Ipswich, Massachusetts

The barn at Russell Orchards. Inside were mini horses, ponies, piglets, turkeys, and "Big Darryl."

Michael and I woke up this past Saturday morning craving ocean waves and salty air. I called up my Dad after breakfast to see if he wanted to hit the beach, which of course, he did. My Dad and I are really fond of Crane's Beach in Ipswich, MA. It's a beautiful, 5+ mile stretch of coastline in northern Massachusetts. Not only is the beach itself spectacular, but there are miles of trails through the dunes. Michael and I went hiking through them when I first took him to Crane's Beach last September. Of course I am also fond of the place because they do a lot of tern/plover conservation. Most of the beach is roped off so that terns and plovers can use the area to nest without being disturbed by human activity.

Once we piled into my Dad's little white beemer, we raced towards the highway that would take us north. Unfortunately, I think everyone had the same idea as us of going to the beach, because the highway was packed. What should have been an hour drive took us nearly two hours. When we finally arrived in Ipswich, the parking lot at Crane's Beach was completely full. Park rangers weren't letting any more cars in until some people left the beach. Luckily, my Dad suggested that we try biding our time at a little "farmstand" a few miles down the road. What turned out to be a rather disappointing trip actually turned out to be an awesome day. The "farmstand" - known as Russell Orchards - was actually a fairly large working farm and orchard.

As soon as Michael, my Dad, and I sent foot in the barn-style farm store, I fell in love with the place. There were all sorts of local goods, produce, and treats for sale. The scent of homemade pies, scones, cookies, and breads filled the air. Local honey, maple syrup, and soap stocked the shelves. Freshly picked raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes, kale, lettuce, and herbs lined the walls of the back room. Michael, Dad, and I even did a wine tasting for $5 a person. At first, I was hesitant because I noticed they were mostly dessert/fruit wines, which are normally a bit too sweet for me. But damn, did those people make a fantastic wine. My favorite was the raspberry-peach wine, which probably would have made a great sangria. Michael and I my Dad favored the blackberry wine. We also tried strawberry, blueberry, and red currant wine. My Dad ended up buying blackberry wine, and a few berry scones to go with it. Michael bought half a dozen apple cider donuts. Once we were satisfied with our purchases, we went outside and had a great little picnic by a field of sunflowers. The berry scones were definitely the best scones I have ever eaten in my entire life.

Hanging out by our picnic site. Unfortunately, you can't see the roaming guinea fowl that were to the left of us.

Ew gross!

<3

After a picnic lunch, we decided to explore the farm a little bit. Michael ran into some rather large, hungry geese, but he was able to avoid their clutches (LOL, bird joke). 

The farm had a ton of animals. Chickens, geese, and ducks roamed through the fields. A shetland pony was out grazing in the clover patch. Goats and sheep were lounging in the shade of their wooden shelter. In the barn, there were two of the cutest piglets I have ever seen, turkeys, mini horses, a pony, and of course, "Big Darryl."

Just chillin'

Just eatin'

Just being adorable <3

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Around 4pm, we figured we might be able to get into the beach parking lot without starting any drama. So we left Russell Orchards and headed for the beach. As it turns out, we were able to finally get in! The rest of the day was spent relaxing, reading, bird watching, laughing, and swimming. Yes, swimming! Although the Atlantic was still freezing, it was definitely refreshing to take a dip in the cold water. Michael carried me out pretty far, but it wasn't long until my legs lost feeling and I nearly ran back to shore. Overall, it was one of the best days I have had in a long while.

My main squeeze

Love you big head <3

A Vermont Weekend

Originally, I thought that Michael and I would choose a wedding venue situated somewhere within the Adirondack Mountains of New York - the place where we took our first backpacking trip just this past Summer. Unfortunately, it appears that tons of newly engaged New Yorkers have the same idea! Couples from the city flock upstate to reserve a wedding venue in a more country atmosphere, especially now that the great outdoors and rustic life are "trendy" with the city folk. While I am sure this is great for the local upstate economy, it does drive the total cost of a traditional "country" wedding up towards a more urbanized budget. And let me tell you from living in New York City for a year right after high school, city prices are wayyyy past a country girl's budget! Needless to say, Michael and I decided to continue our search for the perfect wedding venue elsewhere.

That somewhere else turned out to exist in the heart of the north country; the beautiful state of Vermont. We spent the weekend looking into two possible venues that I thought looked pretty nice online (thank you rusticbride.com, you have truly been a lifesaver). Saturday morning we drove up from Connecticut to a small town called Arlington, VT to take a tour of the West Mountain Inn. Driving up to Vermont is always beautiful, no matter what the current season. Instead of taking I-91 up, we drove across Massachusetts and up through NY to connect to Route 7, which we followed all the way to Arlington. As soon as Michael and I turned off the main "highway", we followed a little dirt road up a steep hill. About five minutes later, a white New England style farmhouse surrounded by picturesque mountains came into view. This place is exactly what I've been looking for, I thought.

View of the ceremony site. The boy in the photo is standing in the middle of the labyrinth garden. I can't wait to see what this backyard will look like when everything is in bloom!

Amie, the owner of the West Mountain Inn, gave of a tour of the 150 acre property. Her family had owned the property for generations, but her parents had only recently turned the farmhouse into an inn about thirty years ago. The farmhouse consisted of fourteen quaint little rooms with beautiful antique decor. There were two ceremony sites, one beside the labyrinth gardens with a stunning mountain backdrop (above photo) and another by a big sugar maple tree surrounded by woods. The reception area was a gorgeous lit-up barn that was as old as the property itself.  By the end of the tour, I was in love. I knew that this would be place that Michael and I would get married.

Although I was convinced that the West Mountain Inn was "the one," Michael and I still had one more venue to visit the next day. We had planned to spend Saturday night at the Swiss Farm Inn in Pittsfield, Vermont, which claimed to have the "world's best breakfast." That meant we still had to drive an additional hour north before nightfall. On our way to bed & breakfast, Michael and I stopped at The Vermont Cheese House (http://thevermontcheesehouse.com/) in Arlington which featured local cheese, maple syrup, honey, and jam. Michael purchased smoked cheddar cheese, grade B maple syrup, and maple soda. I bought two types of jam (black raspberry and apple) and pine needle soap.

When we finally made it to the Swiss Farm Inn, we were both exhausted. We took a quick nap, and then headed downstairs to the dining room area for dinner at 6pm. Michael and I sat at a table with a family (a mother skiing with her two children) and a hilarious couple named Keer and Helena, who were also skiing for the weekend. After we had all eaten a delicious dinner of minestrone soup, salad, chicken parm, steamed vegetables, and chocolate cake (SO much food!), Keer and Michael went upstairs to bring down the bottles of whiskey they had both brought with them on the trip. Keer had brought a scotch that actually wasn't too peaty. Michael and I shared our Buffalo Trace which turned out to be a hit. Drinks were sipped, laughs were had, and friends were made. It was the perfect ending to a long day of traveling.

In the morning we had another delicious meal. I ordered cinnamon vanilla french toast and Michael ordered blueberry pancakes. The staff really was not kidding when they claimed that they served the world's best breakfast. I ate more food that morning than I usually consume in three days. After checking out of the inn, Michael and I started our drive north again to Waistfield, Vermont - the location of our second venue tour. On the way there, we passed by Moss Glen Falls on Route 100. Naturally, we had to pull over and check the place out. There were actually two waterfalls within a few feet each other. I was able to con another visitor into taking a picture of Michael and I in front of the larger of the two. Then we headed back to the car and continued north.

Moss Glenn Falls in Granville/Stowe, VT.

The second place we visited was the Skinner Barn in Waistfield, VT. Although the barn was beautiful, the property did not have the same kind of homey backyard-feel charm that I feel in love with at the West Mountain Inn. On the way back to Connecticut that Sunday evening, Michael and I discussed the pros and cons of each. It did not take us long to agree that the West Mountain Inn had everything we were looking for: striking mountain views, a barn reception area, and nearby accommodations for friends and family. We had finally made a decision! Our wedding will be held at the West Mountain Inn in Arlington Vermont, hopefully sometime in September or October 2015. Now to start budgeting...