kids – New England's Narrow Road

Easter Day Treasure Hunt Reminiscing

Today is Easter and my son is grilling ribs. I made southern style potato salad and we will eat outside later. It’s hot here in Florida so I have the AC on.

My other children are spending the day with their better half’s family. Did I say that right? They are in New Hampshire and Kentucky. Anyway, like every other holiday, nothing special happens here. We eat and drink and relax.

Years ago the kids and I would dye eggs using food coloring, or one of the popular store bought ways to dye eggs. It was fun, and we made memories. Funny, but I don’t remember their father being a part of any of it.

When my kids were small I would hide eggs (for the Easter Bunny) and put little notes inside which would have clues as to where to find the next egg. It was a treasure hunt, which took a lot of planning and organizing. At the end of the hunt there would be a big Easter basket which I had put together for each child. Usually there would be candy and a wrapped, special gift.

One year when my youngest son was small, he and my grown daughter searched for eggs in the woods near our rental house. Usually I didn’t put eggs outside because of animals, but this place was in the woods and it was perfect for a good-weather egg-hunt. I wrote down the number of plastic eggs I hid, and I think we came up one short although they looked and looked, and I couldn’t remember all the spots, so it may still be there. It could contain a dollar bill or maybe a quarter!

When I was a kid, my father used to do the same type of treasure hunt notes thing for me and my sister. None of my kids have kids of their own, but if they ever do, they may carry on the tradition.

Easter dogs — Thank you Spiritze at Pixabay for this cute image

Bring the Kids to New Hampshire

While writing my page for the Wizzley contest: Things to Do With Kids in New Hampshire I discovered some places right here in my state that I had never heard of, like Stand Up Paddleboarding on the Saco River. Never heard of it, and I’m sure I am not coordinated enough to try it, but what fun!

I no longer have little kids (kinda happy about that) but I remember coming up to New Hampshire from Massachusetts for vacations. We had a little travel trailer and stayed at Newfound Lake camping with friends. We also hit Six Gun City, Storyland, and Polar Caves at some point. I did not include those places in my article. I was more interested in finding great outdoor places to visit since this state is very nature oriented and beautiful. But I included a few science centers as well.

I also didn’t want to forget about the older kids and teens who are harder to please when it comes to vacationing.

Where Would You Take Your Kids in NH? (newenglandsnarrowroad.wordpress.com)

Our Own Backyards And Beyond

This is the first time I’ve ever lived in a house with a small backyard. Growing up my yard was huge. Next to my yard was a big field and beyond my front yard, at the bottom of the hill, was a big garden that belonged to my grandparents. My backyard was bordered by stone walls and beyond them was forest and eventually Mill Hill.

Mill Hill was where, as kids, we went to hike, sled, and goof around. It was owned by someone – don’t know who, but they had cows that would graze in the far pastures that we could see from the top of the largest hill.

Mill Hill was unusual because it was two hills that looked like big roller coaster hills. After climbing through the barbed wire fence at the “valley” part of the hills, we had to choose which hill to run up first. If there was a group of us, some kids would go one way and some the other. I usually chose the right hill because it was smaller with less to see and saved the other, taller one, for last.

The right hill sloped steeply down to the road where the mill was. We could also see the river that wound around under the bridge. That hill also held a couple of wells. They were just covers elevated off the ground a bit and my father had warned us always to stay away from them.

Next, I’d run down the hill and up the other side. Usually there was water (or ice in winter) at the bottom in the valley area so I was careful to avoid that. Then the climb up the left hill to the top where a grand view awaited. The far side of that hill had a long, gentler slope that was dotted with rocks and a few trees. One of the trees was a chestnut tree and once we found an animal trap under it!

I loved to visit Mill Hill. It was freedom to do what I wanted and sometimes I’d go there alone with my dog just to enjoy the peace and quiet and dream about my future and long to grow up. I also dreamed of bringing my own kids up there to see the place that had meant so much to me as a child.

But, my parents divorced and the house was sold so there was no homestead to go back to and I don’t know what Mill Hill looks like today. I’m sure I don’t want to know.

My own backyard now is very tiny with a drop off into the woods behind. I feel sorry for kids growing up these days without fields to run through, and hills to climb in their own backyards. Even if they are lucky enough to live in a spacious place, they no doubt spend too much of their time indoors.

I’m older now and a small backyard to take care of sounds very manageable, but a part of me wishes I could look outback past a large expanse of grass and view the stone wall with woods beyond, beckoning me to take a walk.

Summer With The Siblings

My firefighter son always comes north (from Florida) to visit at least once a year. He arrived this week, which means that three of my kids and myself are sharing space in this small house. We are on top of each other inside, but the weather has been fairly good – if you call 80’s and humid good! – so we go outside a lot and sit around my new table (that only seats two – first come first serve) or the kids go to the beach and swim. I am not so much into doing that. Crowds of summer people and local kids are not my thing. I prefer the lake in any season but summer.

midori — A glass of Midori while I grill

It also means that I am spending large amounts of money on food and large amounts of time in the kitchen and at the grill. I always have a hard time remembering which kid likes what food. None of them are horribly picky, except the 12 year old, but I always have to ask, mostly about onions. One likes them cooked and one likes them raw. No tomatoes for either. One loves seafood, like his mom, and the other doesn’t. One loves mushrooms….and so forth. I eat just about everything, so I grill and bake around their likes.

My oldest son lives in Kentucky and we have been trying to convince him to come up too and he called the other night to tell me he is coming!! I am so excited. I haven’t seen him in over 3 years and it will be the first time in that long that all my kids have been together too. My oldest was 20 when my youngest was born so they have never all lived together. It’s very odd, but the way it turned out.

He is driving here in his Porsche and bringing an old guitar of his for my youngest son who seems to have inherited the musical talent that my other boys have. The kids are just as excited at the thoughts of spending time together. I’ve warned my landlady that it could get loud next door.

He is on his way… and they will be heading into Boston for the weekend to see the Red Sox play and just enjoy the city. Maybe they will share their photos for me to post.

I have been trying to find an air conditioner – just a small one for the front room where the sun beats in every afternoon – but there are none to be found. I hope the humidity stays reasonable, but it won’t matter really. I’ll have all my kids together, which is a rare thing for sure. I imagine they will all get on each other’s nerves and we’ll see if the oldest will actually stay the whole week or hop in his car and head back to the quiet life in Kentucky!