Last night, with all good intentions, Jim and I embarked on an evening out to hear a musical concert in a small New Hampshire town. We left plenty of time to find the location site, but when we arrived in the general area, there were no signs, and no indication of the name of the place listed for this event. We thought that it might be more on the outskirts of town, so we drove further and further until we were in a different community altogether. By the time we drove back to the center of town, we still could not figure out where the meeting might be found, and the clock read 6:59 p.m., which would have meant that we would arrive late. Not cool!
We had gotten so busy, we had kind of forgotten to eat supper, so we decided to head back toward Concord, hoping to find an ice cream stand or something, on the way. I spotted a take-out restaurant with picnic tables and was pleased to find that they sold a few types of sandwiches, including egg salad, one of my favorites that I never think to make at home. I decided to have that as a treat, instead of ice cream.
Riding around the back roads of Belmont and Gilmanton, New Hampshire, I marveled at the many gorgeous, well-kept old houses of the well-to-do, sometimes with scenic views of a lake or mountains. The grounds of the beautiful homes are carefully manicured, no doubt by hired hands. One gets a real sense of history, just riding by. As we drove along, Jim pointed out the former farm of his grandparents in Loudon, NH, and the former site of an apple orchard formerly owned by his aunt and uncle.
We did not experience any musical joy, unless you count my humming in the car! Our ride to nowhere was an escape from work, a chance to chat without interruptions, and a basic time-out. We came home feeling refreshed and ready to do-it-all-again, today. The impression that remains includes the beautiful flowers and trees of New Hampshire. We live in a grand state!
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
