My Never Never Land

"You'll have a treasure if you stay there,
More precious far than gold.
For once you have found your way there,
You can never, never grow old."

 We've been away for two weeks yet it feels as though time stood still and we were away from home much longer than that. It's cool how vacations can do that for us. Just like Never Never Land.

 Our trip north began on a somber note with the passing of Steve's mom. We gathered in New York to honor Jane and spend time with Steve's dad and brothers and the extended family. Steve's family is strong in their Christian faith and I can't help but notice how different a funeral is when it is represented by a family of believers. Yes, there is the pain of loss in our hearts but, there is also much rejoicing and thankfulness for a life well lived, well loved, and the knowledge that this life ended in the arms of Jesus. I still can't imagine the world without Jane in it but she has left a wonderful part of herself and her generous spirit in every life she touched.

   After we spent a few days in New York, we began our planned vacation in New Hampshire and Maine with some stops along the way in Vermont. These states are our "happy places" and we choose to return to them year after year. We often consider that maybe we should go and explore somewhere else and then we say, "Nah!". We've been up and down the east coast, the Gulf of Mexico, as well as points west as far as St. Louis and Oklahoma. We like the cooler air of the north and the rugged, rocky coast of Maine. My heart yearns to return there time and again.

   We stayed at a B&B in Warner, NH called, The Maples at Warner while we visited Chelsea and her family. It was a lovely home and very comfortable. Chelsea took us to Muster Field Farm & the Matthew Harvey Homestead. Here, Hugo could run around and we could all explore this beautiful farm with its gorgeous gardens and many outbuildings and antique farm equipment. We spent another evening at Mount Kearsarge for a dinner picnic and a campfire. We only see Chelsea and her family two or three times each year (if we're lucky!) and we marvel over how the grandchildren have grown and matured since our last visit. Here are photos of some of the highlights from Musterfield Farm and Mount Kearsarge.

Oh, those rock walls!

 

 There are many outbuildings to explore, including a school house. This huge barn has a soaring cathedral-like ceiling. All the buildings are filled with antique farm equipment. Visitors are welcome to explore the grounds and outbuildings at their leisure.

 There are extensive, immaculately tended gardens. This vegetable garden is completely bordered with perennials. I took a lot of photos for ideas to implement in my own garden.

Produce, fresh cut flowers, and honey are sold at the farm stand.

This is the first time I've seen a wall built with firewood. It extends all the way down this road!

The picnic area on Mount Kearsarge...

... with beautiful sunset mountain views

Charlie observes the building of the fire while the sun goes down.

Hugo gets sooty having a grand time helping to build the fire.

The sunset bathed everything in golden light. Charlie was feeling ready for bed.