A WORD ABOUT A BARN

You may have seen in an earlier post a photo and a reference to our (9 years new) barn. This barn is exceptional in many respects. It is 2,400 sq ft, in two storeys meaning, of course, that the two floors are 1,200 sq ft each. The exterior is of vertical pine above, and native, hand-laid stone below. There are 4 doors. The ground floor has two automatic garage doors — basically fiberglass doors, covered with a wood exterior — and a man-door, with a sliding bolt. On the right side of the barn, there is a ramp leading to the fourth door — an oversized door, easily capable of allowing ingress of a large boat or tractor or RV or what-have-you. This door, too, has an electric opener. Needless to say, the second story floor is stout enough to carry anything you could get up the ramp and into the barn. There is also, of course, an interior 4-ft wide stairway between the two floors. The second storey floor is wood; the first floor is concrete. It is not at all difficult to put several cars or pick-ups and/or a boat or trailer upstairs. Below, there are two bays, but a huge amount of space for tools, etc, on either side. There are twelve double-hung windows in the barn, making it light and airy. Added to the two-car garage, there is room for six or more vehicles. Alternatively, the second floor could easily be partitioned to accommodate assorted animals, large or small. Or an old-fashioned hoe-down!

This is what any New England old-timer would unhesitatingly call a PROPER BARN. Indeed, when meeting people for the first time, they invariably say: “Oh, yours is the house with the superb stone barn!” And indeed it is.

And after admiring the barn, be sure to visit our web site: nhhilltopcolonial.com

Newlondonbill

And hello! again from New London, New Hampshire. Hope you saw my blog yesterday with the glorious picture of winter. Which brings me to one of the things I like best about New London — the climate — all 4 seasons. It goes without saying that fall is incomparable — warm sunny, seeming never to end. But end it does, and then there is skiing, downhill or X-country, ice skating , or one of the activities we enjoy most: snow-shoeing. We are surrounded by thousands of acres of conservation land, and we can put on our snow shoes right outside our door and disappear into silent and deep woods or wander over unblemished fields — marked only by animal tracks. Spring is a season of promise — the trees leaf out, lilies bloom early heralding summer. Now, as everyone knows, New England has insects — black flies and mosquitoes. But on our hilltop, there is always a fresh breeze, and we are miraculously insect-free; I had exactly one mosquito bite all last summer!

Here is a photo — from the same angle as yesterday’s — but this one of summer. And when you get a chance, don’t forget to visit our website: nhhilltopcolonial.com

Gorgeous is too mild a word

A big hearty HELLO from New London, NEW HAMPSHIRE (no, NOT Connecticut), a gorgeous, sophisticated college town (Colby-Sawyer) in what’s appropriately known as the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. The water and the air are clean and invigorating, the scenery unsurpassed, the flora and fauna varied and exciting. We have seen bear, moose, foxes, and of course the ever-present deer right on our property. Oh, did I mention that we own property in New London? Yes, indeed. A 200 year-old house, completely renovated (leaving intact the magnificent old pine floors, the handcrafted woodwork, the 6 working fireplaces) and updated, with the latest and greatest: Wolf Stove, Sub-Zero refrigerator, etc, etc. The 4,100 sq ft house sits on 3.3 hilltop acres right on Main St, just a 2 minute drive to the “town” — er — better make that “village” — although I have to say THIS village has all the amenities of a much larger town. The kiddies have flown, and the house is too big for my wife and me, so it is for sale. We even have a website that I think you will find fascinating: nhhilltopcolonial.com.

A pristine winter day in New London, NH