A New Englander at heart...Tahilla Farm
The day has finally arrived...I am off to Tahilla Farm tonight with
my son Connor for the summer. I just finished up two wonderful
months visiting with my daughters in Vietnam,
with the kind of time that young
mothers with four children rarely get...one on one time.
Older and wiser...all of us, we have learned how to make the best of
the time we have. My task for young Connor (13 years old) will
be my greatest challenge. We are off to Tahilla Farm in New Hampshire.
I plan to teach him what it means to be a New Englander.
Something I can not wait too do!
This will be his first time visiting America for more than two weeks,
he will spend two weeks at a sleepaway camp and the rest of the time
he will be kicking around with his me before his father and sister arrive.
My task in the next few weeks is to have him truly appreciate...
his mother
family
friends
people
kayaking
biking
hiking
swimming
gardening
blueberries
cookouts
4th of July
working outdoors
farmers markets
ice cream
lobster
bookshops
reading
movies
woods
birds
mountains
quiet time
New England
and
summer homework.
After all, he will be with his mother.
This will be the longest time spent in the USA for me as well.
We left in 1998 and I have not been back for more than two weeks since.
Our family is spread out around New England, within a 2-3 hours drive
of Tahilla Farm. I reckon I am strategically placed...not too far and not too close.
We have much to accomplish!
I am open to suggestions... have I missed anything in the list above?
I will treasure the days spent with him this summer
for he is off to boarding school next year.
Let's hope he is still talking to me at the end of the summer!
 |
| His gardening lessons will start here...they are waiting for us at Tahilla Farm. |
Best wishes to one and all
and thank you for reading along!
You are the best...really and truly!!
As a New Englander who then spent most of my adult life overseas, welcome home! Best wishes to you and your son.
ReplyDeleteYour list is grand and good. If I were to add an item it would be a deep sense of New England history, cultural and political, and the responsibility/joy in trying to reflect, carry it on.
Happy Fourth of July !
Joan
PS Of course it is so obvious no need to list: the Red Sox.
You read my mind Joan...I did not mention that he has to learn all the states, capital cities and recite past presidents. Our family is filled with history buffs...he find these sort of things interesting. He is at that inquisitive age..the only problem is being able to supply all the answers! Mother is rusty...
DeleteRed Sox...absolutely! :)
Have a wonderful summer. What a rare gift, this time one-on-one with adult and almost-adult children. Such a wondrous, adventuresome life you're having. I so admire your spirit. Carpe diem..
ReplyDeleteThank you Marielle...Carpe Diem is right! :)
DeleteSafe travels Jeanne... enjoy your wonderful project... xv
ReplyDeleteThank you Vicki... xx :)
Delete... I can only imagine how excited you are. It will be special time for both of you with so many possibilities. Enjoy it all, every minute.
ReplyDeleteKaren in CT (now in Virginia)
Thank you Karen...I will. Is this a permanent move to Virginia? :)
DeleteJeanne - that sounds like such a wonderful challenge! Instilling in your son the things you hold dear. It's a pretty good list, and I think you'll have him convinced with the ice cream and lobster. I was going to add the history and Red Sox, but it looks like someone beat me to it! No worries if you're rusty - that's what the bookshops and libraries and field trips are for. Welcome back to New England!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary..first stop library! :)
DeleteHow exciting for you all coming home! Love your garden beds and if you're planting up vegetables Rosaly's has some nice plants this year. I hope you enjoy your time at your farm. Safe travels to you!
ReplyDeleteXXX
Debra~
Thank you Debra...looking forward to checking out Rosaly's and meeting you! :) xx
DeleteWelcome back to New England!! What a lovely chance to spend some quality time both with your daughters in Vietnam and now with Connor at Tahilla. Your list sounds lovely and I am sure he will enjoy having the one on one with his mama.
ReplyDeleteI love following your gorgeous photos on instagram and look forward to watching the progession of Tahilla Farm this summer!
If you make it down to Connecticut, let me know!!
Safe travels...xoxo
PS...as a Yankee fan, I am not so sure I agree with Mary and Joan about the Sox, but a trip to Fenway even wowed my die-hard, lifelong Yankee fan of a son...talk about history!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, a real downeast clambake.........Foster's at York Harbor, Maine (not far at all, and Maine is so lovely) for a great, fun evening dining out!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous list, this dear boy will be so busy, and I know from living in NH for 12 years before coming south, everything you mentioned will be a great and memorable experience.
Jeanne, happy 4th, and happy Summer days in the loveliest part of New England.
Welcome back - Mary X
P.S. Best real 'old timey' Independence Day parade is in New Boston, NH - usually starts around 10 AM I think - we try to go up every year (my hubby's from NH) but are heading to California this year.
Enjoy your vacation with family Jeanne. Looking forward to your magnificent photos on Instagram.
ReplyDeleteJeanne, I love New England also. I lived in CT as a teenage and then went to college in Maine. I try to get back each autumn for the beautiful foliage. How wonderful for you and your family!
ReplyDeleteAnd surely part of the project will be to scout out all the other teenagers in the area so as to begin to develop his local coterie? I suppose that's covered in the "friends" category:).
ReplyDeleteAmerican summers are such a special thing. I am so glad you will get to share this one with him.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to do a small local town 4th of July with a parade - there is nothing quite like it!
:-) Jacqueline
welcome home, Jeanne! And I think he cannot help be a New Englander. He surely knows his Mama's heart and values. Enjoy this time.
ReplyDeleteBOARDING SCHOOL??WHY???????
ReplyDeleteYour list is VERY GOOD.Not so certain he will want to leave after spending so much time with you.It can be a difficult age but better you and your family are around him then strangers.Enjoy your time in the USA!
How fabulous for you + Connor. Tahilla farm will never be the same + that's a good thing. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteWow, your life has changed since I last visited, a new US home and all, Enjoy this special summer time together!
ReplyDeleteMaureen xx
This is lovely. I am so happy for you and your son. Treasure every moment of every day. Enjoy the conversation, the work, and the clean air together. God bless this time. Your heart and your focus is definitely in the right place.
ReplyDeletethe best thing about your list is that he will learn it all gently and deeply, as he spends this precious time with you, hour by hour, day by by. No need for lists and expectations. You are a lucky woman indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, my son sat in the second row next to the Bruin bench a week ago, cheering on our beloved Black Hawks. He had nothing but great things to say about the Boston players and fans. I love it! Have a great summer with your son.
New England geology and seashells
ReplyDeleteHave a happy vacation!
New England Geology and seashells
ReplyDeleteHappy Vacation!
Your list sounds like fun. I think I want to be a New Englander too. Except for the summer homework :)
ReplyDeleteWhere is he going to boarding school? (Just trying to imagine the changes that will occur in the next 3 months of his life....) Best wishes for a safe and reasonably comfortable trip from Vietnam to New Hampshire, Leslie
ReplyDeleteJeanne...How I treasure every opportunity I had to be alone with just one of my children...to explore, travel, read, work in the garden... just the alone time that one on one time builds a deep, solid thread that forever holds them close...while they are on the journey of self exploration....Your time at Tahilla Farm this summer will write much poetry and perhaps some text for a few short stories of the mother/son walk along life's road. What pure delight! Even the rough stuff is delight for me. So looking forward to reading in the blog bits and pieces of this marvelous opportunity for the two of you. Namaste, Kristin
ReplyDeleteHow exciting fro your both - have a wonderful summer and Happy 4th July. Looking forward to your stories and photos. All love from Sydney F xx
ReplyDeleteOh, I love this. You are safe and sound at TF by now! What a wonderful summer lies ahead...am so excited for you both! And while not a New Englander, I would think that "hammock time" needs to be added to the list, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteSending gros, gros bisous...
H
The best you can do for Connor.. He must be happy and becoming one with himself and the people around him and he will get love all the good things in your list when it's time. Remember 13 is not an easy age , either for him nor for you. All my best wishes.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanne,
ReplyDeletea long list.
"We have much to accomplish!
After all, he will be with his mother."
With the mother nothing is impossible, Mrs. Abstract will say. I agree.
Have a wonderful week. Happy and safe Fourth,
edgar
Hi Jeanne,
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago we dined in one interesting enjoyable restaurant, Pickity Place, in Mason,New Hampshire. Pickity Place is a restaurant, gallery, gardens, shop. I don't know how far it's from Tahilla Farm.
Pickity Place
248 Nutting Hill rd.
Mason, NH 03048
Have a wonderful summer.
edgar
Its the details of our lives I think that in some respects make the impact. Its only once in a while the big picture matters. I loves these photos of the details
ReplyDelete