Just wanted to put up a happy post of warm-wishes to my industrious parents, who finally had their “barn” (aka- barn-style garage) finished on their lovely winter home in Bartlet, NH.

Look how fantastic it turned out!  Can you picture a more “New England” style home than this?! Just looking at it makes me want to bust out my maroon woolen moose sweater and some fuzzy socks and sit with my mother by the fire while chatting over a steaming cup of cinnamon-spiked apple cider.   I love how the barn came out and am so thrilled for them.  Plus this means even more space for us when we come visit (there is an inlaw apartment over the garage).

New England home in the snow

New England home in the snow

and a closeup of the barn:

love the weathervane and cupola

love the weathervane and cupola

A few notable things from these photos:

  • in the first pic, if you squint VERY HARD you can see the very ex$pen$ive lilac tree which Earl and I purchased from a garden store in NJ and planted in a whiskey barrel our NYC patio garden (you can see it here in the very back corner).  It was $150 and it never bloomed where we had it- probably because we had it less than six months before we had to move!  When we drove up to visit my parents before we drove cross country we brought the lilac tree with us (as well as a bunch of other plants!) so that it would live on and stay in the family.  I hope hope hope it flourishes up there despite the frigid Mount Washington Valley climate!!!!
  • Also in the first pic is my old Taco Supreme aka my beloved Tacoma Truck, living out her golden years as a worker-bee truck for my parents.  So many memories were made in that baby, from off roading with high school friends to hauling around bunches of sorority girls at UNH to helping move to NYC… according to my father she still runs great.
  • In the second photo you can see the weathervane my sisters and I pooled together and purchased for their Christmas present a few years ago.  It has been waiting for proper placement for SO LONG!
  • Another notable fact:  the barn raising was delayed many days because the builders had a clause in their contract that they would not work when it was under 10 degrees.  Heehee (seeing that it is 75* here and I went surfing at Linda Mar beach yesterday and layed out afterwards in a bikini I find this somewhat amusing).