Out and About – Page 2 – This Old House 2

American Museum of Natural History

Last weekend mom and I and a few of the kids took a trip into NYC and the AMNH. As is usual on a sunny spring Sunday, the city was jammed. We drove in, because parking is pretty easy at the museum and also at the Marriott Marquis, and I like the idea of being in control – ha. The passengers in my vehicle may have had a different experience. I am a people watcher through and through – and there were thousands of interesting people to… watch. Driving and watching, unless we’re talking street signs and signals… don’t mix when every two seconds you need to make a decision.

Anyway! We’re still here to talk about it. What a feeling it is… to look at the same exhibits I first viewed 40 years ago – (did I just say that?) And of course there were new exhibits, as the museum rotates special ones out periodically.

As you enter the museum at it’s main entrance, a statue of Theodore Roosevelt on horseback greets you. Standing on either side of him are an American Indian and an African American, meant to symbolize the continents of Africa and America.

The buildings and the architecture in this part of the city… with Central park at it’s core.. is just beautiful.

The Dakota, a residence just down the road, also flanking Central park.. is just one example.. quite a history if you’re not familiar with it… also the place John Lennon lived and was shot in front of. If I had to live in the city, which I love but would never want to inhabit… this is where I’d like to be, although my finances beg to differ.

Inside the museum… We walked through the butterfly exhibit, which houses thousands of different species of butterfly…

And viewed the same stuffed animals I saw as a child myself… staring through their glassy eyes at the millions of visitors who pass before them for many years now. Funny thing… my son had a look on his face and shook his head slightly… I knew exactly what he was thinking, cut from the same cloth, you see. ” Dead animals”. “They were killed just to be stuffed and mounted here for decades. Whole Families!”… said he. Sad fact… the Black Rhino is among them… now.. extinct.

Museum Selfies…

The Dinosaurs are truly amazing and the museum has quite a collection, I’m guessing the largest available.

A new exhibit is the Titanosaurus…via the museum website… ” In January 2016, the Museum added another must-see exhibit to its world-famous fossil halls: a cast of a 122-foot-long dinosaur. This species is so new that it has not yet been formally named by the paleontologists who discovered it. Paleontologists suggest this dinosaur, a giant herbivore that belongs to a group known as titanosaurs, weighed in at around 70 tons. The species lived in the forests of today’s Patagonia about 100 to 95 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period, and is one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered.

The remains were excavated in the Patagonian desert region of Argentina by a team from the Museo Paleontologico Egidio Feruglio led by José Luis Carballido and Diego Pol, who received his Ph.D. degree in a joint program between Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History. One of the 8-foot femurs, or thigh bones, found at the site is among five original fossils on temporary view with The Titanosaur.

To stand next to this baby is hard to describe… see the size of the folks in the picture? Godzilla comes to mind.

The Hayden Planetarium is a sight to behold – no pictures allowed while viewing.. on the right is a self sustaining living sphere, whos eco system works in harmony so that no outside influence is needed.

Outside in the park, people, dogs, horses, cyclists, joggers, enjoyed the good weather with spring in the air. We illegally fed pigeons pieces of pretzel while two of my people strolled in the park – they are in the V of the tree, do you see them?

After our museum visit we drove to the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and mom treated us all to a delicious dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top – The View. The elevators go up 45 floors…traveling very fast, it was a scene out of Star Trek, I’m telling ya.

It takes about an hour for the room to revolve completely, so the view changes as you dine.

A good day was had by all.

And the sun will rise…

No matter what happens in life (and death) the sun always rises. Life goes on. Sometimes in the greatest losses, that concept seems surreal.

Mom and I flew down to Melbourne, Florida last week to be with family as we said good bye to our Uncle, Father, Husband, Grandfather, Father-in-law, Friend. While the occasion was a sad one, I couldn’t help but note that my Uncle also loved getting together with family and friends. He was always a big presence at gatherings, and more than a few of us felt he was among us in spirit as we gathered from all over the country on the beach and at his service and his home afterward.

I’m not religious, as I’ve stated here before.. but I do believe there is more to the human spirit than we fully understand… our bodies are a series of nuts and bolts that work together miraculously, but it’s our essence.. what makes us individuals, with feelings, emotion, empathy, etc… that cannot be explained by mechanical means. That energy in some form, I believe, remains.

We had a few days to soak up some Florida sun… the weather was perfect and we enjoyed the glorious sunrises and sunsets, as well as time spent with family.

Have you ever tried Frickles? ( basically beer battered fried pickles) Lord, let there be no Heaven where there are no dogs, horses and frickles. – Just sayin.

Vermont Agriculture

My favorite thing to do when we visit Vermont is to hunt down the old barns with my camera. Back in the day, the houses were small and sturdy and the barns were built BIG, to accommodate the livelihood of the farmers, their livestock and crops. Many are tumbling down now, sad to see.

PS – Blogger is giving me real issues with fixing fonts on this post.. I apologize for the unruly appearance and size of fonts.

Some Agricultural History: (or, skip to the pictures) Farming has always played a major part in the lives of Vermonters. In the late 1700’s, most Vermonters lived on self sufficient farms, which meant they consumed most of the food they produced. Sheep were introduced to Vermont in 1811 and soon they became a major source of income for farmers. The rough hillsides and climate of the state were especially suited for sheep raising. By the 1840’s competition from other areas and economic conditions led to a decrease in sheep farming.

In the years before the Civil War, Vermont began to move towards dairy farming. Just after the late 1840’s, before there was refrigeration, the milk was made into cheese and butter and shipped by railroad to out of state markets. After the refrigerated railroad car was invented in 1910, fluid milk was shipped in large quantities to cities like Boston and New York.

In 1983 79% of the money made on farms was from dairy products and in 1995 it was 69.9%, but as it has in the past, farming in Vermont is changing. There are fewer farms and less of the land in the state is used for agriculture. Only the prime farmland remains in agriculture. 21.5% of Vermont land was used for the purpose of farming in 1997. One reason for this is an increase in population and the resulting demand for good land. Land is expensive and may sometimes bring large amounts of money when it is sold for housing instead of being used for farming. Large farms may sometimes have a tax burden that is too difficult for the farmer to pay. Much of our food is now shipped in from the west and south where it can be produced more cheaply. Also there is an increase in the percentage of farmers who work at jobs off the farm to help supply themselves. This means an increase in the number of part-time farms.

We visited Sugarbush Farm first, owned by the Luce Family …had a nice visit with their Belgian draft horses and bought some syrup and cheddar cheese. Many of the remaining farms work very hard just to stay afloat, some of the families go back for three or four generations and are trying to hold on to their heritage… no easy feat. When I say “work very hard” – their physical labor is intense all year through and the money is sporatic and the pay not what it should be given the value of the fresh food and produce they provide. Another problem is the young generation that would normally take over the responsibilities as their elders “age”… are turning away from the rural way of life and moving elsewhere, choosing a different path. Then there are the economics of the beast… the land becomes more valuable than the sparse income these families can eek out with all that hard work. That brings on a whole slew of other issues, sometimes dividing families in the process.

You’ve probably heard of the slogan… No Farms, No Food… ?…. well, when we buy fresh from these farms, the quality is outstanding and it’s easy to see how our factory produced foods have taken us down a rocky road. What many of us consume now can’t compare to what these farms have to offer. What happens when they’re all gone? It’s happening, slowly, but surely… you just have to take a ride out into the country and talk to them.

The Luces are the second, third and fourth generations to live on Sugarbush Farm. Jack and Marion Ayres bought the farm in 1945 with a dream to make a go of country living. They were the first folks in Vermont to start packaging cheese in waxed bars so they would travel well without refrigeration. By 1975 the Boston Globe wrote about Sugarbush Farm “At the end of a scenic Vermont road lies a Cheese Lovers paradise.” In 1995 the American Cheese Society awarded Sugarbush Farm a Blue ribbon for the best smoked cheese in the country. Today the farm is operated by Betsy, the Ayres’s daughter, her husband Larry and their sons Ralph and Jeff. Its the Luce family’s goal to keep the farm a working, active operation. The future looks bright for the fourth generation with 7 grandchildren learning good working habits on the farm.

Cheese, freshly waxed….

More Barn Charm….

Because it wasn’t far off our path, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to photograph Jenne Farm – the most photographed farm in New England. Jenne farm, located on Jenne Road in Reading, Vermont, has been owned by the same family for generations. The current residents are struggling to keep the farm going, and because of the prime real estate, it is feared they will eventually have to let go of it for development, yet another gem lost to us forever. I hope a way is found to preserve it.

A photo taken by a photographer in fall….

My version on a mid winter day ….

We visited the Billings Farm and Museum, right on the outskirts of Woodstock, walking distance from the Inn… click here for more info.. History of the farm HERE. In brief, it was donated to the state of Vermont as a national historical park by the Rockefellers and serves as a working dairy farm and educational facility/museum on the history of rural Vermont farm life. For $14. you get the full tour, including a walk through the homesteads, the immaculate dairy barns, nursery and a sleigh or wagon ride, depending on the footing.

If he had his druthers… Mike’s dream cabin, where he can get away from it all.. just down the hill from Sugarbush Farm..

Thanks for tagging along 🙂 And whenever you get the chance… buy fresh, buy local.. .support local farmers, producers, farm markets. It matters, and you benefit. Win win.

Quechee, Vermont and the Simon Pearce Gallery

We visited Quechee, just up the road from Woodstock Center – located along the Ottauquechee River in the Town of Hartford. Quechee Gorge is stunning, and forms the southeast edge of the town. I didn’t get pictures of the gorge, as the snow/ice were too heavy on the edges for safe photography climbing. The covered bridge was heavily damaged in Hurricane Irene and had to be rebuilt. The Simon Pearce mill also sustained damage and lost it’s entire glass works floor, on the lower lever. Amazing how that hurricane affected this area of Vermont, hours from the coast.

A must stop in this area is the Simon Pearce gallery and restaurant – the food is divine (accent on fresh, local) and we enjoyed watching the glassworks downstairs. The mill itself is incredible, with a huge waterfall that powers the entire place. Amazing….

Some history on Quechee… This is long, but it’s worth the read – to see a once thriving community turn into a ghost town, and with thoughtful ressurction, it is thriving once again. .. (or.. skip to the pictures)

Quechee was settled in the 1760s when homesteaders were deeded acres for the erection of mills along the Ottauquechee River. The mills became the heartbeat of this community, providing everything from lumber to cider for the settlers. To accommodate growing traffic, a bridge was built over the Ottauquechee River at the current site of the Quechee covered bridge.

During the 1800s, the mills thrived, gaining particular attention for fabric. J.C. Parker and Co. (the property now occupied by Simon Pearce Glass) developed a fabric, “shoddy”, made of new wool and reworked soft rags, thereby gaining a reputation for producing some of the country’s finest white baby flannel. Another woolen mill, Dewey and Company, was establishing its reputation providing fabric for making baseball uniforms for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Over 64 buildings sprang up around this company, creating the village of Dewey’s Mills just downstream from Quechee Village.

In the 1950s, due to the shortage of an affordable labor force and the enticement of the South and its labor force, the mills started closing. Quechee lost the economic base that had existed for almost 200 years. The once booming community became a village of abandoned buildings with broken windows, fallen roofs, brush and bramble covered walls, crumbling foundations, a ghost town of what it had once been.

To add to the decline of Quechee Village, in 1962 a project to address flooding in the lower Connecticut River was initiated. As a result of this project, the village of Dewey’s Mills and that mill ceased to exist. In its place, the Army Corps of Engineers built a causeway between Dewey’s Mills Pond and the Ottauquechee River, which has created a walking trail and wonderful wildlife sanctuary.

In the late 1960s, a group of investors arrived in the area looking for that quintessential Vermont land to build a four-season resort community. As this was the first development of its size to come under the jurisdiction of Vermont’s Land Use Act 250 Law, the end result is a resort that is well planned, developed and maintained with great attention to its surrounding, which includes the Ottauquechee River Valley, its hillsides, open meadows and woodland. Known as the Quechee Lakes Corporation, the company purchased all available land for its planned community and amenities. Today, the Quechee Lakes Resort is one of New England’s finest resorts for seasonal and year-round owners.

Quechee Gorge, known as “Vermont’s Little Grand Canyon”, on the Ottauquechee River is one of New England’s most popular natural wonders. Trails from the Quechee Gorge Visitor Center weave throughout the area (Gorge land is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers) and the Quechee Gorge State Park. A true destination site, over 200,000 visitors visit the Vermont Institute of Natural Science nearby, fish and canoe the river, hike the trails in summer and fall, and cross country ski and snowshoe in the winter.

I took the picture below from the bridge… the power of this waterfall is indescribable….
The Simon Pearce Mill/Gallery/Restaurant is on the right.. the glassworks on the lower level…

We watched a Martini Glass come to be… the teamwork and the speed at which they have to move to work with the fired glass is incredible… It takes about three years for a team to come together and work really efficiently at this trade.

We came home with a set of ivory crackle glaze dishes, very sturdy and beautifully made. Next post.. the rural beauty of this part of Vermont – We’ve explored the state some over the years.. and have to say, it’s our favorite spot.

Woodstock, Vermont – It’s a beautiful thing

The Mr. and I spent a lovely weekend in Woodstock, Vermont – lodging at the Woodstock Inn. The accommodations are luxurious, the staff very friendly and the food divine. We had uncommonly warm weather for February in Vermont, but even if you were snowed in, the Inn has so much to offer and is so expansive, there’s room to wander without ever stepping outside. There is a spa, two restaurants and tavern, a gift shop, swimming pool in summer, a full game room for the young and young at heart, many sitting areas throughout, a huge fireplace to lounge in front of in the lobby, wine and cheese tasting in the evenings… It’s not cheap, but for a few night stay, it’s well worth the money even if it’s a big indulgence. If you ski, golf, snow shoe or xcountry ski, they have packages for that too.

The Town of Woodstock is absolutely beautiful. The Inn is located right on the Green, their address is 14 The Green, so no need to get in the car to walk in the village. There are many well maintained older and stately homes, not something you see a lot of in Vermont, so this surprised me. Main Street and the Green have many shops, boutiques, restaurants, artisan galleries, a very old movie theatre and long standing businesses like the Pharmacy and General Store, established in the late 1800s –

If your’e interested – a brief history of Woodstock HERE –

Delightful walking in this town.. and Middle Bridge is just across from the Inn…

see the star on the hill above it?

Bridge selfie

The General Store was founded in 1886….

Original wood floors and shelving.

How many feet have walked these floors, carrying all their stories…

You can find just about EVERYTHING here… there are rooms I haven’t photographed..

Hunting and fishing gear, wine, groceries, wooden bowls and pottery and glassware and books and

boots and jackets and t shirts and toiletries and if you’re so inclined…

have a seat and play a game of checkers.

The pharmacy has the same feel, but a little more upscale.

I’ll be back with a tour of Quechee and the Simon Pearce Mill…

Time Off and Stonington, CT

The husband has, for the very first time, given his crew this week off. On the second day of the most unnatural- for- him hiatus -….. he got antsy.

“What was I thinking, taking this week off.. there is SO MUCH TO DO!@#*!.”

I pointed out for the two thousand and twenty seventh time in our history together that in the 27 years I’ve known him there has never been a time when there wasn’t SO MUCH TO DO!@#*! but life is too short and every single being needs time to unwind and rewind and that included HIM, let alone his work crew. I don’t know that he’ll ever truly get that memo, but I’ll keep trying. Needless to say he was in and out of the office all week. We did manage some fun though.. yesterday especially.

So.. off we went on a short ride to Stonington, CT .. a lovely old New England village with gorgeous old houses originally built for sea captains, etc. Many of the houses on main street date back to the 1700’s and are beautiful kept. Main Street rides out to a peninsula where you get an unobstructed view of the ocean. The color of the water this time of year is deep blue green marine. Gorgeous, wild, and COLD.

Stonington is located in New London County, population approx. 18,000. The first European colonists arrived in 1649 and officially became part of Connecticut in 1662 when CT received its royal charter. The town acquired wealth in the 1790s when its harbor became home to a fleet involved in the sealing trade – where the skins of seals clubbed on the Chilean and Patagonian coasts were sold as fur in China.

Ugh.

Back to the day – First up was lunch at the waterfront Dog Watch Cafe… loved it. We found the people to be very friendly and the food delicious… I didn’t snap pictures inside, the shame of it. I can tell you with certainty their Reuben sandwiches, Veggie Burgers, clam chowder and Bloody Marys are the bomb. The seafood everything looked pretty awesome too, maybe next trip we’ll sample some of that.

Then we drove down Main Street and I proceeded to drive the guy nuts with the stop and go that is necessary for good picture taking. It was very cold and the wind was blowing, so I darted in and out of the truck with great efficiency and speed, I must say. Still…. the chagrin 🙂

There are many charming stores and restaurants along the way…

.. and the jewels in the crown.. all the old homes…..

The beauty is in the details.. everywhere. Dental and crown molding abounds… love the design of this window…

The entire village reminds me of one of my other favorite places, Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard.

Most of these homes have ocean in their backyard or just across the way.

I could live here happily… love the color choices. What you see above is this homes backyard.

We also visited Stonington Cemetery located at the entrance to town… a 22 acre non-sectarian burial ground founded in 1849, although there are many graves dating back to the 1700’s. According to their website… The Stonington Cemetery was incorporated in 1849 when a small 18th century burial ground was expanded by a group of Stonington residents who created a significant horticultural and aesthetic landscape site. Many in the group made their fortunes in the whaling and shipping trades and were responding to the “rural” or “garden” cemetery movement of the time. The intention was to create settings for relaxation and contemplation rather than sorrow or loss.

Annie Wheeler was just 15 when she passed.

Below is the very gothic Billings Mausoleum. It was a showcase for the art glass of the J & R Lamb Studios but the windows are all boarded up so you can’t view the glass. What a shame – but I suppose vandalism avoidance is the reason.

The Mr. often talks about wanting a family mausoleum for when we have all passed. Personally I see it as a big waste. I want to be cremated and my ashes scattered where they might nourish a tree… or tossed off a cliff into the ocean. Use the money you might have spent on a lavish funeral and burial to donate to an animal shelter or homeless shelter. I like the idea of becoming one with nature again, instead of a rotting corpse encased in whatever.. forever. Who .. of the Billings loved ones.. comes to pay their respects now, I ask you?… and this will sit for centuries.. until someone decides it won’t.

HERE is a listing for a lovely ocean front condominium down at the bottom of Main Street in this lovely town… if I win the lotto we can all share it for a little respite now and then, ok? Ok.

It’s a new day all.. while we’re all still here… make it a good one 🙂

Ghost Town For Sale – just in time for Halloween

A while back I posted pics of a vacant “town” here in CT, just across the river. Click HERE for that post. Long story short – an eccentric millionaire bought the place and in the 1960’s began transforming what was an old mill and homestead into a village that he planned to have open to the public for events, etc. Some old buildings – 1800’s.. from all around New England were moved to the property.. a church, a school, a livery stable, a General Store, etc… and his vision for a village, called Johnsonville, began to take life. For a while there were activities.. like weddings and Christmas displays, a restaurant briefly, antiques store, etc. But as his health declined, so did the village vision. Once he passed, the property went on the market – reasons for the family not continuing with his vision vary, and some family members insist they wanted to move forward with his plan. Alas, it never came to be. Nor did the sale. Currently, the 62 acre property and all it’s buildings are going to auction… with the possibility that the whole thing will sell for as little as $800,000. – wow.

Mike and I took one last stroll through the grounds yesterday before the probable event that it will all be taken down. We hope not, but the truth of it is, there is so much work that would need to be done to restore each of the buildings, so much updating… i.e. asbestos removal, very expensive for each dwelling, etc… that the odds are not in favor of restoration of the village.

I should tell you that if you are local and considering browsing the property… heed the no trespassing signs. Even though it looks abandoned, it is not. There are still family members living in one of the houses on the property and they don’t take kindly to us shutterbugs invading their space. Understandable, and I’m sure there are hard feelings among them about the state of the property.

For an article on the property and auction, click on link below.

http://www.ctpost.com/realestate/article/How-much-would-you-pay-for-a-Connecticut-ghost-5827070.php

The original Johnson Homestead –

In the above picture you can see the red restaurant building lower on the hill… and below is the church.. just across the street….

A School House moved to the site in the 60’s….

The post office building… just across the road from the homestead, where a there was once a productive working mill. Moodus itself was a Mill town back in the day.

There are several homes along the road, one or two still occupied …. they most likely date to the late 1800’s , early 1900’s. All would need much work.

The Restaurant… I read in a forum for a while it was named the Red Door. There was a Victorian Gift Shoppe below it, and perhaps an antiques shop as well.

The General Store….

The handle on the front door is so unique.. there are touches like this throughout the buildings. I hope someone salvages them.

The Livery Stable/Carraige house

As we were leaving, storm clouds gathered, the sky darkened,

the wind picked up and rain fell swiftly.

We ran back to the car and I took one last shot of the Johnsonville Home….

As I looked over, I noticed something I didn’t think was possible, the house is so dilapidated.

Just a half hour previously.. see first photo in the post.. the porch was unlit.

A message from the house?

A light turned on in the hopes of welcoming someone home?

I hope someone somewhere saves her.

If you’ve got $10,000 to put down to prove you are serious…you can bid on this

awesome little town. Link to the auction HERE

Road Trip! Vermont

A drizzly morning turned into a wonderful day as we weaved along Vermont Route 30 and on into Manchester to do some land looking, leaf peeping and apple, cider and pie hunting.

After a hearty breakfast at Cracker Barrel on I-91 in Massachusetts, we headed into Vermont via Route 30, stopping in Dummerston (oh, that beautiful covered bridge.. see previous post HERE).. While in town, we visited Scott Farm. I read an article in this month’s Yankee Magazine about an old state owned 571 acre farm and orchard lovingly cared for and overseen by a fellow named Zeke Goodband who believes in cherishing the heirloom gems of the past that few of us get to experience in todays mass produce world -(think your standard Red Delicious, McIntosh, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious). 100 years ago there were at least 100 other varieties of apple, all with distinct and unique flavors.

The Hidden Rose variety was our pick for the day…

Zeke makes this cider himself from all the varieties of apple on the farm.

We brought home two LARGE ball jars full – the limit for any one customer,

that’s how popular it is. It is LIQUID GOLD, that kind of delicious.

The buildings all have a beautiful slate roof, the slate originally from Vermont

and a very popular affordable roof material back in the day. As you can see, they last

and survive the Vermont winters just fine… much like the hearty people of the land.

While we were at the farm buying some delicious jams, crisp tart Hidden Rose apples and the best apple cider you’ll ever know, Zeke walked into the farm stand. He’s easy to recognize with his gentle expression and long beard. I was thrilled to meet him and told him I so enjoyed the recent article in Yankee Magazine. He is a lovely, quiet, gentle soul and appeared embarrassed at the recognition. The dedication and hard work year round it takes to do what he does, preserving these gems that for a while were all but abandoned, serves us all in an immeasurable way. I wish there were 5,000 more like him.

photo of Zeke courtesy Yankee Magazine/Michael Piazza

To read more about Zeke Goodband and the centuries old farm once owned and loved by Rudyard Kipling… article HERE.

Next stop along Route 30 was the Heritage Fair in Newfane. I’ve blogged on it before… the apple pies the church ladies make are divine, as is their corn and potato chowder. Crafters come from all over and their work is beautiful. There is a charming house I am in love with, it’s right on Main Street and I’ve photographed it before.. but it’s worthy of another shot. We also got to listen to the down-home folk music of The Bourbon Shuffle… and there was some tractor lust.

On to Manchester, an upscale Vermont town with many fine shops, dining, book stores, ski slopes such as Bromley and Stratton, … and some gorgeous mountain views. We did some land searching just for the fun of it and found more than one spot we could fall in love with.

See what I mean? *sigh*

Thanks for coming along for the ride –

The Durham Fair Seasons of my Life

The first time I visited the Durham Fair I was a brand new Connecticut resident and college student. It was also my first experience with large agricultural fairs. Love at first sight for me…… the food! The animals! The rides! Crafts! Games! The Commercial tent! Live Music Entertainment!..and we’re talking some of the greats… Loretta Lynn, 38 Special, Charlie Daniels, REO Speedwagon… KC and the Sunshine Bank, remember them?

A really cool fact – Established in 1916, it’s one of the largest in New England and is still run entirely by a volunteer staff without paid management or employees. Amazing.

As a young person the Durham Fair was exciting for it’s pick-up potential.. so many young folks hyped on the night time vibe at the fairgrounds. The bright lights of the rides, the crowd energy and the fantastic food smells were intoxicating. Those who were not already coupled and engaged in playing the games that might win their sweetheart a big stuffed animal were strutting and preening and showing off or standing together peering shyly all around, hoping to be noticed. Those were nights of excitement and potential. That was the “Spring” Fair season of my life.

These two Durham Fair images taken from internet – yes it really gets that crowded.

That’s just one of the main throughways.

I entered the Summer fair season when I began bringing my small children along. Oh, how their eyes lit up as the bright lights came into view.. especially that big beautiful ferris wheel that inspired both terror and delight. The Food! The Animals! The Rides! The Games! Those big stuffed animals that Daddy might win (or buy after 78 tries for ten times the actual cost of the thing). Maneuvering a stroller and young children through those crowds was a new challenge, but oh so worthy of the awe.

The Summer fair season started waining when my kids each turned 14 and wanted to go to the fair without the ‘rents. WHAT???…. But.. but the Fair is for Family! ..and I need to know where you ARE! (insert hyperventilation here) and what about all the stories of the kids who bring alcohol or pot … and what if they offer it to you or what if you get lost and what if … if .. if… *sigh*.

*in all “Fair-ness” Durham Fair is well patroled by a solid police presence and does a good job monitoring the kids activity.

Those first few years of – oh my God they’re out there all by themselves– with 15 or 100 other friends or so, I dropped them off and picked them up and they had such a good time I was glad I got over myself and let it happen. The look on their faces was one of exhilaration and – youth un adulterated and uninhibited– Their giggles and laughs and gossip and jokes about what had transpired that night as we drove home were like little gold nuggets from the Fair just for me.

I realized yesterday as my husband and I walked alone among the canned goods and produce displays that we have indeed entered our Fall Fair Season. The kids still go to the Fair…. but now they drive themselves and their significant others. They meet up with friends and are home at a respectful hour. They’ve started commenting on how Friday and Saturday nights are not the best time to go because – the crowds! The Parking! … and it’s no longer uncool to be seen sometimes at the fair with the ‘rents.

While I miss certain aspects of my previous Fair Seasons, this one is just as delightful in it’s own way and I’ll savor every bit of it. Especially the FOOD! The Animals! The Craft Tent! If you live within two hours drive of Durham, CT… I recommend you take a day trip…and stop by The Lions Club Hut for a corndog.. because man oh man, they are ridiculously delicious . The Lime Rickeys just up the hill are awesome too and if you buy the green cup, you get a free refill throughout your visit. It’s quite a trek around the fairgrounds, the hills are pretty steep. You’ll work up the appetite, believe it.