole Earth Catalogs provided inspiration for dinner conversations and many of the small
photos by Greg Clarke
” The flooding provides an unbelievable habitat for wildlife and birds, from Baltimore orioles to hawks.”
owner-operated shops simply closed for three months in the winter.
Cindy’ s grandparents’ family farm was where the IGA is now. The David family farm, next to the Chuck Snyder family farm on State Road 46, was a huge influence on Cindy’ s love for Brown County’ s natural beauty and heritage. Bob was the roadie for the String Bean String Band, playing all the roles from sound guy, to lighting designer and driver for about ten years. Friends in the 1970s, the two became a couple shortly after Bob returned from California to Brown County in 2005.
In these first three years Bob and Cindy have put in a 350 foot log and branch wall, put water lines in, created a new 150 foot flower planter, fixed erosion at the drainage creek, and planted trees and flowers throughout The Property.“ We got rid of all the invasive plants, but the maintenance will alway be an ongoing project.” They planted only native Indiana plants.“ We’ re trying to keep it Hoosier,” Bob says with a twinkle.
So if you see Bob and Cindy at The Property, stop and say hello. Share your ideas and dreams for the space.“ The Property is a labor of love. We are searching for something to do with it that would suit us and benefit the town and county.” •
Sept./ Oct. 2014 • Our Brown County 21