Childrens’ bladders be damned, I’m glad we found this gem.
We eventually located the market/store on the property and let the kids take care of business. Well, two last pics of the daffodils before we went in:
The kids were good to go and we were ready to descend upon our hosts:
After we got settled in and caught up on life, we herded all of the kids out to a “dinosaur park”. “Park” may be a bit of an exaggeration. It was more like a dinosaur “nook” and our hosts were a bit embarrassed but we all loved it:
Check out this footprint:
Their minds were riveted, albeit briefly, by the thoughts of dinosaurs roaming the area but like most kids, they found climbing to be the real joy:
The idea of wearing out the children so the parents could start drinking earlier in the evening was on all of our minds so we immediately swept them off to the local playground:
And if you thought that plan was genius, how about shuffling the already exhausted kids off into the hot tub for a “cool down”:
Operation “Good night children” complete …
Ironically, it turns out the parents couldn’t make it much past 9:00 PM and the kids were still sneaking around the house at that time. Oh well.
The next day was a nice lazy “hang”. Delicious breakfast and unlimited coffee. We were all chilling when I was asked if I wanted some cuttings of a hydrangea that dates back to the 1970’s. I couldn’t mouth the words “hell yeah” fast enough.
Turns out this hydrangea was originally planted in Staten Island, NY by my wife’s great grandfather. This man was a well known gardener in the city and we have a number of old newspaper clippings that display his work. A man cut from the same cloth as me. A hero I never actually met but have heard such warm stories about.
After he passed, the shrub made it’s way to Acton, MA up until the early 2000’s. At that point, it was moved to the locale below: 
Our gracious hosts gave me two cuttings after getting drenched in the pouring rain. I was proud to be part of carrying on the legacy.
That afternoon, we said our goodbyes after having a fantastic time. We promised each other that we would do this again soon. Even their dog was sad to see us go:
We arrived back home in early evening and after unpacking, I grabbed the camera to capture some actual blooms that emerged while we were gone:
But most importantly, I planted my new hydrangea cuttings and can now watch them take off:
Hopefully some day I can give my kids cuttings from this same shrub.
A good damn weekend.
“Looks like we made it”.
John
Sounds like a great time. And lucky you with the cuttings-hope they do well for you. Love plants with a “history”!
That orchard was a prime photo op!! Will keep my fingers crossed for your cuttings to root, what a treasure to be able to pass down to your kids.
Climbing on rock outcrops is a perfect activity for kids, I sure liked it.
Great shots and a really interesting trip! Most I can find on my bush trips are stone axe grinding groves and the odd hammer stone flake!
Nice word smithing – you really know how to share an adventure.
Wow that was quite and adventure. The way they prune back apple trees makes you think your looking at olive trees. Great photos and great shots. The kids look like they some great energy and the new starts should do well. Fun post.
Love the story of the hydrangea cuttings, that’s really special.