Dear Readers,
I hope you are doing well. This summer has been full of laughter, poolside gatherings, sand beneath our toes and all-around fun. I am grateful to relish in this season of warmth but realize that not everyone is fortunate enough to experience this same joy.
On July 15 a tragic event in our area took the lives of 7 cherished friends, family, and members of our community: Yuko Love, Linda DePiero, Enzo DePiero, Susan Barnhart, Katie Seley, Matilda Sheils and Conrad Sheils.
It is not lost on me that they were enjoying their day as usual when a sudden, traumatic event took everything away from them and everyone whom they knew and love.
As former clients, the Sheils / Seley family hold a special place in our hearts. They are an incredibly kind, thoughtful and loving family. I wish I could take their pain away and recognize that the young father, Jim, and his 4 year old son Jack, who miraculously survived this event, have a long road ahead.
If anyone would like to offer support, please consider donating to:
Jim & Jack Sheils at https://gofund.me/3424c860
Susan Barnhart’s family at https://gofund.me/ae037483
Although I didn’t know Susan personally, she always had a smile and was beaming with joy when I would see her at the Washington Crossing Post Office. She was caring for her elderly mother at the time of her passing.
In loving memory of: Yuko Love, Linda DePiero, Enzo DePiero, Susan Barnhart, Katie Seley, Matilda Sheils, and Conrad Sheils
May you find eternal peace.
Gina & Jay Spaziano
Jay Spaziano Real Estate
1113 General Washington Memorial Blvd. Washington Crossing, PA 18977 (215) 860-2800
gina@jayspaziano.com
jayspaziano.com
Gina Spaziano
This elegant rear yard can be found in the heart of Upper Makefield, nestled among rolling hills, woodlands, and all the beauty that nature provides. Your outdoor adventure begins with a lovely all seasons room with 3 walls of magnificent floor to ceiling atrium topped windows offering sun-drenched ambience and the perfect place to enjoy your morning coffee while admiring the peaceful backdrop complete with a sparkling blue pool and pond with water feature. This private backyard offers multiple dining and entertainment areas and is perfect for hosting those special gatherings and celebrations.
Style and luxury nestled on almost 4 acres in a small enclave of homes in Upper Makefield offering privacy and breathtaking views of the historic Bucks County countryside. Outside, a blue stone patio rests below a sprawling louvered pergola complete with heat and lighting for yearround leisure. Enjoy an outdoor kitchen with grilling station, fire pit, hot tub, and multiple lounging and dining areas all with magnificent views of the water feature embedded in the lush landscape amidst the wooded backdrop making this luxury estate a truly spectacular living and entertaining experience.
It’s easy to feel like you are on
every time you look out the back door of one of these fantastic homes.
Serene tranquility awaits you in this stunning porch front home nestled in the heart of scenic Solebury Township on over 2 plush acres surrounded by woodlands and greenery. Travel down the winding drive dotted by mature trees and lush landscaping and take note as this breathtaking sanctuary appears out of the woods before you in this enchanting backdrop. Surrounded by 11 acres of protected common area that allow you to relax, rejuvenate and entertain guests while offering beautiful views of nature with wooded privacy plus providing access to a nearby pond lending to activities such as canoeing, ice skating and fishing.
Set back on a quiet, rural road surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, farmsteads and estate homes is this thoughtfully designed and constructed countryside marvel. Winding up the magnificent cherry blossom lined governor's driveway is this gorgeous property, appropriately named Casa Bella, situated on 11 beautiful acres. The backyard is a private paradise with an in-ground pool with spa, a composite deck, and an extensive patio. ●
SSPEND BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DAYS OUTSIDE instead of in the kitchen with these quick summer recipes perfect for a warm summer meal. This fresh salad is a great light side to pair with a burger. The Strawberry Crumb Bars are simple to put together and ready in under an hour and the easy lemonade tastes as if you spent hours squeezing fresh lemons! All combined, it’s the perfect answer to the never-ending question of “what’s for dinner?”
• 10-12 ounces of spring mix
• ¾ cup crumbled goat cheese*
*If you are not a fan of goat cheese, feta cheese works well in this salad
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup blueberries
• Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette
• 1 cucumber, cut in slices
In a large serving bowl combine the spring mix, berries, cucumber, goat cheese, and sunflower seeds. Toss with the vinaigrette just before serving, or serve it on the side.
• 1 cup bottled lemon juice
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 cup water
• Ice
Create a simple syrup by combining sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow syrup to cool then pour into a 2-quart pitcher. Add lemon slices and then mix in lemon juice and remaining water. Stir well. Pour over ice. Feel free to reduce the amount of sugar if too sweet or replace the 6 cups of water with club soda to make a great fizzy drink.
CRUMB
• ½ cup sugar
• 1-½ cups of all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup of very cold butter
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ¼ cup of your favorite barbeque sauce
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce
Mix all the ingredients together. Don’t over mix! Overmixing causes the burger to be tough and chewy after cooking. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes so the beef absorbs the flavors. Divide in quarters and shape into patties. Try and make your patties larger than the bun – they will shrink on the grill. Start with 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef mix. Leaner mixes like 90/10 tend to dry out on the grill. Cook on a pre-heated and greased grill 4-6 minutes per side until done (internal temperature of 160°F.) Top with cheese and melt if desired. Serve on toasted buns (brioche buns pair well) and your favorite condiments.
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
Place parchment paper on the bottom of the 8x8 pan so that it hangs over the side of the pan. (This is to make it easier to remove the Strawberry Crumb Bars after cooking.) In a medium bowl, stir together ½ cup white sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture. VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure the butter is very cold. Work with the dough until the pieces are very small. Dough will be crumbly. You can also pulse in a food processor until you get pea sized crumbs. In a separate measuring cup or small bowl, beat an egg with a fork then mix in the vanilla. Add the egg/vanilla mix to the flour mixture, and combine until you have a crumbly mixture. Pat half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
In another bowl, stir together ⅓ cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the strawberries. Spoon the strawberry mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the strawberry filling layer.
Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly golden brown.
Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Serve warm or cool. This dessert is great topped with vanilla ice cream.
Recipe courtesy of flavormosaic.com ●
FOR
Charming
Gated and feeling away from the world, yet only 10 minutes from the shopping, dining and entertainment in New Hope Borough is this gorgeous home that has been taken to the next level. Enjoy seasonal interest year-round from the striking bluestone veranda or from the glorious windows of the interior that elevate every room’s décor. A refined aesthetic with clean lines, sustainable square footage and an emphasis on quality and upscale materials, this tastefully renovated retreat needs to be experienced to appreciate the value it offers. Heated pool, pond, parking court for guests, 3 car attached garage, new mechanicals and whole house generator are just a few of the desirable amenities. Immerse yourself in this modern beauty with its historic Bucks County past, a former schoolhouse known as Greenhill High School. A great opportunity to become the next curator and truly enjoy the wonderful lifestyle of this magnificent property. ●
AS YOU MAY
over the past few years, the honeybee population, which is essential to pollination in Pennsylvania, has been in decline. About one-third of every bite of food we take comes via the work of a pollinator or, most often, a bee.
So, what exactly is a pollinator? A pollinator is anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of the same or another flower (stigma). A pollinator moves the pollen from plant to plant, so the plants become fertilized and produce fruits, seeds, and other young plants. Bees and butterflies are the most common pollinators. However, other insects like wasps, flies, beetles, and moths are good pollinators as well as birds, bats, and other creatures.
So how do you attract pollinators? Native plants are great! Typically, they are lower maintenance and don’t require soil modifications or a watering schedule because they are already adapted to the landscape. But you don’t need to limit your garden to native plants only. A mix of both can work. Some introduced plants can be wildly attractive to pollinators, especially ones that produce a lot of nectar.
Begin your pollinator garden by simply adding some of the plants listed here into your existing garden beds. If that’s not possible, consider creating a separate, small garden, or find a small area that needs some brightening like
near the shed or mailbox.
Start your pollinator space with just a few pollinator-friendly plants that are easy to grow. If you can, work in a small birdbath or fountain, it’s helpful for hydration for these small creatures and adds a focal point.
It’s suggested that you plant in groups to increase pollination efficiency. When a bee or butterfly can visit the same type of flower over and over, it quickly learns how to enter the flower. While grouping flowers is encouraged, planting a diverse variety of plants and flowers creates a vivid and interesting place for a wide array of pollinators to visit, not to mention, pleasant to look at too! It’s also helpful to choose plants that will flower at different points throughout the year.
For families and kids, gardening for wildlife allows a child to understand and respect nature and our environment. Plus, it’s more family fun time seeing who visits your garden!
Bees can see color much faster than humans and they are most attracted to blue, violet, yellow and white flowers. Fun fact: Bees cannot see the color red! Bees are always looking for flowers that are full of nectar, and they prefer a sweetly aromatic or minty fragrance. Bees are active during the day and prefer flowers that are wide open while the sun is out. Large petals provide easy to land on platforms.
Bee Favorites: Black-Eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower, Lavender, Sunflowers, Borage (a.k.a. Starflowers), Cosmos and Chives.
Butterflies have favorite colors too! They prefer bright, bold colors, like red and violet. As for scents, they prefer faint aromas. Flowers that are shaped like a narrow tube with a wide landing pad encourage them to visit. Like bees, butterflies prefer to do their visits during the day. They also like areas that provide protection from the wind.
Butterfly Favorites: Alyssum, Milkweed, Queen Anne’s Lace, Fennel, Snapdragons, Daisies and Yarrow.
Hummingbirds are attracted to scarlet, orange, red or white flowers especially those with tubular shapes where they can draw out nectar with their slender beaks and long tongues. They also prefer flowers that can support their weight, as they are a bit heavier than bees and butterflies. Fun fact: hummingbirds have no sense of smell! Hummingbird feeders, filled with a sweet nectar substitute, are also a popular item to add to a garden.
Hummingbird Favorites: Dahlia, Lilies, Nasturtium, Bleeding Heart, Hollyhocks, Iris and Zinnia. ●
There are more than 100 species of goldenrod in North America, and they are one of the most important late-season pollinator plants. Prior to winter, honeybees visit this plant to collect nectar, and other bees use the pollen for later-season nests.
This plant is resistant to drought and heat, and will attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds due to the tubular flower structure which can be accessed by long-tongued bees and hummingbirds.
As suggested by its name, milkweed or butterfly milkweed is a vital food source for the larval stage of monarchs as well as many other butterflies. The large decline (90%) in the North American monarch population is largely attributed to the increasing scarcity of milkweed.
This long-blooming flower is often seen as one of the main pollinators attracting species due to its prevalence and the open flower that provides an ideal feeding platform for butterflies such as monarchs. Honeybees and bumblebees, as well as other insect pollinators, are also attracted to this plant.
After
Joe-Pye weed tends to attract larger, showy butterflies such as monarchs or swallowtails as well as many native bees and insects. This plant is tolerant of partial shade and wet soils, and smaller gardens should use the “gateway” variety.
Asters are highly attractive to bees in particular, and provide a source of pollen and nectar later in the season. They are fairly drought resistant and grow best in full sun to light shade.
Also known as bee balm, this plant is a valuable nectar source for monarch butterflies, and the flower clusters are highly attractive to native bees and bumblebees.
This plant is excellent for nectar, and attracts mainly hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. It blooms from mid summer to fall and is a versatile perennial.
This plant attracts mostly bees, but also attracts other insects such as wasps, flies, butterflies, moths and beetles.
Plant List from https://positivelypa.com/planting-for-pollinators/
HHOWELL LIVING HISTORY FARM is a time machine that takes visitors to the year 1900, when horse drawn buggies traveled the lanes of Pleasant Valley, New Jersey and when farms were bordered by snake fences and Osage orange trees. Each year, over 65,000 visitors experience their rural heritage through the living history programs offered at Howell Farm.
Howell Farm has been a working farm for 285 years. During its 45 years as a property of Mercer County, the farm has grown from a 126-acre tract of donated farmland to a 267-acre historical park where the agriculture and lifestyle of earlier times is presented annually to more than 10,000 school children and 55,000 other visitors. As a living history farm, it continues to operate on a full, working scale by raising crops and livestock, and by using the house and barns as people did in earlier times. Dozens of horse-powered field and transportation operations are used to farm the 50 tillable acres where corn, oats, wheat, and hay are raised using equipment representative of the period.
The Mercer County Park Commission's successful preservation and restoration of the farm qualified the property for listings on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1978, just four years after it was given to the county by the Howell Family of Pennington. Public appreciation of the 'farm park' that
opened in 1984, and state and national recognition of its award-winning programs, inspired the 1991 formation of the Pleasant Valley National Rural Historic District. Key properties within the district were subsequently acquired by Mercer County and are maintained and operated by Howell Farm as The Pleasant Valley Historical Park. Visitors can enjoy the park through the tours of its one-room schoolhouse, late Revolutionary War period farmhouse, cemetery and the archaeological sites of a blacksmith shop, gristmill and two sawmills.
Howell Farm continues as a working farm, contributing to New Jersey's legacy as the Garden State. Dozens of horse-powered field and transportation operations are used to farm 126 acres: from growing corn, oats, wheat and hay to raising animals that give us milk, eggs and wool. Each year, visitors learn about the seeds, heritage breeds, and farming methods it preserves along with the ways they are still used to improve agriculture today.
There is never a dull moment at the farm. Seasonally appropriate events run year-round, along with children’s story time, nature friendly programs, and a whole range of educational programs which provide wonderful hands-on learning experiences. Every summer Howell Living Farm is the host to the Mercer County 4H Fair, a free 2-day event supporting Mercer County 4H children and their projects. In September, the farm’s 4-acre corn maze with 2 miles of paths opens and offers music,
games, and a food tent. The 40th Annual Plowing match, a free 2-day event, will be held on September 2, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Memberships to the farm are also available. To find out more information about events or membership, check the farm’s website. ●
70 Woodens Lane
Hopewell Twp., NJ 08530
Main: 609-737-3299
info@howellfarm.org
Hours
Open Tuesday–Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cost
Free admission & parking; fee for corn maze
@howelllivinghistoryfarm
@howelllivinghistoryfarm
Please join us in welcoming these new furry friends to the Jay Spaziano Family:
DAISY, a beautiful Portuguese Water dog, is now a new member in Gina’s home. Furry big brother Kody is teaching her the rules of the house.
REX HARRISON, a handsome pug, is a new member in Lorriane’s home. He is welcomed by furry big brother Beau and furry big sister Kitty. Beau and Kitty are both rescued pets. Rex was rehomed with Lorraine at 11 months.
FOR THIS ISSUE, our History Around the Corner inspiration came from one of our newest listings – 62 Thompson Mill Road, Newtown. The original section of the stone manor was built in c.1793 with two additions being added in c.1830 and c.1935. In 2004, the home was added to the United States Registry of Historic Places. In 1681, William Penn granted 1,000 acres of land in the “new” County of Bucks to William and John Tanner. However, the Tanner brothers never left England. Neither did the next owner, Benjamin Clark. The land was repeatedly sold and divided over the years until in 1748, 300 acres came to the Warner Family. Isaiah Warner, grandson of John and Elizabeth Dawes Warner, built the first section of the home along the banks of Fire Creek in 1793. In the early 19th century, one of the Warners married into the Thompson family, their neighbors. Shortly thereafter, the families went into the dairy business together and built the two barns, outbuildings, a holding pond, a corn crib, and an icehouse, all still located on the property. A single story “mother-in-law house” was added to the property in the early 1900’s.
In 1918, after 170 years, the Warner-Thompson Family sold the property to Isaac Ryan. Ryan operated a sawmill on the property. In fact, Thompson Mill Road was named because the road ran directly from the farm to grain mill owned by the Thompson Family along the Neshaminy Creek. In 1931, for financial reasons, Ryan shut down mill operations and transferred his business to Benjamin Musselman. It turned out that Musselman was a bootlegger from Philadelphia named Capriote. In 1932, a year before the Prohibition Era ended, federal agents found a 1,000 gallon still and 20,000 gallons of rye mash in one of the barns. This was the largest bootleg seizure in Bucks County history. Capriote posted bond, fled, and abandoned the property. By 1933, the property was so neglected it became known as “Skunk Hollow” and was sold for $370.91 at a sheriff’s sale. Colonel Ira and Glenna Flavel became the next owners from the late 1930s-1950s and made some improvements to the property and home. The property changed hands several times over the years. In 1980, the property was bought by the current stewards, and over the past 40 years, they have worked to make it one of the area’s most spectacular gardens – Pennsylvania’s Secret Treasure. ●
Front - Original House on far right, 1st addition in middle, 2nd addition on left Pool and Barn
Corn Crib
Dear Jay and Gina,
I just took a look at the photo tour of my parents’ house. Wow! What a lovely memento this is for us! And what a wonderful way to close out the closing! Thank you.
This whole process has gone very smoothly from our perspective. I fully realize that we had this experience because of the hard work and unseen labor on your end. You have been responsive and diligent at every moment. This is to your enormous credit.
Also, we are so pleased that you were able to find such an appropriate buyer, someone who will have the energy and desire to renovate and maintain the property. Be it ever so humble it is something of a family treasure and we feel good about our parents’ Jericho mountain legacy living on.
Again, you have our gratitude.
Best wishes, Sophie
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