Very close to my house, there is a grand estate where flowers are always dripping off the windows, and topiary sculptures peek behind mature trees and manicured garden walls. Day after day I pass by, but I've never gone in.
The Conestoga House and Gardens are open to the public for free touring from mid June to the end of September on Wednesdays from 1-8pm. (as I soon realized, "touring" also means sitting in one of their abundant seating areas, and chatting to your friend or just relaxing while you take in the loveliness.)
Our friends roused us into meeting them there today. We finished our daily grind: consignment store drop, fiber store supply run, felt flower (new fall line!) drop off at My Aunt Debbie, home for lunch, speech therapy for Mimi.
I was happy to be able to tell Max "we are touring a garden later" and please him with the prospect of a planned event for later in the day!
I must say that now that I am back home, the grounds had a lovely effect on me!
I feel relaxed, pampered, calm. Like someone rescued me and treated me like a princess. Like someone just fed me a really fantastic gourmet dinner.
(and you have to admit, there is something special about watching your kids run free amongst what could be the backdrop to a Jane Austin movie set.)
I loved the brick paths, and the archways.
The shady seating areas nestled within stone hideaways. This is the outdoor dance floor, in front of the pool.
The grandeur of everything.
Right down the street from me.
I saw women out with their girlfriends, in deep girlfriend talk!
Women alone reading by the water. Jo Ellen and I were absolutely awestruck! I almost shouted when we realized it, "we could come here, and just relax! This is LIKE A SPA!" (we are planning an afternoon lunch date!)
As a little girl growing up in Massachusetts, my Mom took us to places like this.
well, not exactly like this, but she knew lovely places to go, and to take friends.
where you could experience history, and how other people lived.
and she always knew of very nice "outside" places.
Next winter I'll imagine the summer and coming here.
I really recommend it. Especially if you need something nice for yourself.
It's free.
and lovely.
I heard about this Open to the Public tradition last year and the year before, but of course my shyness took hold and I felt like the owners would be watching me walk on their grounds, and it made me nervous. I never looked into it further. I am so glad we went there today. I think it would be a wonderful place to stroll around with family before a dinner out too...and we are making plans to do that next week, to show Dad.
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