Marcia Gay Harden's Catskills Getaway

The spell was cast in minutes. One visit to this idyllic parcel of property and actress Marcia Gay Harden and her husband, Thaddaeus Scheel, were sold.

"It was October. Indian summer," recalls Marcia. "The trees were beautiful. The light, perfect. It was the magic hour. We knew immediately we had to buy it."

Twelve years -- and innumerable hours of TLC -- later, the couple have created a Thoreau-worthy retreat for themselves and their three young children-Eulala, 11, and twins Julitta and Hudson, 5.

Photographs by John Bessler
Written and produced by Jenny Bradley