This week I loaded up the children and on a whim we went to New Hampshire to visit my friend, Lori. And I'll just warn you now: This is going to be a long blog. So if you have slightly more urgent things to do in the near future, go do it quick and then come back, kick your feet up, and read all my ramblings...and take the tour!
I've known Lori since my Colorado days when we were in our twenties...living the Rocky Mountain life in Vail. I was actually living between Vail and Beaver Creek...near Minturn...and she was in Beaver Creek. We've been through the ups and downs of life together...weathering the storms and adjusting to the shifts and changes life always brings along the way. Except for those 2 years in Vail, most of our friendship has been the long-distance variety....with lots and lots of phone calls...and a few memorable visits like our rendezvous in NY City where we stayed in the Helmsley Hotel overlooking St. Patrick's Cathedral or a weekend in Santa Fe. When I visited her in Telluride back in '94 we took a horseback ride up into the mountains where we happened upon one of those old abandoned corrals. Given the ideal spot to rest the horses, we had a picnic of gourmet sandwiches and a glass of chardonnay. Don't ask me how those wine glasses never got broken! The other night we agreed that day still ranks as our absolute most perfect day.
For many years I've been in Texas while she was in CO, and moving to Maine made it even further. But as coincidence would have it, a year after we moved to ME, Lori bought a lovely house in her home state of NH and relocated herself and her 2 kids. So now we're only a 4 hour drive apart...the closest location-wise we've been in years. However, we just haven't taken advantage of our proximity to each other nearly as much as we should be!
The weather was pretty chilly and overcast when we left in the morning, but by the time we made it to Portland the sun was out and heating up fast!
My son was so excited to be traveling uncharted territory...or at least uncharted by him anyway...so I broke down and gave him an early birthday present...yes! A New England Road Atlas! Yippee! As you can tell, he was enthralled the entire way...and actually saved me a wrong turn or 2...or 3!
As we were eating lunch, this man over there behind the bushes began to plunk away on his fiddle. So we had lovely sunshine and soft music for our picnic by the sea! Nice, huh!
We're Here...
And here we are! Lori's home is tucked away on an intricate maze of tiny roads on the outskirts of the quaint historical town of Amherst. And Amherst happens to be just past Bedford where my cute little farmhouse was that I rented way back in 1991 when I worked for 8 months in NH...before moving back to Dallas. The kids wanted to see my little farmhouse and I was curious myself so we took a side tour up Joppa Hill Rd. to see what we might see. Sure enough it was still there...just as it always had been. The big old farmhouse that was just down from mine had been torn down but the barn and silo were still there. The large field across from it was still wide open with no housing development (Yay!) but just down from that where I used to go for my runs was now numerous soccer fields. I admit, though, soccer fields are still better than houses or office buildings!
Let me introduce to you these very sweet Morgan mares, Caretta and Ruthie! They actually belong to her fiance who has a 500 acre farm...that we hope to finally visit this summer!... up in northern NH. These two are young and in need of some handling so Lori's brought them down to her place to work with more regularly. They're doing really well...as you'll soon see! : )
We're pulling into the back drive between the barn and garage to get unloaded. The kiddos can't wait to get into that pool!!
The Front...
So let's begin the tour...shall we? I'm so excited to be here! Lori's done so much with this place too! I've always admired how she decorates and landscapes and have borrowed upteen zillion ideas from her over the years! The above photo is looking out across the front yard and front pasture. Lori put in all the cedar fencing and her mom worked on the front flower beds including that lovely one along the fence over there.
I adore her taste...and she always makes her home so comfy and relaxing...
This is the front entry. She put down all new wood floors and carpeting upstairs. She had all the walls repainted this khaki-beige color...and most of the woodwork in white...really makes the red accents pop!
Now I'm backing up...about to turn around...
As I just turn around from the living room, we move right into this dining area...that pass-through window looks into the kitchen...
And perched prettily on the kitchen windowsill above the sink are these fat pink peony blooms...and a windowbox of pansies behind them...mmmm...
The Back...
She just finished this wonderful deck last summer...and this would be the primo spot where I spent 90% of my time...knitting, of course! I picked up a skein on the way down that just happened to pick up her kitchen colors of sage greens and golden yellows beautifully...and knit her a couple of washcloths before I left!
While the kiddos spent the entire time here...splashing and running the dogs around non-stop...
The pasture wraps around to the back here through these woods. She's cleared a number of trees and brush then put down a thick layer of wood chips in this back area...
The Barn...
Lori ordered this barn custom made from the Amish. Don't they do an incredible job?? She painted it to match the house, added the large overhang, and then paved underneath it...
In this space at the edge of the overhang she's planted some herbs...chives, basil, parsley, and cilantro. On the very end are a row of tomato plants.
The stalls on the end are for the horses where she's installed those very handy self-waterers in each stall...and this closest stall she uses as the tack room and hay storage.
And here we are back with the kiddos and dogs again. Hope you enjoyed hangin' out with me for my ramblings and tour! I'll cover our horseback riding...and then show you some scenes from quaint little Amherst, NH next...and the darling dollhouse shop, too! Stay tuned! : D