It’s the simple things…

I’m a sucker for old farm trucks and spotted this on a family friend’s property; I sometimes forget how lush and green New England can be!

Okay, I’m doing my posts in reverse, but this is something I half wrote in Connecticut during my recent trip to visit family and I just finished editing the photos to accompany this post.

Every time I return to New England and I get out of my own head, schedule, daily routine…I am reminded of simple pleasures (many of which I took for granted when I lived there; funny how you sometimes have to leave a place to recognize its virtues).

While there I took absolute joy in things like:

A picnic on a beautiful day…

My sis, older niece and I at Lyman Orchard’s pond

Watching a high school sport from the sidelines and cheering for the home team…

That’s my younger niece getting ready to sprint off 2nd base

Witnessing the younger generation in my family reach milestones…

My younger niece again, this time all prettied up with her handsome date for the prom

Enjoying an iced coffee (from Dunkin Donuts which we don’t have in Colorado!) and deep conversations (as well as silly ones) with my sister…

My sis and I…she’s going through a major transition right now, so there were lots of tears and laughter shared…we had a great time together

Spending time with my older niece who is going away to college in Boston this summer…

Rolling around in the soft, lush grass with my “nephew” Buddy…

And trying to squeeze myself into my younger niece’s very busy social calendar…

Visiting my favorite orchard and country store…

“Would you like to try one of our fabulous marmalades?”

And driving along favorite routes…

Near Roger’s Orchards

Then finding a new farm/homestead/nursey/gift shop (and now favorite place to revisit each time I go back)…

Karabin Farms

Watching little families grow…

And many other things for which I didn’t capture photos of, like:

• Seeing the sugar shack operation of family friends who make their own maple syrup (and then going home with a couple pints stowed in my suitcase, yum!)
• Sharing the bed with my sister again, something we haven’t done in decades and like a grown up sleepover
• My mom’s cooking and special treats like her famous chocolate pie
• Nightly card games and lots of laughter with the family
• Hearing crickets at night (we just don’t have them at our high altitude)
• Doing simple tasks, like going to the grocery store, helping my sister run errands, escorting my niece to all her pre-prom activities, playing “hair-do” with my other niece…all because of the time spent together, the experience, the laughter and the chats that come with those activities

Oh, how the simplest things in life can bring such joy…

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Is the grass greener…?

Well, in usual fashion and with complete predictability I’m going through the “gee, it seems so much better here than I last remember” and “I could get used to this again” feelings.  It’s easy to forget why you left a place (or a relationship or a job…insert any situation here) when you moonlight back in that scenario.

Beautiful orchards in Middlefield, CT

I’ve had a great, albeit jam-packed, couple of days and being on vacation makes this place look that much greener than it was when it was my norm.  I know I hate the hurried pace of this place, the wild humidity:

These curls need to be kept up at all times!

and the lack of visual inspiration (compared to Colorado, that is).  But being with my family – in the company of  my girls – is so wildly comforting and fun.

My crazy nieces

We visited some of my favorite spots, like Lyman Orchards, where we loaded up on apple cider, honey butter, cinnamon cider donut holes, homemade hummus, dips and other goodies.

Farm fresh goodies...mmm

Talk about New England goodness

And it seems like all the things that were lacking back in the day is now here.  Things like dog parks (there was maybe one in the entire state when we lived here) and now they are dotting the place.  Things like recreation – spotty at best – and now old train tracks have been converted into beautiful bike trails and things like water parks made out of natural features are here.  The old campus town where we once hung our hats for a couple of years has sprouted some new great restaurants and cultural spots.

This water park was in the basin of a large rock quarry and has everything from zip lines to cliff jumping to assorted water rides/games

What gives!!!  Makes me wonder if this stuff was here if we would have left…

But I also know that sometimes you have to leave a place to really understand what it was you were escaping, what it was you were seeking (or what was it that was lacking) and what new things you experienced and learned to truly appreciate what you had.  Things that I took for granted before, I see in a new light.

So is the grass greener?  Who knows…I certainly don’t.  It could be the old adage of “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and it could just be that I wish I could be in two places at once.  It’s hard to know the right answer when the heart is in limbo.  Hoping that by the end of my week+ that I’ll be ready to get back to CO.  If I’m not, then I’ll have some soul searching to do, that’s for sure.

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