Brimfield Antique Show

For decades, I’ve heard of the Brimfield Antique Show.  I’ve read all about it.  I’ve studied the details of the photos in Country Living magazine.  And for the last six years, I’ve lived less than two hours from Brimfield, but I still hadn’t gone.  This was the year to change that.  So, Colette and I made plans to go to Brimfield together.

The Brimfield Antique Show is the ultimate in antique shows!  For five days, three times a year (May, July, and September), antique vendors pour into the tiny town of Brimfield, Massachusetts and set up their tents along a mile-long stretch of farmers’ fields.  And not just lining the road, but stretching off into each field too.

Prior to going, I read some tips online on “how to survive Brimfield”.  Get there early.  Traffic would be bad (“…an 8-mile back-up…”).  I was up at 4 a.m., and we were out the door just after 5:00   We were happy to encounter no traffic whatsoever, and arrived in Brimfield at 7:00.  We parked in the first available lot, which was really the grounds of an early 19th century house.  Collecting the $5/day fee was a family affair, and the young man instructed us to “park in the cellar hole”.  In the cellar hole?  I followed the path in the way he directed, and it led us right to the largest cellar I could’ve imagined.  I inquired of another family member, and was confirmed that this “cellar hole” used to be the lower part of the original barn.  If you look closely, just in front of the tree in the cellar hole is a capped well.  Clever farmer with a well inside his barn.

Tote bags, healthy snacks, camera, and cash in hand, we began our Brimfield adventure!  Yes, those are tents as far as the eye can see.

I had been casually looking for certain antique pieces for a while now, and would’ve been happy to find just one thing on my list:

- umbrella stand for the entry

- dough bowl

- mahogany sideboard for the formal dining room

- mahogany dining room set

- small oil painting of a New England scene for the entry

- large crock

- parson’s bench for the stair landing

- gold mirror for the formal dining room (clearly, I’m working on that room)

- wool blankets in autumn colors

All the treasures of Brimfield awaited!  I couldn’t wait to see what I might find!

We shopped and we shopped…or mostly browsed and browsed.  Colette bought a fine wool blanket (navy, hunter green, and red) almost immediately.  But I kept looking and looking.

After several hours of walking and hunting, we came upon doughnuts.  And not just your average doughnut.  These were made right there, and they traveled up a little conveyor belt and plopped off into a bowl at the end.  They were quickly rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Apple Cider Cinnamon Doughnuts.  Oh my!  I must say that this was THE BEST doughnut I’ve ever had.  So moist, like a delicious apple cake!

Fortified by doughnuts, we resumed our hunt for whatever might catch our eye.  Here’s a glimpse at all the amazing finds at Brimfield…

Jadite loving Colette paused and admired these lovely pieces.

Probably my favorite unique piece of the day:

Well, we hunted and hunted.  Truthfully, I think I was a bit dazzled by the array of choices.  So dazzled that I couldn’t seem to make a decision about anything I saw.  Should I go back and get the beautiful purple flowering topiary?  Should I snap up one of those large glass floats for the front flower bed?  I just couldn’t decide, which is quite unlike me.  After four hours of wandering, we decided to leave.  My only purchase was a small step stool for the grandkids to use in the downstairs’ bathroom.

Feeling a bit discouraged, we headed for home.  The road from Brimfield winds through Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  And there, on a whim, I pulled into the parking lot of this antique store.

And there, after all that hunting at Brimfield, I found a treasure!  I found a mahogany sideboard!  I was so pleased not to go home quite so empty-handed.  Time for a delicious lunch at the Sturbridge Inn Coffee House.  Whew!  Food tasted so good after a morning of walking in the fresh air.

Absolutely thrilled with how the new sideboard looks in the dining room!

And the little stool has found a home too.

Now that I know what to expect from Brimfield, it is definitely on my annual list of go-to events in New England.  Next time I will wear a hat.  And next time, I won’t come with any specific list, but simply purchase what strikes my fancy at the time.

Shed Raising

Saturday was our shed raising!  After two years of chiseling away, the day had finally come!  My only jobs were taking pictures and providing beverages and snacks.

Meanwhile, outside all was in readiness.  Friends and family had gathered to lend a hand.

First wall going up!

Ta da!  This wall will have a window in it with a view of the woods.

Preparing for the second bent to go up.

Second bent in place.

Putting up the last wall was a bit more difficult.  It was very resistant to dropping into place.

A sledgehammer was most convincing at encouraging it to drop into place.

Technohubby’s plans, where the whole project began, and the box full of our custom cut pegs for pegging it all together when finished.

Snack break.

And it’s up!  What an amazing job they all did!

The next day, Theo helped hammer in some of the wooden pegs.  TOO cute!

There is much more work to go…gravel beneath it, a floor, walls, windows, roof, doors, etc.  Can’t wait until it’s all done!

Happy Mother's Day

A very Happy Mother's Day from all of us to you!

Devotion

This little guy is a very devoted big brother!

Post and Beam Progress

It’s spring and progress is being made on the post and beam garden shed!  Last Saturday, the foundation was set in place!

Happy to be hammering in the first peg!

Hopefully the walls will go up soon…possibly even this weekend…weather dependent.

Apple Planting Day

Fulfilling a dream, we planted our own mini-orchard of apple trees yesterday!  Just four trees: two Stayman Winesaps, one Honeycrisp, and one crabapple (as a pollinator).  It will be several years before they bear fruit, but I am already anticipating such joy from these!  I look forward to pressing, drinking, and freezing our own cider some day.  I look forward to the beauty of their apple blossoms in the springtime.  I look forward to watching the grandkids pick apples.  And then there’s pie!

Here’s the planting operation in full swing.

Max did 98% of the digging.  One hole turned out to be mostly large field stones, much to his chagrin.  Two shovels, a 6-ft. long pry bar, and two people were needed to get some of them out of the hole.

The instructions that came with them said to get them in the ground before they leaf out.  For the crabapple, we were just in time.

I like the idea of keeping all our food at one end of the cleared area of our property (leaving the remainder for other purposes…games, entertaining, etc.), so we sited the mini-orchard near the garden and the new raspberry trellis.  If you look closely, you can see the green deer fencing that surrounds the garden plot.  The raspberry trellis is above the apple trees.  The new garden shed’s site is just beyond that trellis.

This view is looking down at the apple trees from the deck.  I staggered them, so each tree can be seen.  I also didn’t want them to block our view of the hammock, which (in warmer weather) hangs between two trees (only one is visible in this photo).

And today, my new apple growing book arrived.  I feel SO responsible.  Like I suddenly have four new babies to care for.   I read just a bit of the book today.  In it, the orchard owner (shown there on the cover) has a picture of himself digging holes for new trees with his own golden retriever standing nearby.  He captioned it something like, "Make sure your holes are deep enough according to your dog supervisor."  Whew!  At least we got that right!  Feeling overwhelmed.  Must study!

Easter Celebration

We hope you had a joyous Easter!  We started our day with worship…a good sermon, joyful hymns!  Then we scurried home to get the ham in the oven, hide eggs, and set the table.

Then it was egg hunting time!  Theo, being a very mature three years old, got the idea right away.  Basket in hand, he scampered about collecting eggs like a pro.

Melissa was very excited to find her first egg.

But she wanted nothing to do with her Easter basket.  She preferred to carry them all in her arms and tucked under her chin.  Inevitably, one would fall, and in trying to pick it up, another would fall.  I’d offer to help her out, by picking it up and putting it in her basket.  She would immediately say, “No, no, no!”  She was very certain that the basket should not hold the eggs.  Too cute!

Theo always sits beside me for meals.  I like that because we have good conversations.

- Dinner Menu -

spiral-sliced brown sugar glazed ham

roasted carrots and asparagus

mashed potatoes and gravy

hard-boiled eggs

dinner rolls

fruit salad

– Dessert Made by Colette -

Chocolate-Raspberry Cheesecake

New Discovery

Whenever Colette and I go to Boston, we stop in at L.A. Burdick Chocolates for a cup of their decadently delicious hot cocoa.  And even though we’re utterly charmed by their Boston store, we had yet to visit their main store in Walpole, New Hampshire.  But a couple of weeks ago I was in need of some chocolates as birthday gifts for cherished friends, so we headed west to Walpole.

By the time we arrived we were ravenously hungry.  And much to our delight, we discovered that this L.A. Burdick, unlike its Boston counterpart that is solely a beverage and bakery stop, this location has an actual restaurant.

We both ordered the french onion soup.  This was a first for Colette.  Up until that moment, I’d been the only one in our family to like french onion soup.  Consequently, I don’t make it for the family, but I order it in restaurants every chance I get.  And I must say that this french onion soup is about the second best I’ve ever had.  SO delicious!

We did, however, admire the cheese tray ordered by the 5-year old at the next table and might just order that next time. Their selection of local artisinal cheese is impressive.

No trip to L.A. Burdick would be complete without some cocoa and a little treat.  Colette tried their white chocolate hot chocolate topped with nutmeg.  And we shared a slice of chocolate-raspberry cake.

This has definitely become my favorite lunch spot in New Hampshire!