our story
Zac Carlson Photography @z_carlson
OUR STORY
Like most things we don’t plan for in life, it feels like The Fallows found and wove us together, and brought this particular dream and space into form.
Kenlee and Bri met in the pandemic, initially connected by their intersecting passions as humans in the mental health field.
As two space-makers with a passion for all things grief and longing, they ventured to create an experience and invitation to be deeply held (therapy is great but have you ever sat under pine trees for an hour or stared at the water and listened?).
Unbeknownst to them before meeting, both Bri and Kenlee had experienced personal connections to the practice of lying ‘fallow’ (read below) throughout their lives and knew there could be no other name. ​
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The Fallows is more than a building to us: it is an invitation and an experience.
For some your time will be a necessary disruption, for others an initiation, a remembering. Whatever your reason to fallow, we trust it will meet you right where and as you are.
BRI
she/her/hers
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Bri nicknamed ‘Selkie’ for her love of being submerged in water at all times (and away from the camera) runs our back of house operations for The Fallows, including all your booking and stay questions/concerns/needs.
A believer that the little stuff is the big stuff, Bri brings her passion for all things detail and design that are therapeutic and human at heart.​
kenlee
she/her/hers
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Kenlee runs our front of house creative communication operations. She’s our all things hospitality/hype woman of The Fallows, believing that nature, community and space to be held are radical healers now more than ever.
You’ll find her written reflections over at @the_fallows and @tending_together on Substack, along with her hand-picked rocks along our entry path to greet you.​
why fallow?
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It is difficult to resist despair in an exhausted state. Denying the body is not an antidote to the suffering of the world. When we protect our rest, we protect our dreaming.
-Cole Arthur Riley
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The term ‘fallow’ is taken from the agricultural term for letting land deliberately rest in order to restore the soil with nutrients for growth.
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The Fallows was born with this vision in mind: to lie fallow is to have an experiential time of rest, nurture and care. By doing so, we reconnect with ourselves and offer re-engagement with our lives, work and community in the world upon return.
Whether you are coming to lie fallow for a solo trip after a time of deep grief, exhaustion or heartache, have felt the longing for some extended space to breathe deep and be held by nature, or want to tap into creativity and play with family or friends, we hope that this space will hold you exactly where you are. When we let ourselves lie fallow, something in us too can regenerate and grow anew from richer soil and more solid ground. ​​​​​​​​​​​
about the land
Just over two hours from the Twin Cities metro, The Fallows sits on one acre overlooking Lake Adney in Crosby MN in Crow Wing County, the land base for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
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The original builder had used this space as an art studio and had hoped that the land would be a place of rest and healing. Even though we never met the original owner, we hope to honor that vision at The Fallows now.
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about Lake adney
Learn more about Lake Adney & its refuge of nearly 100 years here.
Lake Adney has been a safe refuge for Black families in the past, and we hope to continue to honor that legacy for all those who stay.
