The first I’d ever heard of doing a corn maze in autumn was when I lived in New Hampshire. For a short time I lived near Concord, and often visited Beech Hill Farm. I think this was the first corn maze I ever did.
By googling the “history of corn mazes” I have discovered that it is a fairly new endeavor. In the early 1990’s the first maze appeared in Pennsylvania.
So what is the purpose of a corn maze? To aggravate the heck out of you! Haha.. really, they are fun, until you can’t find your way out. This has not happened to me, but I’ve heard stories of people actually calling for rescue from the maze!
Now, with nearly everyone having access to some sort of GPS on their smartphone, getting lost is unlikely. Traveling the maze means finding some unique and fun “gifts” along the way. Some mazes are like a scavenger hunt. Often maps will be provided so adults can help kids find the fun spots.
For more fun facts about corn mazes, read this insightful article at Cornbelly’s site.
I had a great time visiting New Hampshire and seeing my kids. That small town feel never gets old.
It’s been three years since I’ve been able to visit my old home town. Actually, I only lived in New Hampshire for eleven years, but I call it home. I would love to still be living there.
Visiting Tenney Farm
A favorite farm, in the town of Antrim, where I first lived when I moved north, is Tenney Farm. The greenhouses were being filled with little seedlings of all kinds, and loads of gorgeous hanging baskets.
“Out own Stuff”
Ready for spring in New Hampshire!
Greenhouses
Picking out a hanging basket.
We were picking out a basket as a gift for someone, and it was so hard to choose from the wide, and gorgeous selection of flowers.
Nearly planting time.
Potted petunias in the greenhouse
I love, and miss, the small town feel of the area. I grew up in New England and miss the change of seasons. Spring is very welcome in the north, and much appreciated, after living through a long, cold winter. Unfortunately the Black Flies are out at this time of year, but they weren’t too bad yet..
Nature Inspiration
I’m staying with my daughter, and for the first few days we took walks in the woods behind her house. She does birding, so I tagged along for the fresh air. After we watched (from the house) a mama bear and two tiny, adorable cubs passing through the back woods, we stopped going for walks in the woods!
My daughter also volunteers and counts spotted salamanders with the Salamander Crossing Brigade. The volunteers go out on rainy nights and count the cool looking salamanders for science. Of course, my daughter dragged her old mum along for the fun! (Salamander photo in the slideshow below.)
Birch
Salamander crossing
Frankie loves the catnip plant!
A Trip to Harrisville to See the Yarn
I couldn’t be so close to Harrisville Designs and not visit! There was no room in my small suitcase for even one skein of yarn, but I loved viewing the shop. Will write another post about our outing on a beautiful Spring day AND the yarn I bought (ordered) once I got home!
Harrisville Designs Yarn Shop in Harrisville, New Hampshire
Picking Tulips in New Hampshire
I certainly miss living in a place where Spring is celebrated in a big way. After a long cold winter, the plants go nuts and grow like mad. Gorgeous yellow forsythia were everywhere. All the daffodils were open, and the tulips were coming along. Everything grows fast, like it knows time is limited before the warmth is gone once again.
In Hancock, a quaint little town in the southern part of the state, there is now a farm that grows tulips. We stopped to check it out on our way home from Harrisville. My daughter said that they ask you to make parking reservations at busy times. It was mid-week, and we figured, “How busy could it be?” Well, for a mid day, mid week visit, the field (parking lot) was full of cars, the road was full of people, and the tulip field was hopping! We were stunned at the turn out. Wolf Pine Hollow Farm at tulip time is apparently a big deal.
L takes photos
Tractor on the hill
Tent where you pay, and port-a-potties (far right)
Old truck
Things to know before you visit:
Parking is in a grassy (and possibly muddy) field.
There is strenuous walking involved – from the field, up the road, up a hill, and through the tulip area. (We saw a parking area next to the tulip field and it looked like those with difficulty walking could park there – call first.)
Pick your choice of tulips and pay $2.50 for each stem at a tent area at the field.
Way back beyond the tent are port-a-potties if you need them.
If you want ice cream, plan to wait, and wait, and wait. Our two tiny ice cream cones cost $11.50 and the girl admitted she didn’t know how to make change!
As is true in many small towns, the talk gets around. I heard stories about this place from the locals. Let’s just say that New Englanders like their small, quiet places and greatly resist most attempts to change things. A search reveals that the Farm is now up for sale. If you are a multi-millionaire you may be interested.
Time to Go Back South
After two weeks of visiting with my kids and enjoying the beauty of New Hampshire, I was heading back to heat and humidity. During my stay I reconnected with some old friends at my high school class reunion! Met up with my Aunt and cousin, whom I hadn’t seen for ages, and learned to play poker at my son’s house.
Leaving Manchester, NH
When I boarded the plane, I took with me some scrapes and bruises from falling off an e-bike (twice – I’m a klutz), and a tick bite on my back, but I was, as always, very sad to leave.
It was a treat to visit my kids this Spring in New Hampshire. I was able to walk along some of the streets where I used to live and visit old landmarks. I had to make up for the two years since I’d traveled north.
In March when I arrived a bit of snow remained, but later in mid-April we had a snowstorm. One day the temp was near 80, but mostly is hovered around 50-60 degrees by late day.
The black flies were coming out by the time I left in May.
Spring Gardening
The weather was pretty nice, except for the day it snowed! So I bought some perennials for my daughter’s yard. I was able to find some old favorites which used to grow in my own New Hampshire yard.
The Lenton Rose (Hellebores) is an early bloomer and the plant we bought already had fading blooms. Forsythia were blooming everywhere with their tiny, bright yellow flowers, and daffodils were welcoming spring.
Daffodils
Forsythia
Lenton Rose
Lenton rose
Monarda
Sedum
Columbine
Catnip
Columbine was always something I grew in my gardens and I had a huge monarda plant next to my house. The one I found at Tenney Farms was quite tiny, so I hope it lives to become a nice bush with bright pink blooms.
My daughter chose some Catnip to keep her little cat happy, and the cat rolled all around on top of this plant so much that I thought the stems would break!
Arrival, Snow and First Walk
This section should be first… but I am unable to move the section so…….
Out the window of the plane I got my first view of snow! It’s exciting when you live in Florida but love the north.
I did plenty of outside activities during my 7 week visit, including walking through woods and along roads, and hiking mountains.
From the plane
March
Beaver tree
Walking the trail
Old house
Spring brook
Day Trips to The Woodstock Inn and Brewery and Harrisville Designs
One day we took a trip to the Woodstock Inn and took a brewery tour and had lunch, with beer of course!
On another occasion my daughter and I visited Harrisville where the Harrisville Designs mill and shop are located. I’m a knitter, so I wanted to see where some of my favorite yarn is spun. Read more about Brooklyn Tweed and the HD mill here.
Woodstock Inn and Brewery
Canning Pig’s Ear Beer
Yummy
Harrisville Designs
Harrisville Designs
The Great Outdoors – Sun, Water, Mountains, and Snow
I never tired of breathing the fresh air of the north. Most days were nice, cool and sunny. There were some cold and rainy days, and that day it snowed, but getting outdoors was a priority.
I arrived in March just as Maple Syrup season was ending. On a walk along the road I found some buckets still attached to the maples collecting sap.
Stone seat, brookside
Peterborough Park
Hike to summit
View of Mt. Monadnock
Collecting sap
We had a snow day in April
I enjoyed every day of my trip to New Hampshire and saw my kids as much as possible. I even met up with an old friend whom I had not seen in about 30 years! That was freaky and fun.
I arrived in New Hampshire for an extended visit in March 2021, after two years of not traveling north (thanks Covid). On the first weekend of my visit, my kids and I took a walk on a Harris Center trail, which is in Dublin or Hanock, I believe. There are a lot of trails in the area and this is only one of them.
This one is 2 miles long and makes a loop through the woods and along the water, with pretty views. I was so happy to be here where walking and hiking is fun, and the weather is cool enough to be enjoyable.
Trailhead sign – Wish I’d read that beaver information!
For some reason I didn’t get many photos on this hike, and most were of us, which I won’t share. Maybe I was too busy skirting the ice on the paths and trying not to fall! Although the day was sunny and beautiful, snow and ice still stuck to the ground in the woods.
This trail begins in a field, where we parked in mud. March is mud season, so there ya go. There is one slight hill at the beginning of the walk, but the rest of the hike is pretty flat. It winds around a lake, or pond, not sure of the name. We saw a few ducks and geese in the water, which still had ice in places.
The day we went there were not a lot of hikers. We met one couple on the path and saw a few more people. The most stunning thing we found (IMO) on this hike was a big tree which was completely chewed around the bottom by beavers! Why? I thought beavers chewed on small trees to make them fall to use for building. But this tree was big.
It made me wonder if they were using this wood to sharpen their teeth, or do they have some big building plans in mind? I also wonder if someone will cut the tree down before it falls in a storm.
Crazy beavers!
I Love New Hampshire
One of the most wonderful things about New Hampshire is how pristine it is. The air is crisp to breath, waterways are clear, and all the surrounding nature is a joy to behold and explore. People take care of New Hampshire land.
The day after this hike, we drove up north to visit the Woodstock Brewery.
The day before we took this hike, my daughter drove me to visit Harrisville Designs in the town of, yup, Harrisville. I don’t know much about the area’s history, but apparently someone named Harris made a big impression!
Clear water
We took another beautiful, and more exerting, hike on Easter Day. That one gave us some wonderful views and I will write about it, and share photos, soon.
New England's Narrow Road 