Milton Mills, NH
On Labor Day weekend, we visited Steve’s sister Sandy and her husband Blair at their home in Milton Mills. We were joined by their daughter Zoë and her husband Bill, who had driven up from Massachusetts. (Zoë is the niece whose wedding we attended in Salem last June.) We had fun catching up and playing with the dogs (one belonging to Sandy and Blair, and the other to Zoë and Bill).
Milton Mills is a tiny village in New Hampshire, just across the Maine border. Sandy and Blair live in a house built in 1790, with a large barn that they are carefully repairing. Sandy explained that the property was one of many land grants issued to soldiers as pay after the American Revolution. There were plenty of reminders that the house was well over two hundred years old - from the thick hand-hewn ceiling beams with adze marks, to the old-growth wooden planks, some more than 30” wide! I enjoyed walking around their property, which included a large meadow and a field with a pond, all surrounded by woods. Hidden among the trees were hand-built stone walls, still standing after two centuries.
On Sunday, we went to McKenzie’s Farm in Milton, to pick apples. Steve and I hadn’t gone apple picking since we lived in Boston, 35+ years ago! It was the start of apple season, and there were several varieties already ripe and ready to be picked: Macoun, Snowsweet, Ginger Gold, Zestar, and early Honey Crisp. It was fun tasting the different apples - they tasted so much better than the ones in grocery stores. We also picked some nectarines and raspberries. Sandy used a mix of apples to make a delicious tart.
On Monday, we went for a hike with the dogs along the Salmon Falls River. Blair showed us the remains of an old house that had once had a large stone fireplace. It was late in the season for blooms - except for some goldenrod and clover - but I did see some (inedible) berries and fungi. The Salmon River was very pretty; I think we were near a reservoir because the water was still.
After our hike, the guys observed Labor Day by doing chores - chopping firewood out in the field, driving the tractor to haul the wood to the barn, and then stacking it. I don’t normally think of chores as fun, but they were clearly having a good time. That evening, we made a bonfire from the scrap branches and wood, and did some star-gazing. It was all lovely and memorable, spending time with family in historic New Hampshire. Thank you, Sandy and Blair!
Postscript: We celebrated Zoë’s birthday as well as Steve and my 34th wedding anniversary. I had homemade birthday cake for breakfast one day, and homemade apple tart for breakfast the next day. YUM! Thank you, Sandy!
