I see images like the one above and it I feel completely calm and at peace.  This scene is exactly what I was thinking about when I was looking for our new home on several acres.  Serenity for me had a lot to do with privacy.  I would joke often that I wanted to be able to walk around naked.  I really have no intention of doing that but the fact that I could is fantastic!

My criteria:

1.  5 + acres of usable land (no big cliffs or drop offs).

2.  Not near any chicken farms.

3.  Pasture land to wooded acreage ratio needs to work.  We don’t own a big tractor and farming isn’t our full time job.  We needed to proceed with caution in this area!  We didn’t want to have to jump right in to have several cows and goats just to take care of the grass!

4.  30-45 minute commute to particular areas that we frequent.

5.  With or without a house.  We were open to the idea of building new!

What are you looking for in a new location?  What is your definition of serenity?

Photo credit: Theo Birdynam