Luscious Lilacs | A Revitalized Cornish Colony Landscape | Historic Cherry Trees
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contents
54
62
70
22
46
features
departments
46 An Antique House with a Modern Connection
12 14 16 18
Expanding beyond the small rooms and low ceilings of nineteenth-century rural architecture, this Newbury couple transformed a two-season breezeway into a warm and welcoming center for cooking, entertaining and living. By Jenny Donelan | Photography by John W. Hession
54 The Evolution of a Notable Landscape
A grandson and his wife brought new life to the turn-ofthe-century garden of Charles Adams Platt, who designed many of the Cornish Colony’s most distinguished homes and gardens, among other noteworthy commissions throughout the country. By Andi Axman | Photography by John W. Hession
62 Nurturing the Family Garden
From the Editor Letters from Our Readers On the Town Favorite Finds
Seafood Summer By Mary Ann Esposito
Garden R x
Cultivating a Love of Lilacs By Robin Sweetser
36
Romantic Painters By Debbie Kane
76 Garden Icon
A Blooming Tribute
For the Garden
22 Home Cooking 28
70 M asters of Their Craft
Homework
Bouquets with Pizazz
By Stephanie Seacord
80 82 88
Home Resources M ark Your C alendar ! At Home in New Hampshire
Orchard Ladders and Perry Pears
By Hillary Nelson Illustration by Carolyn Vibbert
By Kara Steere
Cynthia Hosmer is the inspired and dedicated steward of the fabulous ocean-facing garden at Brave Boat Harbor Farm, which was created by her mother-in-law, Marion Hosmer. By Robin Sweetser | Photography by John W. Hession
On the cover and page 46: Barbara and Ivor Freeman renovated the ell of their farmhouse in Newbury into a lofty, open kitchen/dining/living area, thanks to help from White and Associates Residential Architecture, Talbot Builders and Garden Life, all in New London; as well as Landforms in Bow. A bank of solar panels on the roof provides electricity for the entire home. Photography by John W. Hession Visit us online at www.nhhomeMagazine.com to read our digital edition, learn about events and use our resource guide. As part of our ongoing effort to support sound environmental practices and preserve our forests for future generations, New Hampshire Home is printed locally by Cummings Printing, a Forest Stewardship Council printer. 8 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Rob Karosis Photography
re side ntia l co m m e rcia l inte rio r de sign
contributors Jenny Donelan is an editor and writer with a wide variety of interests, and has covered areas that include computer technology, best business practices, pets, skiing and home design. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe and numerous other publications. may/j u n e 2016 | Vol . 10, No. 3
www.nhhomemagazine.com
Mary Ann Esposito is the creator and host of the PBS series, Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito™, now in its twenty-sixth season. In 2013, Italy’s president recognized Esposito for her efforts to preserve Italian culinary traditions with the Order of the Star of Italy Cavaliere (knighthood) award. Esposito is the author of twelve cookbooks, including her most recent, Ciao Italia Family Classics. She lives in New Hampshire. Visit her website at www.ciaoitalia.com. Debbie Kane is a writer and editor based on the New Hampshire Seacoast. She writes about home, design, food, spirits and a variety of other subjects for regional publications and clients across New England. She may be reached at www.debbiekanewriter.com.
Morgan Karanasios is New Hampshire Home’s photo assistant. She graduated in 2015 from the University of New Hampshire. Karanasios took photographs throughout Europe while a student in Dijon, France, and continues to develop her passion for photography.
Sharron R. McCarthy Andi Axman Art D irector John R. Goodwin Photo E ditor John W. Hession Asso c iate E ditor Kara Steere editorial Assistant Rose Zevos King photo Assistant Morgan Karanasios
PR ESI DENT/PU B LISH ER EDITOR
senior desi g ners
Jodie Hall, Wendy Wood contributors
Jenny Donelan, Mary Ann Esposito, Debbie Kane, Hillary Nelson, Stephanie Seacord, Robin Sweetser, Carolyn Vibbert regional sales m anag er
Jessica Schooley: (603) 413-5143 jschooley@mcleancommunications.com seacoast sales m anager
Tal Hauch: (617) 921-7033; (603) 413-5145 thauch@mcleancommunications.com
Rose Zevos King is New Hampshire Home’s editorial assistant. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in art history at the University of Glasgow.
Hillary Nelson writes about food, gardens and life from her farm in Canterbury. Her essays, recipes and photographs are published by the Concord Monitor and can also be found at www.coldgardenwarmkitchen.org.
Brook Holmberg Sherin Pierce BUSI N ESS M ANAGER Mista McDonnell Event & Mar keting m anager Erica Baglieri Business & Sales Coordinator Heather Rood D i gital Media S pe c ialist Morgen Connor VP/consumer m ar keting VP/retail SALES
e d i to r i a l Co r r e s p o n d e n c e
Andi Axman, editor
New Hampshire Home 150 Dow Street; Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 736-8056; editor@nhhomemagazine.com Subscriptions
Stephanie Seacord is a Newfields writer who has worked on Portsmouth Peace Treaty commemorations since its one-hundredth anniversary in 2005.
Subscriptions, New Hampshire Home PO Box 433273; Palm Coast, FL 32143 or call (877) 494-2036 or subscribe online at www.nhhomemagazine.com or email NHHome@emailcustomerservice.com
Kara Steere has worked as a professional writer/editor since her first job at a small- town newspaper in 1996. Since then, she has focused her career on bringing clarity and consistency to magazines, books and corporate communications. She can be reached at steerekara@gmail.com. © 2016 M c L ean C ommunications , I nc . New Hampshire Home is published bimonthly by McLean
Robin Sweetser writes the weekly Garden Journal garden blog for the Old Farmer’s Almanac; her work also appears in Sunday Concord Monitor. In addition, Sweetser has a small greenhouse business, is a licensed plant dealer and is the market manager for the Hillsboro Farmer’s Market, where she’s also a vendor.
Carolyn Vibbert is a Portsmouth illustrator whose work also appears on packaging for food and wine brands such as Barbara’s, Stone Cellars and Williams Sonoma. She is represented by Freda Scott, and you can see more of her work at www.fredascottcreative.com.
10 | New Hampshire Home
Communications, Inc.; 150 Dow Street; Manchester, NH 03101; (603) 624-1442. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the publisher’s written permission is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any mistakes in advertisements or editorial. Statements and opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect or represent those of this publication or its officers. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, McLean Communications, Inc.: New Hampshire Home disclaims all responsibility for omissions and errors.
USPS permit number 008-980. Periodical postage paid at Manchester 03103-9651. Postmaster, send address changes to: McLean Communications; PO Box 433273; Palm Coast, FL 32143 may/june 2016
from the editor
The Joy of Gardening
T
wo of my favorite things to do at home are cooking and gardening. For both, you start with some basics, add warmth and appropriate doses of TLC, and then voila. Magic happens! At 350°F, the right touch makes flour, butter and
eggs morph into delicious cakes or cookies. With an abundance of sunshine, plenty of care and enough rain, tiny seeds grow into the best salad greens you’ll ever taste. Little plants mature and then blossom, providing the freshest flowers for the most beautiful bouquets. What wondrous processes to behold! Being a successful gardener takes lots of imagination, know-how, passion and effort. One person who fits this bill is Cynthia Hosmer—my jaw dropped as we drove up her driveway and saw a property that looked like one you’d see in an English garden magazine. And in the distance was the ocean! Hosmer’s gardens and landscaping are so magnificent (page 62) that she has a steady stream of visitors
Being a successful
gardener takes lots of imagination,
know-how, passion and effort.
through the season—family, friends, painters, fellow gardeners and even tourists. New Hampshire’s beautiful landscape inspires many of us when we design our homes, which is exactly what happened to a Newbury couple when they transformed the ell on their Colonial-era farmhouse into an open, high-ceilinged space with many windows (cover and page 46). They were so taken with the views that they created beautiful gardens around the house to direct the eye out and beyond. In Cornish, a garden designed more than a hundred years ago by the renowned landscape architect Charles A. Platt has a new life, thanks to his grandson and wife, Charles II and Joan Platt (page 54). With help from garden designer Bill Noble, the Platts revitalized the beds and layout, creating a longer bloom season and making the garden easier to maintain. Lots of flower lovers live in New Hampshire, and two who set the bar high are Liz and Brian Riordan, whose love of lilacs began to blossom when they were students at University of New Hampshire. Today, they have more than seventy varieties of lilacs growing around their Hampton Falls home (page 28), which makes May an especially fragrant and beautiful month. We also introduce you to other gardeners with a knack for design. Members of the Piscataqua Garden Club banded together for a show last summer and created artistic arrangements in vessels made by New Hampshire potters (page 36). Have a lovely spring, and take in all the beautiful flowers!
Editor
12 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
ıconıcs CO O P E R TA B L E
BEDFORD 192 ROUTE 101 WEST 603.472.5101 PORTSMOUTH 775 LAFAYETTE ROAD ROUTE 1 603.431.9144 ©2016 Ethan Allen Global, Inc.
letters from our readers
Left: The Ristagnos’ LEED gold home. Right: Dr. Bob and Jill Wilson in their library at home.
Sticky business
Ever since we moved to New Hampshire, we have subscribed to your beautiful magazine. I’m wondering if perhaps you could consider an address label that can be easily removed. I save my magazines for future reference and would like to be able to remove the address label without damaging the cover.
Small world!
In February, I was high bidder at a Skinner auction in Boston for a bureau made by Stephen Badlam in about 1790 to 1810. Stephen Badlam was my great-great-greatgreat grandfather, so I have a personal interest in the piece and am absolutely thrilled to have it. Skinner was informed by the consignor that the bureau was pur—Meryl Pascarella in Ashland chased at a F.B. Hubley & Company auction in Cambridge, Massachusetts, about thirty Editor’s note: How wonderful that you save years ago by Mable Lomas. She was the your issues of New Hampshire Home, Meryl. previous owner of Anderson’s Antiques in We forwarded your question to our printer, Hopkinton and kept the bureau in a large who tells us that because we use a coated center hall in her home. paper for our cover stock, the printer has to In your September/October 2015 issue use a strong glue to ensure that the mailing [Furniture Fever], you feature Dr. Bob labels stick to the coating and do not fall off Wilson, who comes up via a Google search while in the mail. I wish we could be of as having known Mable Lomas through more help, but please know that we contheir mutual interest in antiques. I was sider the label’s placement when we choose wondering if you could pass my contact cover photos, so that nothing important is information on to him on the chance that covered up. he might remember the piece and maybe has other information on it. Thank you Artistic lighting very much. We are very pleased to be included in the —Carolie McLaughlin in Sandwich, Massachusetts Locally Made Favorite Finds in the March/ April 2016 issue. It’s great to be among Editor’s note: What a great story, Carolie, other local artists, craftspeople and busiand I appreciate your sharing it with us. I’m nesses, and Favorite Finds is a great feature happy to pass your contact information on in the magazine. Many thanks again for to Dr. Wilson and I hope he can help you. this opportunity! —Linda Whitworth of Derek Marshall Lighting LLC in Sandwich
14 | New Hampshire Home
Building green
We want to thank you for a great job on the story about our home [So Green, It’s Gold, March/April 2016]. Debbie Kane’s article is beautifully written, John Hession’s photographs are exquisite and the layout is eye-catching. It has been a pleasure working with all of you. Your professionalism and dedication to the project are clearly reflected in the results. Thank you for such a great piece and thank you for selecting our home.
—Marcia and Charlie Ristagno in Rye Beach
Inspired stonework
Thank you for the wonderful article on Kevin Gardner, his stone walls and the talk he gives for New Hampshire Humanities [Stone by Stone, March/April 2016]. Kevin is a master of his craft, as well as a gifted storyteller and historian. You were incredibly generous with your credit and information about upcoming programs. I so appreciate the publicity, especially in such a gorgeous magazine!
—Deborah Watrous, executive director of New Hampshire Humanities in Concord
We love hearing your thoughts about the stories we’ve published, and we’re always on the lookout for homes and gardens that might interest our readers. Write to us at Editor; New Hampshire Home; 150 Dow Street; Manchester, NH 03101; or e-mail editor@nhhomemagazine.com. We look forward to hearing from you! may/june 2016
Furniture shopping the way it’s supposed to be. Amherst & Keene, NH • Winchendon, MA
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Building. Done. Right.
(603) 744-0186 www.haywardandcompany.com nhhomemagazine.com
Mike and Julie Hayward, owners of Hayward & Company New Hampshire Home | 15
on the town
Stylish home furnishings
In March, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams launched the spring 2016 collection at their recently opened, signature store in Burlington, Massachusetts. Guests included Greg Sweeney (left), director of marketing and administration for Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, and Tal Hauch, Seacoast sales manager for New Hampshire Home. Photography courtesy of David Costa
Old homes and their gardens
At the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance’s Old House and Barn Expo in Manchester in March, author and garden designer Gordon Hayward (seated) signed books and later spoke to a standing-room-only crowd about creating the garden surrounding his renovated nineteenth-century Vermont farmhouse. The twenty-year project is the subject of Hayward’s book, The Intimate Garden, and New Hampshire Home sponsored his lecture. Photography courtesy of Steve Booth
Award-winning architecture
Two homes were singled out at the American Institute of Architects New Hampshire (AIANH) chapter’s Excellence in Architecture Design Awards gala in January, held at LaBelle Winery in Amherst. Winning an honorable mention award was the alpine ski home in Lincoln, designed by Tom Samyn (left photo, center) of Samyn D’Elia Architects in Ashland, who accepted the award with the firm’s Amelia Brock and Mike Ritter. The project was featured in New Hampshire Home [A Retreat for Skiers, by Skiers, January/February 2016], which was the media sponsor of the event. The other home, which won an honor award, was Sheldon Pennoyer’s family retreat residence in Harrisville. Pennoyer, who is president-elect of AIANH, is shown with project manager Jasmine Pinto in the right photo. Photography by John W. Hession
Local fare
Tasting wine for good
More than 1,500 wines from around the world, as well as fare from area restaurants and chefs, were available for sampling at the Thirteenth Annual Winter Wine Spectacular in January in Manchester. Proceeds from the sold-out event directly support Easter Seals New Hampshire’s early intervention program for young children. McLean Communications, which publishes New Hampshire Home, was one of the event’s sponsors, and McLean President Sharron McCarthy (center) enjoyed the festivities with Nicole Brassard Jordon, director of sales and marketing for the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission, and Joseph W. Mollica, the commission’s chairman. Photography by John W. Hession 16 | New Hampshire Home
Fans of New Hampshire Home contributor as well as Ciao Italia creator and host Mary Ann Esposito visited the winter farmers’ market at Cole Gardens in Concord in March, where she signed copies of her most recent cookbook, Ciao Italia Family Classics. Esposito (top photo, second from left) and Cole Garden’s Charlie Cole (top photo left), Jane Iarussi and Doug Cole greeted guests, including Ken and Diana Celmer (bottom photo), whose house was featured in New Hampshire Home [A Stone House Stands Tall, January/ February 2015]. Photography by John W. Hession
may/june 2016
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favorite finds
for the garden
Learn how to create a colorful garden where chickens happily roam and roost.
Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord • (603) 224-0562 www.gibsonsbookstore.com
Protect your arms from scratches, insect bites and sunburn— and keep your hands clean while gardening.
Womanswork • www.womanswork.com
Show off your plants in a Geodesic Terrarium, made from a repurposed antique chandelier.
Brighten up your doorstep with Bloomstruck Big-Leaf Hydrangea and watch flowers rebloom through the season. Rolling Green Nursery in
Restoration Hardware www.restorationhardware.com
Greenland • (603) 436-2732 • www.rollinggreennursery.com
Pick your own strawberries, starting in early June, or buy ready-picked— just don’t miss this seasonal delicacy!
Grow colorful Jurassic Watermelon Rex Begonia in shady spots. Cole
Edgewater Farm in Plainfield (603) 298-5764 www.edgewaterfarm.com
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may/june 2016
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favorite finds
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Support your plants with garden stakes made by Haitian metal artists. Make harvesting veggies and cutting flowers easy with these long-tipped, stainlesssteel shears. Womanswork • www.womanswork.com
Add a classic Italian, heavenly touch to your garden with an angel statue. Churchill’s Garden Center in
Exeter • (603) 772-2685 • www.churchillsgardens.com Help your potted plants retain moisture with soil enriched with compost and other organic ingredients.
Rolling Green Nursery in Greenland • (603) 436-2732 www.rollinggreennursery.com
Get tips on growing your own ingredients for mixed drinks from this New York Times bestseller.
Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord • (603) 224-0562 www.gibsonsbookstore.com
Give your home’s entry a unique accent. Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.
www.schoolhouseelectric.com
Support honeybee health research and attract bees— buy and plant Beedance Painted Red Bidens.
Cole Gardens in Concord (603) 229-0655 www.colegardens.com
Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford (603) 743-4919 www.wentworth greenhouses.com
20 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
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Home cooking with
mary ann esposito
Seafood Summer One of this season’s joys is the freshest fish and shellfish.
W
ould it surprise you to know
around my neck. Checkerboard-covered
that New Hampshire has the
tables and lots of melted butter complete
shortest ocean coastline of
this summer picture. And, oh, don’t
any state in the United States? We have
forget the steamers and the annual clambake; those say summer, too!
just eighteen miles of sandy beaches,
Sometimes, when I want something a
trusty lighthouses, mesmerizing waves, majestic sailing vessels and gorgeous
little more fancy for entertaining, I craft
ocean sunsets.
Seafood Sundaes. I use a variety of fish and shellfish that are available—such
In addition to all the beauty that we derive from our coastline, we are
as shrimp, scallops, crab meat, clams,
fortunate to have access to local fresh
oysters and squid—that are cooked,
fish and seafood. For me, that is critical
marinated in lemon and lime juices, and
because I am a true seafood lover, and
served with a spicy cocktail sauce in a
always thinking of new ways to prepare
stylish glass. Even though the Granite State has a
everything from haddock to lobster and shrimp.
scallops always get my attention, and
precious oceanfront resource, we need
the best advice I can give is not to over-
to be mindful of the delicate balance of
on the New Hampshire Seacoast, selling
cook them. They are perfect seared in a
supply and demand. Overfishing some
the daily catch. It is always a treat to
hot cast-iron pan on the grill.
species has struck a dire chord with
There are many reputable fishmongers
see what an array of fish and seafood
Lobster is king on the Seacoast and
those who fish for a living and those
is available. I let my fishmonger be my
the perfect summer choice for outdoor
who consume fish. We need to allow de-
guide in choosing what to buy, and buy-
or indoor eating. I love the tradition of
pleting species to replenish themselves
ing as close to home as possible guaran-
cracking into a boiled lobster—armed
by letting nature take its course so that
tees the utmost off-the-boat freshness.
with nutcrackers and nutpicks, and
we can enjoy endless summers of the
Creamy- and succulent-looking sea
decked out for duty with a plastic bib
fruits of the sea.
Cast-Iron-Pan-Seared Sea Scallops
NHH
Ser v es 6
The secret to achieving a nice seared crust on sea scallops is a big and well-seasoned cast-iron pan. Another tip: Buy dry scallops, not water-injected ones that will never brown. 4 tablespoons melted butter, divided 1 pound large, dry sea scallops, well dried with paper towels Zest and juice of 2 large limes 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon ½ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
1. Heat a dry cast-iron pan either on a stovetop or on a gas grill over high heat for 2 minutes. 2. Lower the heat to medium high, brush the pan with half the melted butter and add the scallops. Do not crowd them or they will steam instead of brown. Do not be in a hurry to turn them. When a crust begins to form at the edges on the undersides, turn and cook the other side. This should take but a minute or two on each side, depending on size. 3. Just before taking the scallops out of the pan, add the remaining butter, lime zest, lime juice and tarragon, and coat the scallops well. 4. Remove the scallops, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito
Text and food styling Mary Ann Esposito | Photography by John W. Hession 22 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
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Let us inspire you! Large Shrimp, Amalfi Style
Ser v es 4
One of the most beloved vacation destinations in Italy is the Amalfi coast: breathtakingly beautiful with jagged cliffs, the bluest water, the most stupendous lemon trees and a coastline whose roads are a challenge for even an Indy 500 driver. But I come for the fish: tender baby squid, sweet clams, grilled San Pietro and, of course, the gamberoni (large shrimp). When I am home, I prepare them Amalfitana style and am transported back to that heavenly paradise that only divine intervention could have invented. 20 large shrimp 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large clove garlic, minced 2 anchovies in olive oil, chopped 1 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
5 large fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and diced 1½ cups dry white wine ¼ cup minced parsley Salt, to taste
Amazing Quality • Incredible Selection • Completely Customizable.
1. Remove the shrimp heads, shell and intestinal tract. (Use a small knife to make a slit along the curved side of each shrimp, and use the tip of the knife to scrape out the intestine.) Rinse the shrimp well and set aside. 2. In a large sauté pan, add the oil and heat it over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, anchovies and red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until the anchovies dissolve in the oil. 3. Add the shrimp, tomatoes and wine. Cook covered over low heat for 15 minutes, or just until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Do not overcook the shrimp, or they will be too tough. Stir in the parsley. Season to taste with salt. 4. Serve in bowls, and accompany with slices of good bread to mop up the juices. Recipe from Ciao Italia Family Classics www.nhhomemagazine.com
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Home cooking
with mary ann esposito
Seafood Sundaes
Ser v es 8
You can have a lot of fun making these seafood sundaes; I like to combine large sea scallops, shrimp and lump crabmeat. The best thing is that the dish can be made ahead of time, and is a great starter for a breezy summer supper or special occasion. One word of caution: cook each type of seafood separately to ensure that each is cooked correctly without becoming rubbery. Cocktail Sauce 1 large lemon cut into ¼-inch slices, plus the juice of 2 2 tablespoons minced fennel leaves m ore lemons 1 large blood or navel orange, Pinch of salt, plus 1 teaspoon cut into 8 wedges coarse sea salt 8 large sea scallops, cut in half Cocktail Sauce widthwise 11/2 cups ketchup 11/2 pounds large shrimp 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (24–28 count) Sea salt 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1/4 teaspoon celery salt 1 teaspoon grated ginger 1/2 pound lump crabmeat Coarse, colored salt, for garnish 1. Fill a medium saucepan with water; add the lemon slices and a pinch of salt; and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, add the scallops and gently cook them for about 3 minutes, or just until they look opaque. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon to a platter, keeping them in a pile. Set aside. 2. Add the shrimp to the saucepan and cook them just until the shells turn pink; remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon. Cool, peel and devein the shrimp. Place them on the platter with the scallops, keeping them in a separate pile. 3. Pour the olive oil into a 9-by-12-inch glass baking dish. Stir in the lemon juice, sea salt and celery salt. Mix well. In separate batches, add the scallops, shrimp and crabmeat to the olive-oil mixture; stir to combine each seafood well, remove each and keep them separated in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight. 4. When ready to serve, have eight martini glasses or small ice-cream sundae dishes ready. Wet the rims of each glass or dish, and dip the rims in the coarse, colored salt. Refrigerate the glasses or dishes until ready to fill. 5. To make the Cocktail Sauce, mix all the ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use. 6. When ready to serve, place about a teaspoon of Cocktail Sauce in the bottom of each dish. Divide the crabmeat between the dishes; add another teaspoon of Cocktail Sauce. Add three shrimp and two scallop rounds to each dish, and top with another teaspoon of Cocktail Sauce. 7. Divide and sprinkle the fennel leaves over the top of each glass or dish. 8. Use a small knife to make a small slit in each orange wedge and anchor it over the rim of each glass or dish. Refrigerate for several hours in advance, or serve immediately. Adapted from recipe by Chef Paul Delios
Fried Calamari
Ser v es 6
I have to thank my dear friend, Chef Paul Delios for this delicious way to fry calamari. Buttermilk is the key. 2 pounds calamari rings and tentacles 1 quart buttermilk 1 cup semolina flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 cup vegetable oil
1. Place the calamari in a rectangular dish. Pour the buttermilk over it and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. 2. Combine flours, salt and pepper. Set aside. 3. When ready to fry, heat the oil in a 2- or 3-inch deep sauté pan. Drain 1 cup of calamari rings and tentacles at a time and toss in the flour mixture, coating the pieces well. Shake off the excess flour and fry the calamari a little at a time for about 2 minutes or until light golden brown. Drain well. 4. Serve with your favorite tartar or chili sauce, or just a squirt of lemon juice. Adapted from recipe by Chef Paul Delios
24 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
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New Hampshire Home | 25
Home cooking
with mary ann esposito
Lobster, Peas and Pasta
Ser v es 4
Lobster is pricey. But when you want to splurge, a little goes a long way in this beautiful and tasty dish. Many fishmongers and supermarkets will steam fresh lobsters for you at no cost if you are short on time. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 small, whole star anise, finely crushed 3/4 cup bottled clam juice 2 cups light cream 1 pound cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-size pieces 1 cup peas—either fresh and cooked, or frozen and defrosted Salt, to taste 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil plus extra whole leaves for garnish 1 pound cavatelli or other short, cut pasta, such as butterflies or rigatoni 1. Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan, and whisk in the flour and the star anise until the mixture forms a paste-like consistency. Slowly whisk in the clam juice and cream. Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth. 2. Gently fold in the lobster and peas into the sauce. Season with salt to taste. Stir in the minced basil. Keep warm. 3. Cook and drain the pasta, and place in a large bowl. Add the lobster and pea mixture and toss gently. 4. Serve in bowls and top with fresh basil leaves for garnish.
Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito
Where to Buy Fresh Seafood “My rule of thumb is to purchase fish and seafood as close to home as possible,” says Mary Ann Esposito, who lives near the Seacoast. Among her favorite places to shop are Seaport Fish in Rye, which she says “has a wide selection and very knowledgeable staff”; Al’s Seafood in North Hampton and Sanders Fish Market in Portsmouth are good sources, too. If you don’t live near the Seacoast, Esposito recommends buying fish from the source closest to you, like Canadian flounder, for example, instead of fish or seafood from farther away. Al’s Seafood 51 Lafayette Road, North Hampton
(603) 964-9591 • www.alsseafoodnh.com
Sanders Fish Market 367 Marcy Street, Portsmouth
(603) 436-4568 • www.sandersfish.com
Seaport Fish 13 Sagamore Road, Rye
(603) 436-7286 • www.seaportfish.com
26 | New Hampshire Home
Greg Billingham of Sanders Fish Market in Portsmouth gathers ingredients for Mary Ann Esposito’s Seafood Sundaes (see recipe on page 24) and Lobster, Peas and Pasta (see recipe above). may/june 2016
www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 27
garden rx
Cultivating a Love of Lilacs Meet some Granite Staters who are wild about New Hampshire’s state flower.
T
he purple lilac may be New Hampshire’s state flower, but it isn’t a native plant; hard to believe,
since often a long-abandoned home
site—where only a cellar hole and scattered stones remain—has an ancient lilac standing guard nearby. In addition to purple, the other six “official” colors are white, violet, pink, blue, lavender and magenta, and the blossoms can have single or double florets. For me, there is nothing more nostalgic than the scent of lilacs, a distinctive fragrance known to spark childhood memories. The most fragrant lilacs are descended from the common lilac Syringa vulgaris, which hails from Eastern Europe. There are twenty other species of lilacs native to Asian nations, such as Korea and China. Some are heavily scented while others have little or no fragrance. For decades, the University of New Hampshire was well known for its lilacbreeding program, which lasted from the 1940s through the early 2000s. If you have a ‘Miss Kim’, ‘Agnes Smith’ or ‘James Macfarlane’ lilac, you have a plant that was developed at UNH.
Homeowners Liz and Brian Riordan are with their constant companions Griz, the chocolate Labrador retriever, and Cooper, the black Labrador retriever. “The wonderful thing about lilacs is that every year the flowers get better and better!” says Liz.
When the Riordans bought their
plants—Liz says she won’t plant one if
New Hampshire’s favorite flower
house in Hampton Falls in 1991, the
Liz and Brian Riordan met at UNH
only flowers on the property was a
where they were lab partners in fresh-
hedge of lilacs out front. In 2005, Liz
their yard is around May 18. “Brian and
man zoology class. “Little did I know
and Brian decided to plant a privacy
I look forward to May all year long,”
that we’d be partners for life,” Liz says.
border behind the house. “We started
Liz says. “We walk the lilac bed several
Their love of lilacs also began to bud at
with eight young lilac shrubs,” Liz says,
times a day. The fragrance is amazing!”
UNH. “One of our favorite things to do
“and now we have seventy varieties! Li-
The Riordans love inviting people over
every May was to look at and smell the
lacs are the first thing I check out when
to enjoy the lilac display and are hosting
lilacs. It was Brian’s favorite flower and
I go to a new nursery.”
a wedding for family friends in their
became mine as well.”
The Riordans have labeled all their
she does not know what variety it is. The peak season of lilac bloom in
garden this spring.
By Robin Sweetser | Photography by John W. Hession 28 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Some of the Riordans’ favorite varieties are: • ‘ Katherine Havemeyer’ with its huge pink double blossoms • Mildew-resistant, white ‘Betsy Ross’ that blooms early • ‘Congo’ and ‘Yankee Doodle’ with their deep purples • ‘Maiden’s Blush’ as a fantastic early blooming pink • ‘Beauty of Moscow’, which has pink buds that turn to white flowers • ‘Agincourt Beauty’ with its huge deep violet florets • ‘Lilac Sunday’, which was hybridized at Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University and is a single-flowering purple with arching branches
The Lilac Project John and Cheryl Bentley began the Katie Bentley Lilac Project and related Katie Bentley Memorial Charity in
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2007 to honor their four-year-old daughter Katie, who died from a rare lung infection. The goal of the Lilac Project is to promote a love of purple lilacs—Katie’s favorite flower. John visits fourth-grade classrooms
strawbery banke Museum
History Happened Here
around the state to talk about lilacs.
Experience daily life across four centuries in NH’s oldest waterfront neighborhood. EXPLORE THE HISTORIC HOMES AND BUILDINGS. STROLL THE LANES AND LANDSCAPES. SEE HISTORY FOR YOURSELF AT AN AMERICAN CELEBRATION JULY 4. MEET THE Daily PEOPLE INCLUDING CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTORS 20-21. Open 10-5, May 1-Oct 31. Featured ExhibitAUG 2015:
Game On!daily In the Pursuit of Play Puddle Open 10am-5pm May 1 - on October 31.Dock Nov 1 - Dec 30, open for guided tours and special events. Please visit our website for more information. www.strawberybanke.org The Riordans look forward to peak lilac blooms in May, when there are plenty of blossoms for cutting and the couple can surround themselves with fragrance indoors and out. www.nhhomemagazine.com
14 Hancock Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 Call 603.433.1100 for more info New Hampshire Home | 29
garden rx
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Every spring, lilacs that were planted at the War Memorial on the town green in Andover across from the stone chapel at Proctor Academy bloom prolifically.
uary 2016
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The Lilac Project also promotes
lilacs in New Hampshire,” he says,
planting lilacs on public lands, such as
“such as the fact that we are the only
at schools, cemeteries and libraries. If
state with a Lilac Commission, we
you would like to start a lilac planting
have the oldest documented lilacs
program in your area, John can help
in North America at the Wentworth-
you get going.
Coolidge Mansion in Portsmouth,
To promote public enjoyment and
and we are the only state with the
scientific study of lilacs, John hopes
lilac as its state flower. I try to make it
to build a public lilac collection in
fun and interesting, only speaking for
Hooksett with more than three
about fifteen minutes and giving the
hundred rare and collectible lilacs.
children time to ask lots of questions.
This planned arboretum will be called
If we have the money, we give each
the Katie Bentley Lilac Collection.
of them a lilac to plant at home. We
Developer Jeff Larrabee of Larrabee
want to start a love of lilacs early.”
Group, LLC in Concord has proposed
Last year, John had requests for
a large complex to house the lilac
lilacs from 430 students around the
collection, related agricultural areas
state, which donations helped pay for.
as well as a restaurant, event pavilion, may/june 2016
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festival grounds, concert stage, brew pub and hotel. Syringa Plus nursery has opened a new location in Hooksett. The nurs-
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ery’s stock plants remain at the old nursery in West Newbury, Massachusetts, but the rest of the operation has moved north. The end goal is for lilac lovers to get their fix all in one trip!
Advice from a pro “Evie King from Syringa Plus in Hooksett is a real lilac expert,” Liz says, “and I have learned a lot about lilacs from her. She is my go-to person when I have questions.” King has three top tips for lilac success: 1. Lilacs do best in full sun.
2. They do not like wet feet, so plant them in well-drained soil. 3. They like sweet soil: pH 6-7. To this list, King says she would add: “don’t kill them with kindness. People tend to kill their lilacs by overwatering or over-fertilizing them.” Lilac season is short, so King recommends planting early-, midand late-season varieties to extend the show. The Riordans say that
Tip 1 Maximizing your storage is essential to having a great kitchen. I have seen many kitchens that have no place to put the frying pans, no real pantry and no counter space on either side of the cook top. These are not functioning kitchens. I maintain that all cabinets less than 12 inches wide are useless. What can you store in them? Not much. If you are going to spend the money to remodel your kitchen, let a designer help you maximize the storage space so you really can use it. No more trips to the basement to get that pan or roll of paper towels. At Dream Kitchens, I guarantee we will give you at least 30 percent more storage. Tip 2 Life has changed. The kitchen is the center of our lives. We cook, our children study, and we entertain in the kitchen. This makes the layout essential. How many times have you asked your child to “stop standing there so I can get to the fridge?” We should be able to easily chat with guests, put chips and dip out on a buffet, and watch TV. We want guests welcome in the kitchen, but on the fringes where they add to the fun but don’t get in the way. Tip 3 Get rid of the clutter. Most countertops are packed with the coffee maker, toaster, food processor, blender, knives, spices and pantry items. This makes it almost impossible to prepare food and makes the kitchen look messy. Have a place to store everything so you can see and use those beautiful countertops. At Dream Kitchens we will store everything away so you are ready for company at any time of day!
A stone bench and planting of lilacs at Boscawen Elementary School are in memory of Katie Bentley. She loved the color purple and lilacs were her favorite flower. www.nhhomemagazine.com
Nina Hackel, President | Dream Kitchens | 139 Daniel Webster Highway Nashua NH | www.adreamkitchen.com | 603-891-2916 New Hampshire Home | 31
Beautiful
garden rx
SUSTAINABLE homES
A few of the Riordans’ lilacs in bloom, clockwise from top left, are ‘Wedgewood Blue’, dark purple ‘Congo’, pure white ‘Betsy Ross’ and bicolored ‘Sensation’.
‘Assessippi’ is the first to bloom in their garden and ‘Donald Wyman’ is one of the last. Pruning is another topic King often gets questions about. “The most important thing about pruning is to do it immediately after the plants flower,” she says. “That way you are not cutting off next year’s blossoms. The more new growth you encourGeneral Contractor • Custom Homes
age, the more flowers you’ll have in the future.”
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King has played an important role in the preservation of the WentworthCoolidge lilacs. These venerable plants, which dated back to 1750,
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were attacked by a root-rotting fungus called Armillaria about six years ago. To eradicate it, all the dead and diseased wood had to be removed from the garden. King propagated new plants from disease-free stock
32 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Portsmouth Bath Company S a l e s
S h o w r o o m
(a division of Standard of New England, LLC)
taken from the original plantings and used this stock to replant the garden after the fungus was gone from the soil. She still has a good supply of these historic plants for sale so others can own a piece of New Hampshire history. “Lilacs are survivors,” King says. “They are tough plants, and will live and perform well in locations that are less than ideal.” Sounds like an appropriate plant to represent the people of New Hampshire.
NHH
Resources Dodge’s Agway (603) 926-2253
www.dodgesagway.com
Governor’s Lilac and Wildflower Commission
www.nh.gov/lilacs
Katie Bentley Lilac Project (603) 783-6779 www.katiebentleylilacproject.com
Lake Street Garden Center (603) 893-5858
www.lakestreet.com
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Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion (603) 436-6607
www.wentworthcoolidge.org
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New Hampshire Home | 33
LANDSCAPE SHOWCASE Belknap Landscaping, We turn Dreamscapes into landscapes
L
ots of companies can provide landscape design services that mirror the latest trends—but very few walk you through the experience the way Belknap Landscape Company does. With Belknap Landscape Company, your project doesn’t end when the last tree is pruned or the final lawn chair is put out. The dozens of experienced professionals will see you through every phase of your landscaping needs, from the design and build, through the first year of maintenance. With a Belknap design, not only will the look of your space be unparalleled but the service you receive will be, too. Our full-service landscape company has
been serving the New Hampshire Lakes Region since 1989 and we pride ourselves on using materials that are “naturally native” to the state. Whether it’s granite pavers to match your Granite State home or stones that complement the look of your backyard, we will ensure that everything in your project has the local touch. Our team has the expertise to effortlessly create a trendy or timeless look for your property. Fire pits are a growing trend— have you seen one you liked at a home remodeling show? We can make that dream come true—we have installed nearly fifty in the last year. If you can dream it, we can make it a reality.
When you choose Belknap Landscape Company for your landscaping project, you can rest assured that you’ve gained a partner for every step of the way. Our team will help you design the exact patio, outdoor kitchen or backyard space you want, and we’ll stay in close contact as we bring the design to life. Once your project is installed, our team provides a full year of maintenance and communication to maintain the Belknap experience long after you’ve held your first garden party. We provides naturalistic solutions to our clients’ landscaping needs—and the personal touch to make your experience unforgettable.
Belknap Landscape Co., Inc. 603-528-2798 25 Country Club Rd. Village West, unit 302 Gilford, NH 03246 www.belknaplandscape.com 34 | New Hampshire Home
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may/june 2016
LANDSCAPE SHOWCASE DB Landscaping, creating innovative and engaging landscapes
W
hen you choose a New Hampshire vacation home, a certain caliber of automatic landscaping comes standard. Whether your property boasts leafy woodlands, sweeping vistas, or a waterfront locale, Mother Nature’s landscapes are guaranteed to impress—and db Landscaping can help you bring that same natural wow factor to your man-made landscapes. Some companies opt for concrete and other industrial materials for their landscaping installations. Not so with db. The team at db works with you to select
natural materials that blend in with your home’s surroundings. Gorgeous stone steps can complement the rocky shores behind your beach home, and the welcoming hearth of an outdoor fire pit can continue the woodsy feel of your lake house. Local materials also feature heavily in db’s work, so every element of your landscape design can reflect the natural resources of the Granite State. In addition to designing you the outdoor living space of your dreams, db Landscaping will keep the details of permitting and regulations from turning your project into a
nightmare. The team—led by trained landscape architect Dan Bruzga—has more than ten years of experience navigating the legal side of landscaping, from environmental regulations to zoning and historic preservation guidelines. With db, you can leave the legal details to the professionals. Your role is simply to sit back and enjoy your new space. Whether you need landscape design at your new vacation home, help overhauling shoddy or outdated work from a previous landscaper, or even a fresh take on the landscaping at your full-time residence, db is here to help.
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New Hampshire Home | 35
homework
Bouquets With Pizazz Piscataqua Garden Club members created double works of art: arranging flowers in vessels by New Hampshire potters.
R
alph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying “Earth laughs in flowers.” With summer making its way to New
Hampshire, it’s easier than ever to smile at
a beautiful floral arrangement and imagine the happiness that created it. These bouquets graced the Museums of Old York’s Contained and Arranged exhibit last summer, created by members of the Piscataqua Garden Club in vessels crafted by New Hampshire ceramic artists (and loaned by the George Marshall Store Gallery
in York, Maine). “What a wonderful challenge to the imagination,” says garden club member Barclay Jackson. “This is very different from other flower shows where we often are given a theme with restrictions of some sort. Here we were given the initial choice of what container called to us, so to speak, and then to express that initial attraction however we liked.” It’s easy to see Emerson and the Earth smiling through these flowers.
Barclay Jackson says she chose this large and elemental piece of sculpture by Deerfield potter Al Jaeger “in order to challenge myself. The container looked like it just fell off a cliff or tectonic plate, or was picked up at an archaeological dig near a volcano. To me, it suggested elemental power and mystery.” Jackson used great spears of coral red gladioli, bunches of curly willow and pussy willows, and some dark red dahlias to give depth and variety.
By Kara Steere | Photography by John W. Hession 36 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Kimberly Devlin-Brytz wanted to use simple plant material that wouldn’t compete with the “amazing texture” of the vessel made by Boyan Moskov, of Boyan Moskov Ceramic Studio of Contoocook. “The white callas and aspidistra met these goals,” Devlin-Brytz says. “And the gorgeous texture of the container was allowed to shine.”
For Danna Dearborn, this container by Don Williams of Don Williams Clayworks in Deerfield, called out for height. Dearborn achieved that by using tall, black-painted dowels. She also used black-painted leaves of Proteaceae Banksia ‘speciosa’; green draping rope of Amaranthus hypochondriacus ‘Pygmy viridian’; and red draping rope of Amaranthus hypochondriacus ‘Pygmy torch’ to repeat the circular coils of the pot. Pink Hypericum and two stalks of Amaranthus hypochondriacus ‘green thumb’ finished the arrangement.
www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 37
iN tHe Next issue
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New HampsHire Home celebrates outdoor living—on the patio or deck, in the garden, or on a river or lake.
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(603) 413-5117 AvAilAble At newsstAnds Across the stAte. 38 | New Hampshire Home
“My intent for this arrangement was to interpret with dramatic restraint the Asian design and shape of the container,” Georgia McGurl says about this container made by Maureen Mills of Mills & Zoldak: Potters in Greenland. “There was also the challenge of the very small opening at the top.” McGurl addressed these points through the use of large, white chrysanthemums for “authentic drama” and bamboo for V-shaped height.
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Lake & Mt Views: 1804 Brick Cape and 2008 addition features lake views, Mt. Monadnock view and private beach rights. Sensitively updated origina house (3BRs, 2 baths) has a 30’ x 32’ three story addition which includes an exciting open concept contemporary “loft” living space and expansive decks on 3 sides. $475,000
Frost Pond: With 900 ft frontage on a 6 acre point on a quiet pond with half its frontage conserved, this stately Colonial has a family friendly ten rm interior (3-4 BRs, 2 ½ baths). Vaulted ceilinged LR, kitchen and first floor MBR. Large screened porch, sunroom and spa. $649,000
Half Moon Pond: This c. 1805 brick Federal (10 rms, 4BRs, 2 baths,5fireplaces), just outside a quiet village, encompassed 140 acres including 2500 ft of frontage on 130 acre tranquil pond, cultivated blueberry field, tillable fields, sugar bush, fruit tree orchard, cranberry bog and woodlands with marketable timber. $650,000
www.PetersonsRealEstate.com • 42 Grove Street Peterborough, NH • 603-924-3321 www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 39
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Designed by Virginia Lyons in a container made by Boyan Moskov, this arrangement is anchored by calla lilies, with support from day lilies and hypericum. “I loved the container,” Lyons says. “Its strong round shape seemed to call for something tall to balance it. The smooth white callas contrast with the textured black of the vessel, and the hypericum gives a little color.”
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New Hampshire Home | 41
homework Sheila McCurdy says Deerfield potter Al Jaeger’s work brought to mind a sumo wrestler, thus the apple “topknots.” The day-lily stems are intended for a bit of geisha decoration to extend the Asian feel. Because Jaeger gave this container has a solid, weighty look and feel, McCurdy was able to use Little Lime hydrangeas as the main element. “Generally I find hydrangeas hard to use in designs because of their size,” McCurdy says. “But placed low in this stocky container, they worked well.” The other green elements were chosen for their variation in color and in texture: smooth, shiny apples; fluffy Japanese false cypress (Boulevard arborvitae); and rigid, straight stems. The purple liatris provide some contrast in color, texture and shape—a little spark of interest.
How to Arrange Bouquets Piscataqua Garden Club members offer the following tips for creating beautiful bouquets: • Think of the shape of the arrangement you want. It’s usually best to put in the tall pieces first. • Usually the largest flowers go in the center and bottom part of the arrangement; lighter and airier ones on the outside. • Be inspired by the container—let it drive your color, height and texture choices. • Don’t crowd the flowers in—leave room for the light. • Fill the vase with uncooked black beans to support the flower stems. The Piscataqua Garden Club aims to further a love of gardening and flower arranging while protecting and improving the natural environment. Among those combining their talents in the Contained and Arranged exhibit were (from left) Al Jaeger, Barclay Jackson, Sheila McCurdy, Mary Harding from the George Marshall Store Gallery, Jean Lincoln, Jeannie R. Poore, Don Williams, Virginia Lyons and Cynthia Hosmer. 42 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Our complete line of home organization solutions includes unique solutions to organize closets, pantries, garages, basements, laundry rooms, and even the home office or extra bedroom.
In this container by Don Williams, Cynthia Hosmer used dried Allium giganteum and dried Endless Summer hydrangea. Hosmer says she was going for “simple and sculptural to enhance the natural elegance of the container.” By harvesting flowers at their peak and then drying them, it’s possible to lengthen the short New England summer. “Just toss them on the compost pile before they get too dusty,” Hosmer says.
behindclothesdoors.org Call 603-589-8042 for a FREE consultation! www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 43
homework
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“The unusual height and vertical form of this vase (by Don Williams) along with its black color made it a very dramatic piece,” Jeannie R. Poore says. “So I decided to further enhance those features.” The long, curving grapevine fragment placed on the outside of the vase enhanced its height. The black hosta leaves reiterated the black color and were attached to the grapevine—soaring above and around the vase, returning the eye to two, large white hydrangeas. The container is left clear of other foliage, allowing Williams’s work to be the focal point. “The severity of the white and black colors completed the dramatic composition,” Poore says.
Resources Boyan Moskov Ceramic Studio
(603) 219-3732 www.boyanstudio.com
Decorating with Flowers by Paula Pryke (2010; Jacqui Small. ISBN: 978-0847834297) Don Williams Clayworks
(603) 463-7275 www.dwclayworks.com
George Marshall Store Gallery
(207) 351-1083 www.georgemarshallstoregallery.com Al Jaeger
(603) 370-1274 Mills & Zoldak: Potters
(603) 770-1500 www.sliptrail.com
The cabinetry of choice. Selected by discerning homeowners for over 35 years. 800-999-4994 • www.crown-point.com 44 | New Hampshire Home
Museums of Old York
(207) 363-1756 www.oldyork.org Fine Quality Custom Cabinetry Handcrafted For Your Entire Home
New Hampshire Potters’ Guild
www.nhpottersguild.com Piscataqua Garden Club
www.piscataquagc.org may/june 2016
Views of Piscataqua
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New Hampshire Home | 45
An Antique House with a modern
a two-season breezeway is transformed into a warm and welcoming center for cooking, entertaining and living. By Jenny Donelan | Photography by John W. Hession 46 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
connection
B
Barbara and Ivor Freeman had lived in their antique Colonial in Newbury for nearly twenty years and were, in Ivor’s words, “starting to toy with the idea of finding a modern home.” They loved the old house as well as the surrounding grounds and gardens, which they’d worked on for some time, but they wanted to expand beyond the small rooms and low
ceilings of nineteenth-century rural architecture. About two years ago, they decided that instead of moving
on, they would open up their existing space by redesigning the “connector” section of the house, which ran between the garage and the main house. With ingenuity and Barbara’s professional eye (she is an architect), they transformed this long, narrow space into a lofty, open kitchen/dining/living area with floor-to-ceiling views of the outdoors. The Freemans’ thirty-acre property, known as Old Ledge
Hill Farm, is also home to a dog, Pearl, and two horses, now retired. The farm includes the 3,500-square-foot house, outbuildings, pastures, gardens and sugar maples. Barbara points out that it is a typical farmhouse in that it faces true south alongside a road that was once a main thoroughfare (the farm’s property lies on both sides of the road). As often happens in New England, the farmhouse had been added onto over the years. The original structure was built around 1800, with additions occurring more than once during the mid-1800s.
Above: A bank of solar panels on the roof of the renovated section provides electricity for the entire house. Left: The Freemans’ modern kitchen and comfortable living area are illuminated on either side by plentiful natural light. www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 47
Above: Lush plantings and a curving brick walkway provide a comfortable contrast to the straight lines of the house.
The space the Freemans renovated was prob-
meals while spending time with guests. “We love
ably added to connect the house to a barn, as
entertaining,” says Barbara, who is very serious
was common practice in the eighteenth and
about cooking.
nineteenth centuries. By the time the Freemans
The connector was also not in good structural
Facing page, top: A mudroom with a window seat provides access to the kitchen.
moved in, the connector was housing a summer
shape. It was built on a stone and rubble founda-
kitchen—a room not usually needed in northern
tion with a somewhat “minimal” post-and-beam
New England—and a breezeway with a seating
construction, as builder Craig Howe of Talbot
Facing page, center: Storage space combines art with practicality, with cabinets for Barbara Freeman’s teapot collection, at left, and her cookbooks, at right.
area. The barn was gone; but about five years ago,
Builders in New London describes it. Howe, who
the Freemans added a garage where the barn once
executed the renovation, notes that old-time
stood.
farmers didn’t necessarily put a lot of time and
48 | New Hampshire Home
This connecting space wasn’t warm enough for
effort into these types of connecting spaces.
year-round use. And the summer kitchen didn’t
However, the views from both sides of the
answer the Freemans’ cooking and entertaining
connector were excellent; it was a space with po-
needs (nor, for that matter, did the traditional
tential. So Barbara and Ivor (a financial advisor)
kitchen and dining room in the main house). The
decided to renovate, adding a state-of-the-art
couple wanted a comfortable area for preparing
kitchen and dining area, a higher ceiling, and may/june 2016
floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors—all
don. “It [designing a home] can be a very stressful
sourced locally, as much as possible. In the pro-
time,” White says. “I thought it was very smart of
cess, the Freemans also created a sturdy structure
Barbara and Ivor to hire an architect.” Barbara did
with a new foundation and sound framing. (Alex
the initial layout, and the basic concept for the
Azodi of Omega Structural Engineers in Newbury
redesign was her idea. She and White collaborated
provided the structural design.) Energy efficiency
on the rest of the project.
was achieved through lots of insulation, radiant
The renovated space was to occupy the foot-
floor heating and a bank of solar panels on the
print of the old one. A small area containing a
roof to provide electricity.
bathroom, pantry and mudroom with an entrance
Rebuilding
was added to create a small ell at the garage end of the connector. The new foundation included a
Finding an architect for the project would seem
seven-foot-high basement, and the floor level was
simple enough, with Barbara on hand, but in fact
raised so the connector was flush with the main
the couple had been advised to hire an outside
house (formerly there was a step down into it.) The
architect. They chose Peter White of White and
roof was raised about three feet to accommodate
Associates Residential Architecture in New Lon-
the higher windows and additional insulation.
www.nhhomemagazine.com
An alcove next to a kitchen cabinet provides a spot for displaying flowers and greenery cut fresh from the garden. New Hampshire Home | 49
Above: The exposed timber framing includes the barn board and beams from the original connecting structure, as well as from various sources around New England. Facing page: The long oak dining table in the center of the kitchen is from Prospect Hill Antiques in Georges Mills and separates the preparation side (background) from the cleanup side (just visible at right).
Howe and his crew took down everything
floor, along with a new gas furnace in the base-
between the garage and house, except for the
ment. Due to the tight insulation of the new struc-
existing chimney. “It was a challenge digging
ture, a mechanical ventilation system was added
up against an old chimney and the house, while
to circulate fresh air. “The Freemans achieved
maintaining the integrity of it all,” Howe says.
a very modern envelope with an older-looking
“But once we got the foundation in, it was fairly
interior,” Howe says.
straightforward.” Howe did have to search far and wide for beams and barn boards to match those he salvaged from
The tall and plentiful windows and French doors
the original demolition. “That search took me sev-
on either side of the long, rectangular structure
eral hundred miles in a few directions,” he says.
provide an “outdoors inside” feel year-round.
But in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Ver-
When the weather is nice, Barbara says, “You open
mont, he was able to find enough old, hand-hewn
all the windows and it’s like being in a screened-
beams to re-create (and even improve on) the
in porch.”
original post-and-beam interior. The upper sec-
The vaulted, unfinished ceiling provides a nice
tion of the new double-roof system is actually tied
counterpoint to the comfortable, upholstered fur-
together with steel rods and heavily insulated; the
niture in the living area at one end and the mod-
lower section includes the old timber framing,
ern kitchen at the other. The unfinished brick of
which is visible from inside.
the chimney provides further visual variety at the
Radiant heating was installed under the slate 50 | New Hampshire Home
New space for old
living room end, where a wood stove is an addimay/june 2016
“We love entertaining,” says homeowner Barbara Freeman, who is very serious about cooking.
tional heat source (Barbara has occasionally used it for cooking as well). The new space is extremely energy efficient. Even in winter, the room is very comfortable— despite all the windows. “Drafts are what make a place feel cold,” explains Barbara, noting that even though the temperature in both the new and the old areas of the house might be exactly the same on a given day, the newer, more airtight section feels much warmer. The bank of solar panels on the south-facing roof creates all the electricity that is needed for the whole house. The old summer kitchen was not really necessary, even in summer. “It’s more something you
the center of the kitchen. One side of the room is
find in a Southern home,” Barbara says. The new
for prep and cooking. The other side is for cleanup
kitchen, which has taken over from the kitchen in
and includes an extra-large sink for washing pans.
the main house, is ingeniously designed to Barba-
The new kitchen includes a baking area with
ra’s specifications for socializing and practicality. A
both steam and convection ovens. An induction
long, oak table with seating for up to twelve (made
stove performs more efficiently than gas. “I love it,”
in England for Prospect Hill Antiques) leads down
Barbara says. “It’s more instantaneous and respon-
www.nhhomemagazine.com
A work area of the kitchen features spices, knives, a sink and plenty of counter space for food preparation.
New Hampshire Home | 51
from Quebec. The cabinetry is made by Brian Henderson of Traditional Woodworking LLC in Piermont. The handsome pendent light fixtures are handmade in Vermont by Hubbardton Forge. The windows, by Marvin, are American made. And most of the furniture is from Endicott Furniture Company in Concord, which sells all U.S. products. A maple slab coffee table designed by Barbara was milled and built by Richard Wright, who lives near the Freemans.
Harmonizing elements While not all part of the recent renovation, the gardens and stonework around the Freemans’ house are an ongoing project and very much a Above: The team who worked on the renovation included, from left, Peter White of White and Associates Residential Architecture in New London; Alex Azodi of Omega Structural Engineers in Newbury; Lizette Sliter of Garden Life in New London; homeowners Ivor and Barbara Freeman; Peter Schiess of Landforms in Bow; and Craig Howe of Talbot Builders in New London. Pearl the dog is in front. 52 | New Hampshire Home
sive than gas—temperature changes happen imme-
part of the overall look of the property. When the
diately in the pan at the touch of the control.”
Freemans added the garage several years ago, the
At the far end of the space, near the garage,
dug-up lawn provided an opportunity for Ivor to
is a new bathroom with an irregular maple slab
realize the rock garden he’d always wanted. Pe-
counter Barbara designed as well as a walk-in pan-
ter Schiess of Landforms in Bow used weathered
try—“my pride and joy,” she says. The old kitchen
boulders as retaining walls, building up the earth
in the main house is still there, but the Freemans
behind the boulders to create a natural drainage
now use it as a utility room and office as well as
system. He also added a few large plantings, such
occasionally for keeping prepared dishes warm
as conifers. “Ivor wanted a natural look,” Schiess
and out of the way before being served.
says. “The garden was really his vision.”
In terms of materials, almost everything was
Lizette Sliter of Garden Life handled most
sourced locally or regionally. The slate flooring is
of the smaller plantings in the rock garden and
from Vermont. The countertops are slab granite
elsewhere. She has worked with the Freemans for may/june 2016
several years, and assists in the ever-evolving pro-
ings and a screened-in porch that is a nice place to
cess of maintaining and improving the gardens.
enjoy drinks in the afternoon, according to Ivor.
“There are separate gardens on the property, but
Indoors, the new, renovated section also har-
we want it all to feel continuous,” says Sliter. In
monizes seemingly disparate elements—state-of-
the rock garden, she used bulb plants such as
the-art kitchen design and hand-hewn beams, for
dwarf irises, miniature tulips and crocuses. Within
example. It all works together to create a lovely,
the rock garden is a smaller alpine garden with
relaxed look that merges the indoors with the out,
gentia, lewisia, a collection of heathers and a rare
the old with the new. And it gives the Freemans
alpine opuntia (prickly pear cactus) that Sliter says
the one-room loftiness they sought as an escape
is not often successfully cultivated.
from small rooms, but with visual and physical
Another special landscaping feature on the
ties to the antique house they love.
NHH
Facing page: A horse pasture provides the long view from the back of the house. Above: The glacial granite fountain on the property is by sculptor Gary Haven Smith. He wanted the petal-like form of the top piece of stone, which came from the Conway area, to carry water into the pool below like water would cascade into a stream.
property is a “white” garden with silver and variegated foliage plants, including hostas, as well as
Resources
white-blossomed plants such as echinacea milk-
Endicott Furniture Company (603) 224-1421
shake and Annabelle hydrangeas. Additional plants are anemones (which bloom in fall) and a silvery blue grass called Elijah Blue fescue. “The white garden makes a dramatic statement when it’s lit up at night,” Sliter says. The varied but altogether harmonious landscape around the house includes numerous other areas of visual interest. Among these are stone walls, steps, a horse pasture, a stone fountain sculpture by Northwood artist Gary Haven Smith (his work can be seen at McGowan Fine Art in Concord) and a garden with herbs next to the kitchen. In terms of indoor/outdoor living, the house also has window boxes with floral plantwww.nhhomemagazine.com
www.endicottfur niture.com
Garden Life (603) 526-4685 • www.nhfinegardening.com Hubbardton Forge (800) 826-4766
www.hubbardtonforge.com
Landforms (603) 228-2858 • www.landformsltd.com Marvin Windows and Doors • www.marvin.com
Barbara Mehren Freeman mehrenfreeman@aol.com
Omega Structural Engineers (603) 938-6222 omegaengineering@tds.net Prospect Hill Antiques (603) 763-9676 www.prospecthillantiques.com
Gary Haven Smith, represented by McGowan Fine Art
(603) 225-2515 • www.mcgowanfineart.com
Talbot Builders (603) 526-4600 • www.talbotbuilders.com
Traditional Woodworking LLC (603) 272-9324 www.traditional-woodworking.com
White and Associates Residential Architecture (603) 526-2445
peter.j.white@comcast.net
New Hampshire Home | 53
The Evolution of a
Notable Landscape 54 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
A grandson and his wife brought new life to the turn-of-thetwentieth-century landscape of Charles Adams Platt, who designed many of the Cornish Colony’s most distinguished homes and gardens, among other notable commissions throughout the country.
The garden retains the formal Italian layout. The border is filled with plants that were favorites in Cornish Colony gardens and provide continuous bloom throughout the summer. The lower terrace that was once filled with flowerbeds is now a grassy lawn used for recreation and entertaining.
By Andi Axman | Photography by John W. Hession www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 55
I
In the summer of 1885, Augustus Saint-Gaudens put the bucolic town of Cornish on the map, for all intents and purposes. The sculptor, who later became known for his magnificent design of the U.S. $20 gold coin, was invited by a friend to rent an inn in Cornish to work on what would become his famous statue of Abraham Lincoln (a recast of Standing
Lincoln returns to Conrish on June 26—see page 86 for information). Captivated by Cornish’s pastoral beauty—which drew other artists, including landscape architect Charles Adams Platt—Saint-Gaudens then extended an invitation to his etching teacher, Stephen Parrish. Both wound up building summer homes in Cornish, and Parrish’s son Maxfield, the painter, moved nearby a few years later. Eventually this circle of friends grew to a community of nearly eighty with similar interests in literature and art, and became known as the Cornish Colony. Charles helped define the style of gardening in Cornish, recognized as one of this country’s most beautifully landscaped towns in the early part of the twentieth century. His style blended Italian classicism with English-inspired perennial plantings. Houses were closely connected to gardens; indoor-outdoor areas framed the view; gardens were laid out on axes, bisected by brick paths; large terra-cotta pots and statuary were strategically placed in the garden. Charles, who was born in 1861, went to Paris to study painting. He turned his attention to landscape architecture and architecture in 1892 after traveling to Italy with his brother William, a landscape architect and apprentice to Frederick Law Olmsted. Charles fell in love with Italian villas and gardens, and in 1894 published his book, Italian Gardens, which included his extraordinary photographs. The book has had such appeal to later American landscape designers that it was reissued in 2010.
Establishing roots in Cornish At the invitation of artist Henry O. Walker, Charles arrived in Cornish in 1889, and during the next year purchased land and built a studio. He soon received commissions to design homes and gardens nearby. A few years later, Charles met Eleanor Hardy Bunker in Cornish, and they married in 1893. (Two of their five children, William and Geoffrey, would become architects.) The couple lived in New York City, where Charles maintained a busy 56 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Facing page: The statue in the shade garden is a copy of one from Italy and came from Charles Platt II’s parents’ garden. The raised beds and fence are from the original garden. This page, top: For decades, the apple tree has been providing shade for plantings in the upper terrace. This page, center: Ferns, hosta, lily of the valley and pachysandra grow in the shady end of the garden. A hardy akebia vine grows up the trunk of the lilac to the left. The brick pathway is from the original garden. This page, above: Blooming in the raised bed that runs along the railing are yellow hollyhock, tangerine Oriental lily and red bee balm. Summer blooming phlox and New England aster are the next to flower. www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 57
Among the blooms in the summer garden are, from the top left clockwise, an old-fashioned yellow day lily; creeping thyme growing among lily of the valley and ferns; globe thistle; pink musk mallow; Belladonna delphinium; pink hollyhock; white foxglove; hosta. Center photo: On the other side of the fence behind the pink hollyhock and Royal Purple smoke bush is a Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) planted by Charles A. Platt, a plant that Bill Noble says “shows up in a number of Cornish gardens.�
58 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
architectural practice; his commissions included numerous homes and grounds, MIT’s Endicott House, the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery of Art, the Leader-News Building in Cleveland, and buildings for Connecticut College, Deerfield Academy and Phillips Academy, among others. Charles served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and was president of the American Academy in Rome from 1928 until his death in 1933. In Cornish, where the family summered, Charles built a Colonial Revival-style country home and a garden inspired by what he’d seen in Italy. Although the house looks naturally nestled in the hillside, the site—a rocky pasture with no slope—required a lot of work. Charles and Eleanor’s grandson Charles A. Platt II (son of William), also an architect, says his grandfather “sculpted the land. His design is brilliant because of the terracing.”
Garden designer Bill Noble
Charles II says that around the turn of the twentieth century, his grandfather hired a contractor who brought a team of horses and equipment from New York to New Hampshire to grade the land. The house was sited on an east-west axis;
planted
from the house is a main axis that leads one level
summer-
sweeping view of the Connecticut River Valley.
flowering
across the valley in Windsor, Vermont,” Charles
perennials to create more colorful interest in
down, where the garden is, and then down to a “At one time, you could see the church steeples II says. Nearer to the house was a magnificent grove of 250 pine trees, until the 1938 hurricane toppled most of them. Although Charles designed the architecture of the garden, it was Eleanor who selected the plants and arranged them. “My grandmother had lots
the garden
of books on gardens and definite ideas on how
and a longer
gardens were a wonderful combination of formal
bloom
There were four beds in the lawn area, and by
season.
they should be planted,” Charles II says. “These Italian layout and generous English plantings.” mid- to late-July, the beds were full of color and texture, with the tallest plantings in the centers. Lilacs still surround the house, and Charles II remembers their scent when, as a child, he visited his grandmother after the school year ended. “It was wonderful,” he says. He also remembers following her as she deadheaded and moved plants around. “I enjoyed working with her, taking clippers to irises and other plants when their blooms faded.” Charles II continued to visit his grandmother year-round, when he was a student at Phillips
www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 59
Right: The stone walls and the steps leading up to the house and garden were designed and built by Charles Adams Platt. Below: The apple tree at the front of the house is the successor to the original apple tree that Charles Adams Platt retained and sited the house behind. The grape vine over the front door is a plant that’s traditional in Cornish Colony gardens. This vine doesn’t bear fruit, so cleanup isn’t an issue.
Academy and then at Harvard College for his un-
New York City include the New 42nd Street Stu-
dergraduate studies and post-graduate studies of
dios, the Park Avenue Armory and the 57th Street
architecture. Today he is a consulting partner at
headquarters of Chanel, Inc., among others.
Platt Byard Dovell White Architects in New York
60 | New Hampshire Home
City, a firm he founded in 1965. “One of the bases
The third generation of stewardship
of our practice is doing new architecture that fits
After Charles’s death in 1933, Eleanor lived in Cor-
with historic architecture,” he says. The firm is
nish full time from 1936 until her death in 1953,
renowned for its award-winning contemporary
after which gardening was reduced to a minimal
additions to historic buildings, and its projects in
caretaking until Charles II’s wife Joan and cousin may/june 2016
Homeowners Joan Platt and Charles Platt II enjoy a visit from garden designer Bill Noble (right).
Judy Platt began spending summers in Cornish
“My intent was to have the most visual inter-
with their children. “That’s when we began fuss-
est in the summer when the family was there,”
ing with the garden,” Joan says.
Noble says.
From visits to the nearby Saint-Gaudens site in
He chose plants that were favorites in the Cor-
1992, Joan met Bill Noble, who was working on
nish Colony gardens, such as peonies (of which
that garden’s rehabilitation. Based across the Con-
there were many in the Platt garden), bearded iris,
necticut River in Norwich, Vermont, Noble was
phlox, delphiniums, Oriental lilies, monkshood,
(and remained, until 2013) the director of preser-
hollyhocks, cimicifuga, hostas as well as other day
vation for the Garden Conservancy in Cold Spring,
lilies. “I also left room for annuals, especially dur-
New York. He traveled throughout the country
ing the first two years when the perennials were
to identify and preserve exceptional gardens, and
filling in,” Noble says.
also worked with owners and advocates to develop strategies to preserve gardens as public spaces.
Joan says the architecture of the garden—the terraces, retaining walls, fences and steps—has
For Joan, who works as a potter in New York
stayed the same. “The grassy area has become the
City, meeting Noble was a match made in heav-
best place for tossing baseballs and footballs, and
en, and she asked him for help in revitalizing the
has plenty of use,” she says. “It’s also a wonderful
Platt garden. “Bill knew what should be in the gar-
place for entertaining—we’ve had many milestone
den—he knows everything!” Joan says. “Our goal
birthdays for the family under a tent and even
was reviving the garden but not restoring it. To
several weddings.”
NHH
do that, we’d have to enlarge the garden, as the lower terrace was filled with flowerbeds in Charles and Eleanor’s day. Now it’s a grassy lawn we enjoy
Resources
using for games or parties. Also, we didn’t want to
A Place of Beauty: The Artists and Gardens of the Cornish Colony
create too much more work.” Noble started by pruning the barberry hedges, to get them back in scale so they wouldn’t “steal” room in the beds. This made room for planting perennials. Then he removed some of the existing plantings, which included an abundance of day lilies; refreshed the soil; and planted summerflowering perennials to create more colorful interest in the garden and a longer bloom season. www.nhhomemagazine.com
by Alma M. Gilbert and Judith B. Tankard (Ten Speed Press, 2000; ISBN: 1580081290) Bill Noble Gardens (802) 649-3821 • www.billnoblegardens.com Garden Conservancy (845) 424-6500
www.gardenconservancy.org
Italian Gardens by Charles Adams Platt
(Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010; ISBN 1169275044)
Joan Platt Pottery www.joanplattpottery.com
Platt Byard Dovell White Architects (212) 691-2440
www.pbdw.com
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
www.nps.gov/saga/index.htm
New Hampshire Home | 61
nurturing the
Family Garden
62 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Cynthia Hosmer is the inspired and dedicated steward of the fabulous Seacoast garden cultivated by her mother-in-law, Marion Hosmer.
Candace Hosmer enjoys helping her grandmother, Cynthia Hosmer, in the garden. Here they are cutting flowers for bouquets, accompanied by Toby, the golden retriever.
By Robin Sweetser | Photography by John W. Hession www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 63
O
Overlooking the ocean, Brave Boat Harbor Farm is located just over the
New Hampshire border in York, Maine. The land was originally granted to the Raynes family in 1638; members of the Moore and Lucas families married into the Raynes family and lived on the subsistence farm. Headstones in the old burying ground on the property trace some of the generations and tell their stories. One commemorates Sam Lucas, age twenty-nine, and his wife Annie, just eighteen, who drowned in 1869 on their way to Portsmouth to sell vegetables they had grown. The farm continued to be run by others in the family until the early 1900s.
When Cal Hosmer Jr. and his wife Marion bought the property in 1948,
the farm had been abandoned since 1910, unused except for a summer cottage built around 1935. All that remained of the old farm, other than the burying ground, was an ancient lilac hedge, old cellar holes, crumbling stone walls and overgrown fields. They moved into the cottage in 1950 with their two sons, Cal III and Thomas, and started building a new home and gardens.
A gentleman’s farm Cal Jr. designed the Colonial Revival-style house and had it built by local craftsmen on the old barn foundation. It is a wood-framed, two story, hiproof, Georgian manor house with stone veneer created from fieldstones found on the property. Cal Jr. also constructed a stone-covered gun house overlooking the ocean; a large barn and several outbuildings were built to house horses, chickens, beef cattle and pigs, making Brave Boat Harbor Farm a farm again. Marion was the gardener, and with the boys’ help, she got right to work clearing brush, rebuilding stone walls, improving the soil as well as planting, planting and planting. Along the lane leading in to the farm, she planted a double row of crabapples and an arborvitae hedge to act as a windbreaker, protecting a small orchard of apples and stone fruits she established west of the house. Inspired by English gardening magazines, she planted espaliered apple trees and pears on the south façade of the house and English ivy on the north wall of the house. She loved trees and developed an arboretum of specimen plants in the shelter of the sturdy shagbark hickories that protect the gardens around the house from salt-laden winter winds. She collected magnolias—including ‘Dr. Merrill’, ‘Leonard Messel’ and yellow ‘Elizabeth’—and grew a large vegetable garden on the east side of the house. A stone wall shields the formal front garden—located on the south side of the house—from the elements. The walls are eight feet high on the sides of the house and step down to four feet high in front of the house. Cast concrete pineapple finials mark the corners and the gateposts. Within this seventy-five-foot-long, walled perennial garden is a stone patio with thyme growing between the pavers. There are boxwood hedges outlining the beds, which were filled with delphiniums, roses, hollyhocks, phlox, peonies, hellebores and day lilies. To access the old burying ground, Marion cut a path through the Civil War-era lilacs. Taking advantage of the shady site, she made this her hosta path and secret garden. When she heard that a neighboring farm was cutting down its orchard of twenty-five-year-old Cortland apples, she hired a man to dig up the trees and replanted them around her yard. All but two 64 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Above left: Candace and Cynthia Hosmer arrange flowers, while granddaughter Megan Hosmer and friend Emma Bell (in black dress) relax and read on the high stone wall that surrounds the front garden. Above right: Every summer, Cynthia’s granddaughters spend time with her at Brave Boat Harbor Farm and learn by doing. Cynthia loves making arrangements from the fresh flowers and greens she grows in her cutting garden. She puts flowers in almost every room in the summer. Right: Megan reads a print book while Emma prefers an electronic version. The walled garden is home to boxwood-lined beds of annuals, perennials and shrubs. Left : The finished arrangement is ready to be placed inside. www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 65
Clockwise, from top left: The Hosmers welcome artists from the Kittery Art Association to paint scenes in the garden during plein air painting days. Cynthia Hosmer grows old shrub roses, such as heirloom pink ‘Bonica’; hardy Explorer roses, including red climber ‘John Cabot’; several varieties of David Austin roses; and a modern orange hybrid called ‘Tropicana’. Cynthia snips some salvia blossoms for one of her arrangements. Megan Hosmer and Emma Bell stroll past the armillary sundial the Hosmers have named “Time on Thyme.” From the espaliered fruit trees growing on the front façade of the house, the Hosmers can pick ripe pears and apples from the second-story windows! Look closely to see the tiny bird being gently cradled by weathered hands in this bronze sculpture by York, Maine, artist Sumner Winebaum. 66 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
of the twenty-seven trees survived the move! She has been quoted as saying that if she could grow only one thing, it would be fruit trees. As the years passed, Cal Jr. and Marion acquired two adjoining farms, bringing their total acreage to about three hundred. Together, they created a warm and wonderful homestead that has been called one of the most spectacular properties in York. In the 1970s, Cal Jr. donated all the shoreline on Brave Boat Harbor to the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge, and on his death, one of the adjoining farms was donated to the refuge as well. When Marion died in 1997, less than a year after her husband, Brave Boat Harbor Farm passed to their son Cal III and his wife Cynthia.
Maintaining the legacy Even though Cal III’s army career took him and Cynthia on many assignments around the world, the couple knew they would eventually live at the farm. “I stood at my mother-in-law’s side in the garden for many years, trying to absorb her deep knowledge,” Cynthia says. “She was so willing to share; she was an experimenter and a collector, and she loved to try new plants and ideas. She was thrilled with what worked and didn’t mind tossing failed experiments on the compost pile.” Marion kept meticulous records, documenting plans, plant names, blossoming dates as well as schedules for pruning, spraying and transplanting. Cynthia feels her job has been to add artistic interpretation to Marion’s collections. “A garden does not become your own until you have dug in it for a number of years,” Cynthia says. She has transformed Marion’s arboretum into a woodland garden, outlining the beds and underplanting the trees with bulbs and groundcovers. More magnolias have been added, including ‘Yellow Bird’, ‘Ballerina’ and ‘Yellow Jacket’. Cal and Cynthia created a new pond—which is home to goldfish, frogs, tropical and hardy waterlilies, and water hyacinths—to act as a destination in the woodland garden. Two red pines were topped at twelve feet and connected by a chain for climbing hydrangeas to grow on, forming an arched frame for the pond. Cynthia plans to uncover more of the rocky ledge behind the pond and plant that area with mosses and epimediums. Cynthia has fine-tuned the secret garden under the lilacs by adding yellow chamaecyparis, Kousa dogwoods, yellow day lilies, purple-leaved heuchera, Harry Lauder’s walking stick, white and purple clematises, ladies’ mantle, and yellow smokebush. Bronze sculptures by York artist Sumner Winebaum include a pair of weathered hands holding a small bird. As an experiment, Cynthia added some Japanese maples in the secret garden and along the front garden wall to replace eight large boxwoods that died after a windy, open winter. “We are constantly assessing the health and maturity of trees and shrubs, replacing them with similar forms or going off in different directions,” she says. When several of the espaliered fruit trees on the front wall of the house died after being girdled by rodents, the trees were immediately replaced. “We could pick fruit from the bedroom windows and did not want to lose them. I put hardware cloth around newly planted trees to protect them but never imagined the rodents would girdle sixty-year-old ones!” Cynthia says. Cal and Cynthia have built a new octagonal summerhouse on the southwest lawn that overlooks the fire pond, orchard, house and ocean. www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 67
“Every panel frames a view,” Cynthia says. Behind the summerhouse, Cal and Cynthia have planted a fence-line of espaliered pears, inspired by one they saw at Monticello. Open fields around the farm are hayed every summer, and a local beekeeper tends hives there. “I get honey, and he gets fruit,” Cynthia says. The couple has added a row of ten sugar maples at the far end of the field by the barn so the next generation can make syrup. Last summer, in conjunction with the American Chestnut Foundation, Cynthia and Cal initiated the first private/public planting of the new, disease-resistant, seventh-generation American chestnut trees by planting four young trees with the help of the local Boy Scout troop and the York Land Trust.
Vegetables and a cutting garden Along with caring for the fruit trees and ornamentals, Cynthia grows a large, fenced-in, vegetable and cut-flower garden located on the east side of the house, just off the kitchen. Apple trees on each side of its front gate have been trained to an arch, echoing the circular wooden moon gate at the opposite side of the garden. The classic four-square parterre with intersecting, stone-paved paths has rows of colorful lettuces, Swiss chard, red and green kale, beans, broccoli, cabbage, and cucumbers planted on the diagonal, interspersed with rows of flowers for cutting. “We grow what we eat, and spend lots of time in August and September putting up the harvest for the freezer and basement storage,” Cynthia says. Single and double Oriental poppies in all shades of pink and coral are a favorite for cutting, and Cynthia cleverly marks the plants she wishes to save seeds from by slipping a plastic bread tag onto the stem. On the tag, Above: Candace Hosmer perches in an old apple tree—one of the twenty-seven trees her great-grandmother Marion Hosmer moved to the farm many years ago. Climbing hydrangeas on the wall and hostas at the base of the tree thrive in its dappled shade. Right: The garden wall is eight feet high in places, forming a sheltered microclimate for espaliered fruits, tree peonies and other plants. Left: The girls enjoy ocean views from the hoop swing in this shagbark hickory. They also have set up a length of nylon webbing between trees to practice their slacklining skills.
68 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
she can write the color and variety in permanent ink. A frugal Yankee, she makes old venetian blind slats into plant labels. Blueberry bushes grow on the corners of the beds nearest the center of the garden where a solar-powered fountain re-circulates water from a buried five-gallon pickle jar. Fragrant thyme and chamomile weave between the paving stones, releasing their scent when walked on. Peas climb up wrought iron tuteurs, and calendula, pink roses, foxglove, salvia and clematis grow inside the fence and out. Each corner outside the fence is home to a fruiting tree—weeping mulberry, Santa Rosa plum, jostaberry and crabapple. Two long beds of berries, lilies, roses and alliums flank the garden on each side. Cynthia loves the birds that visit her garden, and has feeders for hummingbirds, bluebirds, orioles and catbirds.
Sharing with others Such a welcoming space is always abuzz with activity. Cynthia and Cal’s grandchildren come for a month in the summer to live at the farm, taking sailing lessons, playing in the gardens, having picnics at the shore and doing chores, such as collecting eggs from the chickens each morning. Cynthia and Cal give two large parties a year to celebrate the solstices, and have hosted fundraisers for the York Land Trust, Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, The Garden Conservancy, and the Gundalow Company. Cynthia belongs to the Old York Garden Club and the Piscataqua Garden Club, and opens the gardens each summer for tours benefitting local garden clubs and plant societies. In 2017, Cynthia and Cal plan to host the Garden Club of America Flower Show. The Kittery Art Association holds several plein air painting days at the farm each year.
Carrying on the tradition Gardens are ephemeral, and without owners who are dedicated to the gardens’ care and maintenance, they will soon disappear. Brave Boat Harbor Farm is in good hands, and the Hosmers have carried on with the stewardship of this fine property. For generations, the family has been working hard to preserve the farm and surrounding lands. In 2007, Brave Boat Harbor Farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and Cynthia and Cal have donated thirty-two acres of fields and ocean frontage to the York Land Trust as part of the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative. “Marion was the most loving and caring mother-in-law imaginable,” Cynthia says. “I can still feel her hand on my shoulder, guiding me in this mutual love of the natural world. So far, our combined efforts continue to bring this garden along an inspired path and subsequent generations will continue to nurture this special place.”
NHH
Resources Churchill’s Garden Center (603) 772-2685 • www.churchillsgardens.com
Coastal Maine Botanical Garden (207) 633-8000 • www.mainegardens.org O’Donal’s Nursery (207) 839-4262 • www.odonalsnurseries.com
Rolling Green Nursery (603) 436-2732 • www.rollinggreennursery.com The Garden Club of America www.gcamerica.org
The Garden Conservancy (845) 424-6500 • www.gardenconservancy.org The National Register of Historic Places www.nps.gov/nr
Wentworth Greenhouses (603) 743-4919 • www.wentworthgreenhouses.com www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 69
masters of their craft
Landscape painters Erik Koeppel and Lauren Sansaricq work outdoors during summer and fall, creating small studies for larger works they paint in their Jackson studio.
Romantic Painters A Jackson couple is reviving the lovely style of the Hudson
N
ew Hampshire’s White Mountains
and Lauren Sansaricq of Jackson are follow-
have fascinated artists for more than
ing in the footsteps of such famous artists
a century. In the nineteenth century,
as Benjamin Champney, Albert Bierstadt,
artists, intrigued by the region’s both tame and
Thomas Cole and others, creating breathtak-
wild beauty, traveled north to paint what they
ing landscape paintings that are appreciated
considered a unique landscape. By document-
by visitors and collectors alike. Koeppel and
ing and romanticizing the region through
Sansaricq’s paintings evoke the romanticized
their paintings, these artists—later called the
landscapes of the Hudson River and White
White Mountain School of painters—were try-
Mountain Schools of painting, nineteenth-
Schools of
ing to define America and its democratic ideals
century artistic movements characterized
through their work.
by idealized depictions of New York’s rural
Nearly two hundred years later, two New
Hudson River Valley and New Hampshire’s
painting.
Hampshire artists are reviving the popularity
picturesque White Mountains (the Hudson
of the White Mountain School. Erik Koeppel
River painters who traveled to paint the
River and White Mountain
landscape
By Debbie Kane | Photography by John W. Hession 70 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
White Mountains are affiliated with the
alongside the masters whose techniques
Art, where training is very much based
White Mountain School because of the
he emulates, including Cole, Winslow
on an old Beaux Arts model, and you
locales they portrayed).
Homer, John Frederick Kensett and
draw from life models. I attended the
George Inness.
school’s Hudson River Fellowship,
“Erik and Lauren have the understanding of, and ability to create, the
Sansaricq is from New York’s Hudson
which also tries to keep alive traditional
same atmosphere and subject on canvas
River Valley, a landscape that inspired
painting techniques. (Editor’s note:
as nineteenth-century artists,” says
her and eventually led her to the Grand
Sansaricq and Koeppel are now instructors
Randy Bennett, executive director of
Central Academy of Art in New York
for the fellowship, which they host in
the Bethel Historical Society in Bethel,
City. In addition to group exhibitions,
Jackson every summer).
Maine, which has twice exhibited
her work was the subject of a solo show
Koeppel: We lived in New York City and
the couple’s work. “The atmospheric
in New York City in 2011, and she’s
traveled to Jackson for two months
layering in their paintings gives their
received many fellowships and awards.
in the summer to paint studies, then
subjects a three-dimensional quality. That’s not easily accomplished.” “You look at their paintings and you swear they’re by masters from the White Mountain School,” adds Warren
The couple met in 2009 during a
returned to New York to create studio
fellowship program in New York’s
paintings in the winter. We moved
Catskill Mountains and have worked
here because we felt the landscape
alongside each other ever since.
was unique. The White Mountains are
New Hampshire Home (NHH) asked
known for their pastoral farm land-
Schomaker, executive director of the
Koeppel and Sansaricq about their
scapes, Saco River plains and the wild,
Jackson Historical Society.
inspiration and their art.
rocky landscape of the notches. It’s interesting and filled with variety.
Koeppel is originally from Oregon but moved with his family to the White
NHH: Why landscape painting?
Mountains when he was ten. Formally
Sansaricq: I’ve always loved the Catskills
NHH: Tell us why artists like you are
trained at the Rhode Island School of
and the Hudson River Valley. I studied
reviving the styles of the Hudson River
Design and the New York Academy
with a landscape painter in high school
and White Mountain Schools.
of Art, his award-winning works have
and wanted to achieve a more tradi-
Koeppel: The message of this painting
been exhibited and collected inter-
tional approach in my painting. I
style is very relevant today. People
nationally and regularly exhibited
went to Grand Central Academy of
really respond to this style because it’s
Mount Washington and other mountains in the Presidential Range make dramatic subjects for Eric Koeppel and Lauren Sansaricq on a picture-perfect fall day in Jackson. www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 71
masters of their craft
Lauren Sansaricq works in her Jackson studio on Crawford Notch, a 23-by-33-inch oil on canvas (the finished painting is in the inset). The painting is part of the exhibition Taking the Lead: Women and the White Mountains at the Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University.
straightforward and honest. During the
Where to See Erik Koeppel and Lauren Sansaricq’s Paintings Koeppel and Sansaricq’s landscapes can be viewed this summer at the Art Place of Wolfeboro, the New Hampshire Antique Co-op in Milford and the Jackson Historical Society in Jackson. Sansaricq’s work also appears in Taking the Lead: Women and the White Mountains, an exhibition running now through October 7 at the Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University in Plymouth (see page 86 for more information).
country’s early years of industrialization, the Hudson River School artists were among the first environmentalists. They painted wild, beautiful places like Niagara Falls, which were once pristine and then became commercialized. The popularity of their work spoke to how beautiful the country was and the importance of conserving special places. We should embrace and celebrate nature, especially today, and preserve the vistas we paint. Today, there’s a lot of editing we do to create these pristine scenes: removing utility poles and wires, asphalt roads and contemporary buildings. NHH: What inspires your work? Sansaricq: My different experiences in
nature. We paint outdoors together during the summer, mostly small- and Standing in the gallery at the Jackson Historical Society, Sansaricq, Erik Koeppel and historical society president Warren Schomaker (center), compare Koeppel’s Moat Mountains in Early Spring, an 8-by-18-inch oil on panel, with Benjamin Champney’s Moat Mountain from the Intervale,” a 15-inch-by-25-inch oil on canvas painted in 1873. 72 | New Hampshire Home
medium-scale studies. We then bring those studies back to our studio and create larger, studio paintings. Koeppel: I’m inspired by my time spent may/june 2016
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masters of their craft
Erik Koeppel puts finishing touches on a painting in his studio. Inset: His painting, Storm in Tuckerman’s Ravine, a 19-by-28-inch oil on canvas, depicts Mount Washington, Raymond Cataract and Huntington Ravine in the clouds.
outdoors; that interaction with nature
color and wild scenery. We have our
ukulele, banjo, washboard and kazoo. I
informs my paintings.
favorite haunts.
play finger-style guitar and sing. We’re
We don’t use photography at all. If we do a large painting in the studio, it’s
performing all over New England and NHH: How do you work together?
in New York.
from those small drawings, paintings
Sansaricq: We paint outdoors together,
and the poetic memories of those stud-
but if we’re painting the same spot,
our fascination with the early jazz age
ies. It makes our paintings more human
we’ll come back with different
and nineteenth-century paintings.
and expressive when we create from our
paintings.
We’re nostalgic for a time when things
studies and our memories.
Koeppel: We’ve been painting together for
were more honest.
Sansaricq: It’s really worthwhile to be
six to seven years. Our inspiration takes
Sansaricq: When we’re painting, we’re
outside to paint on the spot, to see the
us different places. We paint in the
at home alone every day. Our music
light and clouds and the scene change.
same location, but any differences have
enables us to meet people. It’s fun.
I think there’s a relationship between
NHH
to do with our personalities and what NHH: What’s your favorite spot
we’re trying to explore at the time. I
to paint?
may be painting a stormy scene, Lauren
Sansaricq: I have so many! I love views
may be working on a sunset. We’re not
of Mount Washington and all the
competitive with each other.
notches—Pinkham, Franconia, Crawford. It really depends on the day,
NHH: What do you do when you’re
where we’re sitting, the light.
not painting?
Koeppel: I go through phases where I’ll
Koeppel: We play ragtime and Americana
do numerous studies of a peaceful,
style music from the 1920s and ’30s as
pastoral landscape, or a wild, sublime
Miss Maybell & Slimpickin’s. Lauren
stage where I paint rocks, dramatic
has a smooth, jazz vocal, and plays
74 | New Hampshire Home
Resources Art Place of Wolfeboro (603) 569-6159
www.theartplace.biz
Bethel Historical Society www.bethelhistorical.org Jackson Historical Society www.jacksonhistory.org Erik Koeppel www.erikkoeppel.com
Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University (603) 535-3210 • www.plymouth.edu/
museum-of-the-white-mountains
New Hampshire Antique Co-op (603) 673-8499
www.nhantiquecoop.com
Lauren Sansaricq www.laurensansaricq.com may/june 2016
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Residential, Commercial & Landscape Architecture www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 75
garden icon
The cherry trees blooming around South Mill Pond in Portsmouth were a gift from Portsmouth’s sister city, Nichinan, Japan, in 1985.
A Blooming Tribute Cherry trees
flower in New Hampshire as a living
memorial to
the Portsmouth Peace Treaty and citizen diplomacy.
F
lowering shrubs and trees, such as lilacs
and the hometown of Baron Jutaro Komura,
and heirloom apples, around New Hamp-
the lead Japanese diplomat at the 1905 peace
shire give the state its subtly beautiful
conference that led to the Portsmouth Peace
“spring foliage” season as they unfurl their
Treaty to end the Russo-Japanese War. In 2012, on the centennial anniversary of
buds. Spring is also the time that towns across New Hampshire blossom with histori-
the planting of the cherry trees in Washing-
cal connections to some of the most famous
ton, D.C., the Japan-America Society of New
flowering trees in America—the cherry trees in
Hampshire learned that those trees were a
Washington, D.C.
direct result of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty,
The most prominent of New Hampshire’s
orchestrated by President Theodore Roosevelt.
cherry trees are the ones surrounding South
Yukio Ozaki, the then-mayor of Tokyo, orga-
Mill Pond and City Hall in Portsmouth. They
nized the gift and wrote in his autobiography
were planted in 1985, thanks to a gift from
that he “always wanted to thank the U.S. for
Nichinan, Japan—Portsmouth’s sister city
their help during the Russo-Japanese War.”
Text and photography by Stephanie Seacord 76 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Because Portsmouth was so central to the original gift of the cherry trees in Washington, D.C., the Foreign
It’s like a
Spa for your appliances.
Ministry of Japan in 2012 arranged for the Japan-America Society to receive a number of cherry trees descended from the Washington trees as part of the distribution of trees across America. The Japan-America Society of New Hampshire decided to plant those trees at key sites related to treaty history, creating a living memorial to the Portsmouth Peace Treaty and the citizen diplomacy involved in reaching its successful conclusion. Since 2012, dozens of trees have been placed. Some were planted by Portsmouth Middle School students
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in front of their school and around the South Mill Pond. Every Portsmouth public school has a tree, as do the Wentworth By the Sea hotel, where the delegates stayed; the
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garden icon
peace conference to tour the mills as guests of local businessmen and other dignitaries. • The Weeks Public Library and Lancaster Historical Society, which planted a tree in Cross Park in honor of Henry Willard Denison. Denison grew up in Lancaster, worked at the Coos County Democrat and became the chief legal counsel to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, accompanying the Japanese delegation to Portsmouth in 1905. • The Greater Meredith Program/town of Meredith, which planted a tree on the bank of Lake Winnipesaukee to remember Komura, who spent a Wentworth By the Sea Hotel employees celebrate Portsmouth Peace Treaty Day each year by ringing bells around their Living Memorial Cherry Tree.
summer between semesters at Harvard “rusticating” on a local farm. • The Littleton Area Senior Center, which planted a tree after hearing the New Hampshire Humanities program Teddy Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize by Charles B. Doleac. All of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Living Memorial cherry tree sites commemorate Portsmouth Peace Treaty Day on September 5 by ringing bells at 3:47 p.m., the moment the treaty was signed. “Although President Theodore Roosevelt never came to Portsmouth,
In 2015, students from Nihonmatsu, Japan, dedicated one of the cherry trees, planted outside the town hall in their sister city of Hanover.
he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for orchestrating the negotiations,” said Doleac, president of the Japan-
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where the
• The Dublin Historical Society, which
treaty was signed; and Strawbery Banke
placed a tree outside their School-
“The people of New Hampshire helped
Museum and Temple Israel in honor of
house Museum where a bench with
him earn that prize by practicing citi-
local citizens who provided the hospi-
the autograph of Japanese Baron
zen diplomacy, demonstrating the New
tality that created “an atmosphere for
Kentaro Kaneko is displayed. Kaneko,
Hampshire spirit that every person
peace.”
America Society of New Hampshire.
the U.S. public affairs representative
matters. By planting cherry trees
Other groups that enthusiastically
during the war and negotiations, was
around New Hampshire that are a
welcomed cherry trees in 2015 include:
friends through Roosevelt with Dub-
living connection to the treaty, we
• The town of Hanover, sister city to
lin residents Joseph Smith, a promi-
create a living memorial not only to the
nent artist, and his wife Corinna.
treaty but to New Hampshire citizen
Nihonmatsu, Japan, the hometown of Dartmouth College student Kan’ichi
• The Friends of Stark Park in Manches-
Asakawa, who wrote The Causes of the
ter, which added a Living Memorial
Russo-Japanese War and traveled to
Cherry Tree to their arboretum. Baron
Portsmouth in 1905 to observe the
Komura and Japanese newspapermen
peace conference.
traveled to Manchester during the
78 | New Hampshire Home
diplomacy as well.”
NHH
Resource Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forum (603) 436-4010 www.portsmouthpeacetreaty.org may/june 2016
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Soake Pools
Did you know that plunge pools use 85% less water than traditional inground pools? Our elegant semi-custom concrete plunge pools are energy efficient and can be used year round; keep them cool in summer and warm in winter! Soake Pools are delivered ready to install, fully tiled, and ready for finishing touches by your landscape designer. Visit our website and contact us for more information! In Madbury • (603) 749-0665 • www.soakepools.com
Churchill’s Churchill’s is a full-service home and garden center committed to creating a delightful customer experience. Whether looking for premium plants, outdoor living accents, or garden-inspired home décor, you’ll discover help with every aspect of gardening and seasonal decorating. 12 Hampton Road in Exeter • (603) 772-2685 • www.churchillsgardens.com
interior design
C. Randolph Trainor Interiors During summer, an outdoor sanctuary is as important as your home’s interiors. The hallmark of C. Randolph Trainor Interiors is creating user-friendly spaces that function well for the way your family lives, indoors and out. We ask numerous questions, learn about your wants and needs, then craft a home and/or garden for your family’s lifestyle Randy Trainor • (603) 823-8133 • www.crtinteriors.com
Teresa Perry Design Today we live differently. It’s about you, your lifestyle, what matters to you. By properly blending scale, proportion, forms and function together, we can help create something truly beautiful. Visit our online shop to view our collection of fine rugs, furniture, home and beauty products to enhance your lifestyle. TPD Studio offers a collection of custom cabinetry and countertop options. Give Teresa Perry Design a call today to create something truly beautiful together. Silver Lake • (603) 367-4429 • www.teresaperry.com
services
McLaughlin Transportation Systems Moving Solutions for Every Need: • Full Service Moving • DIY or Long Distance Moves • Local • Long Distance • International • Vehicle Transport • Household Moving • Office • Retail • Corporate • Portable Containers • Secure-Sprinklered Warehouse Storage • Secure Indoor Storage • Two Acres of Secure Outdoor Storage • Professionally Trained Movers & Packers • No-Cost Estimates • Top Quality Moving & Storage since 1936. 20 Progress Avenue in Nashua • (603) 883-4000 • (800) 258-MOVE (6683) • www.mcmoving.com 80 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
PREPARE TO BE
DAZZLED The best party of the year is at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium! (WITH A FIREWORKS FINALE!)
Thursday, June 16 6:30 – 9 P.M.
BENEFITING
Purchase tickets at bestofnh.com Join us at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium for an evening restaurants and businesses New Hampshire has to offer!
Enjoy the
Enter to win our
BEST FOOD & DRINK
GRAND PRIZE
from more than 60 winners EVENT SPONSORS
An all-inclusive week’s vacation for four at Squam Lake provided by RDC Resort. Primary Mark 4 Color
GRAND PRIZE PROVIDED BY
mark your calendar!
may M ay 7
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Kitchen Tour
photography by greg west
Tour kitchens that are sleek and contemporary, cozy and traditional, and packed with innovation and imagination. The twenty-fifth annual benefit for The Music Hall is a self-guided tour. For visitors looking to turn their own dreams into reality, the craftsmen, artisans, designers and architects involved in the kitchens are noted in the tour’s guidebook along with detailed descriptions of the kitchens. Proceeds support operating costs of The Music Hall. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Advance tickets are $27 and $25 for Music Hall members; day-of tickets are $30. The Music Hall • 28 Chestnut Street in Portsmouth (603) 436-2400 • www.themusichall.org M ay 8
Lilac Sunday
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is the oldest public arboretum in North America and one of the world’s leading centers for the study of plants. Of the thousands of flowering plants in the arboretum, only the lilac is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Enjoy tours of the lilacs (one of the premier collections in North America), family activities and food vendors. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. 125 Arborway in Boston • (617) 524-1718 www.arboretum.harvard.edu M ay 1 0
Preservation Achievement Awards
At this celebration, the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance recognizes individuals, organizations or businesses in the categories of restoration and stewardship; rehabilitation and adaptive use; compatible new construction; public policy; as well as educational and planning initiatives. Last year’s winners featured the rehabilitated Blair Covered Bridge in Campton; the Jones Farm in Milton; and the Hallsville School Clock and Tower. 4:30–6:30 p.m. Concord City Auditorium • 2 Prince Street in Concord • (603) 224-2281 • www.nhpreservation.org
See this elegant, restored home in downtown Portsmouth on The Music Hall Kitchen Tour May 7.
Celebrating National Public Gardens at The Fells
As part of the ninth annual National Public Gardens Day, join The Fells in a nationwide celebration of public gardens. Explore the beauty of The Fells and discover the colorful spring blooms in the rock garden as well as the fragrant blossoms of early flowering trees and shrubs. The Fells • 456 Route 103A in Newbury • (603) 763-4789 • www.thefells.org M ay 6 – 8
Preview of Art in Nature 2016 Outdoor Sculpture
Get a preview of the exhibit that opens May 28, which includes works by well-known New England sculptors sited to seamlessly integrate into the surrounding gardens and natural landscape. Curated by Janet Miller Haines and professor Jon P. Keenan, of the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Colby-Sawyer College in New London. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. M ay 7
Birding by Ear and Sight
Join Peter Newbern to learn tricks to identify bird songs and calls by interpreting what they are singing, followed by a chance to hear and see some of the various neo-tropical birds returning to nest. 7:30–9 a.m. M ay 7
Growing Food in Small Spaces
Margret Hagen, WMUR-TV’s host of Grow It Green and agriculture resources educator at UNH Cooperative Extension in Hillsborough County, offers ideas for growing more food in the space you have. She shares space-saving techniques for increasing yields in small garden spaces: vertical cropping, intercropping, succession planting, raised-bed gardening and intensive planting. Advance registration required. 10–11:30 a.m.
M ay 1 0
The Restoration of the American Chestnut Tree
Fewer than one hundred years ago, Eastern U.S. forests were dominated by large American chestnut trees. By the 1950s, this population was reduced to short-lived stump sprouts, as trees succumbed to a lethal fungus disease, chestnut blight. Join wildlife biologist Curt Laffin as he discusses the history and demise of this tree, and promising efforts by the American Chestnut Foundation to restore it locally and throughout its historic range. 7–8:30 p.m. New Hampshire Audubon Society • McLane Center 84 Silk Farm Road in Concord • (603) 224-9909 www.nhaudubon.org 82 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
M ay 12
Historic Preservation Awards
The twenty-fourth annual event recognizes and supports the efforts of individuals, businesses and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation of buildings, neighborhoods and other historic resources in Manchester. 5 p.m. Tickets are $85; $75 for Manchester Historic Association members. Manchester Community College • 1066 Front Street in Manchester • (603) 622-7531 www.manchesterhistoric.org Distant Hills Gardens in Walpole hosts an Open Garden on May 27.
june Jun e 2
Wildflowers of New Hampshire
M ay 21
Wild Edibles Walk and Talk
Naturalist and wild foods enthusiast Russ Cohen leads a tour through the varied habitat and extensive grounds of Hildene—the home of Robert Todd Lincoln—identifying edible plants; discussing the conditions that each plant needs to thrive; and demonstrating responsible and safe harvesting practices. Cohen also focuses on using and preparing wild plants to make “wild dishes.” Participants will have an opportunity to sample food and beverages made from wild plants. Cohen’s book, Wild Plants I Have Known … and Eaten, will be available for purchase and signing. Registration required. 1–4:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person; $10 for Hildene members. 1005 Hildene Road in Manchester, Vermont (802) 362-1788 • www.hildene.org M ay 21 –22
World Cultures Art Student Installation
Art students aged ten to eighteen from several schools honor different world cultures in a farranging installation during Bedrock Gardens’ May open house, which also features music on Saturday by The Jazz Lab. Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday, noon–4 p.m. A $10 donation is suggested; children are admitted free of charge. 45 High Road in Lee • (603) 659-2993 www.bedrockgardens.org M ay 27
Open Garden for the Cheshire County Conservation District
Distant Hill Gardens hosts this event in partnership with the Cheshire County Conservation District (CCCD). Visitors can see fully grown specimens of many trees and shrubs that the CCCD offers for sale during the annual late-winter plant sale. Learn which plants might work in your landscape, and get tips on planting, pruning, disease and insect control. 3–5 p.m. Distant Hill Gardens • 507 March Hill Road in Walpole • 756-4179 • www.distanthillgardens.org www.nhhomemagazine.com
Join botanist Ted Elliman for a look at the wildflowers of New Hampshire as described in his new book A Field Guide to the Wildflowers of New England. Published by Timber Press in partnership with New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS), this comprehensive guide describes and illustrates more than one thousand of New England’s native and naturalized wildflowers. Books will be available for sale, and a book signing will follow the lecture. Advance registration required. 7–8:30 p.m. Admission is $16; $14 for NEWFS and Fells members. The Fells • 456 Route 103A in Newbury (603) 763-4789 • www.thefells.org
Jun e 11
Urban Landscapes: Manchester and the Modern American City
The urban environment has been a constant source of inspiration for artists, particularly since the rise of the city during the Industrial Revolution and subsequent rapid modernization during the twentieth century. This exhibit presents paintings, prints and photographs of realistic, romanticized and abstracted views of U.S. cities’ most defining features—such as Manchester’s Amoskeag Mills and the skyscrapers of New York City. Poignant street scenes reveal the diverse experiences of citydwellers. On view through September 5. The Currier Museum of Art • 150 Ash Street in Manchester • (603) 669-6144 • www.currier.org
Jun e 5
Twelfth Annual Palace Theatre Kitchen Tour
Voted the “Best Kitchen Tour in NH” by New Hampshire Magazine, this tour offers the chance to explore several of the finest kitchen designs in Bedford and Manchester. The tour begins at Granite State Cabinetry, where maps are available. O Steaks and Seafood is catering lunch; many homes have treats on-site provided by local businesses. The day ends with an after-party at LaBelle Winery, featuring wine tastings paired with appetizers. All proceeds benefit programs at the Palace Theatre. Tour runs 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tickets are $50. Palace Theatre • 80 Hanover Street in Manchester (603) 668-5588 • www.palacetheatre.org Jun e 6 –11
The Kennebunkport Festival
This multi-day dining extravaganza kicks off with intimate, private dinners prepared by some of Maine’s top chefs, or visitors can choose dinner at the White Barn Inn, a AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star-rated restaurant, hosted by Executive Chef Jonathan Cartwright. The festival includes art events, music and more. Kennebunkport, Maine www.kennebunkportfestival.com
Jun e 11
Twenty-Fifth Annual Plant Sale
Buy quality, well-established plants and shrubs propagated and field-dug from The Fells’ gardens and the region’s finest nurseries. Visitors also get expert advice from Fells’ landscape staff and master gardeners, and can buy unique garden art. 8:30 a.m.–noon. The Fells • 456 Route 103A in Newbury 763-4789 • thefells.org New Hampshire Home | 83
mark your calendar!
Imagine a kitchen...
photography by wendy wood
Imagine a kitchen...
Jun e 16
Best of NH Party
Vintage Kitchens Whether you live in an old house with original features, or plan
to create something entirely new, the goal is the same: a consistent aesthetic theme and a kitchen that works — beautifully.
Vintage Kitchens vintagekitchens.com
603.224.2854 24 South Street Concord, NH 03301
W
hether you live in an old house with original features, or plan to create something entirely new, the goal is the same: a consistent aesthetic theme and a kitchen that works — beautifully.
BRIGHTEN
vintagekitchens.com
603.224.2854 24 South Street Concord, NH 03301
YOUR DAY
Shop our Fine Craft Galleries Concord • Hanover • Hooksett • Littleton Meredith • Nashua • North Conway Center Sandwich (May-Oct)
www.nhcrafts.org 84 | New Hampshire Home
The annual Best of NH Party celebrates New Hampshire Magazine’s winners of its readers’ poll and editor’s picks. All food and an adult beverage sampling are included in the price of admission. In addition to food and drink from more than sixty restaurants, there is live entertainment, celebrity appearances and more. A portion of ticket proceeds benefits the New Hampshire Food Bank. 6:30– 9 p.m. Tickets are $65, $55 for groups of six or more and $19 for children. Northeast Delta Dental Stadium • 1 Line Drive in Manchester • www.bestofnh.com Jun e 18
The Builders and Craftsmen of Rundlet-May House
Explore Portsmouth through the eyes of the craftsmen who built Rundlet-May House. This walking tour highlights their work, their societies, their involvement in politics and the relationships they forged with each other in Portsmouth’s community of craftsmen. Tour begins at the Governor John Langdon House visitor center and ends at the Rundlet-May House. Registration required. 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Admission is $15; $10 for members. 143 Pleasant Street in Portsmouth (603) 436-3205 • www.historicnewengland.org Jun e 18
Art in Bloom
The Mountain Garden Club presents a walking tour of Jackson Village that includes floral interpretations of art in various public buildings, all within walking distance of the covered bridge. Start at any of eight sites, and pick up a map and list of exhibits. Floral design is demonstrated at 11:30 a.m.; refreshments are at the Whitney Community Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Event runs 10 a.m.–4 p.m. www.mountaingardenclub.org
Stained Glass Lamp by Julia Brandis may/june 2016
THE TWELFTH ANNUAL
Featuring beautiful homes in Bedford and Manchester, NH
photography by wendy wood
Sunday June 5, 2016 10:00 am - 4:00pm
PalaceTheatre.org TO BENEFIT THE PALACE THEATRE
603.668.5588
from 92.5 the River to 102.3 the River. Same great music. Even more local. | Independent Radio for Concord. www.nhhomemagazine.com
New Hampshire Home | 85
photography by john w. hession
mark your calendar!
If you haven’t yet seen it, take a tour of the historic Zimmerman House in Manchester, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and now owned by the Currier Museum of Art.
Ju n e 18
How Sweet It Is—The Exciting Lifecycle of the Honey Bee and Her Sweet Rewards
Wendy Booth—owner of My Bee Buddy—offers a digital presentation on the fascinating life of the honey bee and the sweet rewards of keeping bees. Those thinking of becoming a beekeeper, who love to garden or are curious can hear a discussion of products from the hive and taste honey. Booth is a past president of NH Beekeepers and 2008 Beekeeper of the Year; her bee photos have been featured in national bee publications, and she was featured on New Hampshire Chronicle. Advance registration required. 10–11:30 a.m. The requested donation is $10. The Fells • 456 Route 103A in Newbury (603) 763-4789 • www.thefells.org
Jun e 25
Summer in the Street
Summer in the Street—now in its thirteenth year—is a performance/music series where musicians, along with theatrical and dance companies, entertain in the heart of Portsmouth. proportsmouth.org/SummerintheStreet.cfm Jun e 26
The Return of Standing Lincoln
A recast of the famous bronze Standing Lincoln statue returns to New Hampshire. The realism and authentic likeness of Lincoln in the original sculpture has influenced generations of artists around the world. The sculpture was created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who traveled to New Hampshire in 1885 after hearing there were many “Lincolnshaped men” living here who could serve as models. Music by the 12th NH Regiment Serenade Band. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site 39 Saint-Gaudens Road in Cornish • (603) 675-2175 www.nps.gov/saga
ongoing photography by greg west
Taking the Lead: Women and the White Mountains
Ju n e 22
Taste of the Nation
Beneath big-top tents on the grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum, Share Our Strength brings together food and drinks from the top restaurants and brewers on the Seacoast, a fabulous silent auction with rare items and experiences, a VIP lounge and music. Proceeds benefit hunger-relief efforts. Admission is $85; VIP admission is $175. 14 Hancock Street in Portsmouth • ce.nokidhungry. org/events/portsmouth-taste-nation 86 | New Hampshire Home
Women have always been leaders in the White Mountains: from farm wives to climbers, from early hikers to modern businesswomen, from early conservationists to today’s environmentalists. In the nineteenth century, female tourists opened up and popularized trails; explored the natural world; and wrote of the beauty, challenges and discoveries they found. In the twentieth century, women connected the White Mountain region to the larger world and gave women a place to explore their talents and creativity uninhibited by the constraints of urban life. Using art, letters, maps, clothing and photographs, this exhibit explores the role women played and continue to play in shaping and popularizing the region. On view through October 7. Museum of the White Mountains • Plymouth State University • 17 High Street in Plymouth (603) 535-3210 • www.plymouth.edu/museumof-the-white-mountains
Zimmerman House Tours
The Zimmerman House, left by the family to the Currier Museum of Art in 1988, was designed and decorated by famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The home can be toured by the public, providing a rare glimpse into this private world from the 1950s and ‘60s. Tour days are Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. All tours begin at the museum. A special tour focusing on the restoration of the Zimmerman House is offered on Sunday, May 8, 5 p.m. and a special garden tour is offered Sunday, June 12 at 5 p.m. Tickets for adults are $20 and $8 for children, with other rates for students and seniors. Reservations are required. Currier Museum of Art • 150 Ash Street in Manchester • 669-6144 • currier.org
The Idea of North
Lawren Harris’s scenes of an evocative northland, isolated peaks and vast expanses of shimmering water are considered essential images of Canada. This exhibition includes approximately thirty major paintings of Harris’s idealized northern landscapes from the 1920s and 1930s, one of the most significant periods of the artist’s career. The exhibition, curated by collector and comedian Steve Martin, draws from the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada and the McMichael Collection—and is the first major solo exhibition of Harris’s work to be shown in the United States. On view through June 12. Museum of Fine Arts • 465 Huntington Avenue in Boston • (617) 267-9300 • www.mfa.org
Submitting Events
New Hampshire Home wants to know about events that may interest our readers. If you have one to submit for consideration, send details to editor@nhhomemagazine.com. Please note that calendar production occurs two months before each issue is published. Calendar events can be self-posted on our website at any time by using the Submit an Event link at www. nhhomemagazine.com. may/june 2016
Advertisers’ index 3W design, inc............................................................... 40
Fimbel Garage Doors....................................................41
Rolling Green Nursery............................................... 80
Artistic Tile.......................................................................44
Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty...45
Seasonal Specialty Stores..........................................29
Behind Clothes Doors ................................................43
Frank Webb’s Bath Center............................................5
Soake Pools..................................................................... 80
Belknap Landscape Co., Inc. .....................................34
Fred E. Varney Company............................................ 73
Belletetes Inc.................................................................... 6
Hayward & Company...................................................15
Southwick Construction............................................39
Bonin Architects & Associates................................ 75
League of NH Craftsmen...........................................84
Brown’s Floormasters..................................................41
Leigh B. Starer Landscape Design.......................... 77
California Closets...........................................................21
Liberty Hill Construction, LLC.................................. 75
Cedar Crest Cabinetry................................................. 77
Lighting by the Sea......................................................79
Christopher P. Williams, Architects............................
Linda Cloutier Kitchens & Baths............................ 25
............................................................... inside back cover
McGray & Nichols...........................................................11
Churchill’s....................................................................... 80
McLaughlin Transportation Systems, Inc.......... 80
Country Woods.............................................................. 23
Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams....................................2
Crown Point Cabinetry.......................44, back cover
Mr. Appliance.................................................................. 77
CRT Interiors................................................................... 80
NH Public Television....................................................87
D. R. Dimes........................................................................ 25
Not Just Kitchens...........................................................17
db Landscaping............................................................. 35
Old Hampshire Designs............................................. 27
DeStefano Architects.................. inside front cover
Palace Theatre, The.......................................................85
Triad Associates, Inc..................................................... 19
Dream Kitchens..............................................................31
PRG......................................................................................79
Vintage Kitchens...........................................................84
Ethan Allen Home Interiors.......................................13
Ridgeview Construction............................................ 32
Winchendon Furniture...............................................15
Ferguson Plumbing Supplies.....................................7
Rockingham Electric....................................................... 1
WXRV The River 92.5....................................................85
Standard of New England, LLC................................ 33 Stephens Landscaping Professionals, LLC...........17 Strawbery Banke Museum.......................................29 T.R. Russell Builders, Inc.............................................. 73 Tailored Living.................................................................. 4 Talbot Builders LLC.......................................................45 Teresa Perry Design..................................................... 80 The Carriage Shed........................................................ 23 The Lighting Showroom...............................................3 The Petersons Real Estate.........................................39 TMS Architects.................................................................9 Tom Murdough Design.............................................. 27
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New Hampshire Home | 87
at home in new hampshire
Orchard Ladders and Perry Pears Orchard ladders are beautiful. They’re mirror images of
into apple brandy. To make brandy legally, he soon discov-
the trees they climb—wide at the bottom for solidity, and nar-
ered, one has to open a distillery. Most folks, at this point,
row at the top to fit between branches. Their form-follows-
would turn to bootlegging. My husband began filling out
function design means the rails that hold the rungs have a
the paperwork. And he imported a beautiful, gleaming
pleasing, slow curve that looks as if they grew that way.
copper and stainless-steel still from Austria.
Old orchard ladders were wooden, heavy, with only
He has decided he wants to make pear eau de vie. Not
two legs. Burly men moved them from place to place for
Poire William, which is made from a single variety of
the slighter, more nimble pickers.
pears. No, he wants to make something more complex, dis-
But modern orchard lad-
tilled from “perry” pears
ders, made of aluminum,
(perry is to pears as cider
are light enough for me (at
is to apples). And perry
not a lot more than five
pears, unlike cider apples,
feet tall) to haul around
are simply not to be found
unaided. And my ladder has
around here.
three legs—two front rails
So
we
have
begun
and a floater at the back—
planting a perry orchard,
attached at the top by a
with hard-to-find varieties
hinge. Adjusting where the
such as Yellow Huffcap,
third leg hits the ground, I
Blakeney
can always make my ladder
Barnet
solid and stable.
British, who are at the
Red, and
Barland,
Butt.
The
It’s a shame most peo-
vanguard of the modern
ple never get to climb an
perry and pear brandy
orchard ladder; the view
movement, have a say-
from the top of a tree is
ing: “Pears for your heirs.”
exhilarating. And although
Because as it turns out,
it might be easier to pick
perry pears take at least
what you can reach from
fifteen years from plant-
the ground, the best fruit is
ing before they begin to bear much. Some varieties
always high up. I have spent many hours in the crowns of the century-
take thirty years to produce a decent crop.
old apple trees at Canterbury Shaker Village, picking nearly
Thirty years from now, if I am still on the planet, I will
perfect fruit from trees that haven’t been pruned or treated
be eighty-seven. My husband will be ninety-eight. It seems
for pests in decades.
likely we will not be the ones to make pear brandy from
These trees are “standards,” which means they grow
our orchard.
tall, to their natural height. It’s like another country at the
But pear trees? They can easily live to be two hundred
top of the ladder, sunny and dry, and the fruit is always
years old. And that gorgeous Austrian still? It should be
bigger up there and healthier than the low-hanging fruit.
nicely broken-in two centuries from now.
When my husband sold part of his business a few years
In the meantime, I have the pleasure of imagining a
ago and had some extra time, he began working with those
woman who will come after me here, in this place. She is
old apple trees, pruning them, picking apples, making hard
high on an orchard ladder on a bright blue October day,
cider. He, as it turns out, is an excellent hard-cider maker.
picking pears from a tree I planted, imagining me, plant-
He decided he wanted to learn how to distill that cider
ing that tree. And she is smiling.
NHH
By Hillary Nelson | Illustration by Carolyn Vibbert 88 | New Hampshire Home
may/june 2016
Christopher p. Williams arChiteCts, pllC PO Box 703 • Meredith, NH 03253 • 603-279-6513 • www.cpwarchitects.com
O
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