dad with one of his other daughters: Amber Joy

I spent this past beautiful weekend with my parents.  It was one of those times in your life that you stop right in the middle of what you are doing and think, “I’m having a really great time.”  It started with taking Friday off to spend the day with my mom in Keene doing really girly things like nails, lunch, and shopping. 

pale pink

When we returned home, we covered our skin and put mosquito nets over our heads to go for a walk.  They don’t just have extreme weather  and animals (yes — there have been bear and moose sightings in the short time they’ve lived there) in the mountains of New Hampshire, they have extreme bugs too. 

somehow my mother can even make a mosquito net look adorable

 

Dragonflies are the "good bugs" because they eat the nasty mosquitos. This one actually ate a mosquito while sitting in my hair. Good...and...gross?

 

What a beautiful walk!  The landscape is stunning.  There were ferns everywhere, cute little salamanders, and my mom took me to a secret spot that she found–a beautiful waterfall.  

 Yesterday, we spent the day putting the new garden in.  It was the perfect summer day.  We worked together, laughed, enjoyed the sunshine we’ve been waiting for, and got all of my dad’s seedlings in.

summer breeze...makes me feel fine

basil for future delicious batches of sauce (garden tip--plant basil with your tomatoes to ward off pests and improve the flavor of the fruit)

site of the future gated kitchen garden

my mom remembered to bring refreshments (and as you can see--that included a cold beverage for the cat also)

A little sunburned, sweaty, and with a sense of accomplishment, we set out to buy a few more pots for leftover tomato plants and herbs.

this is how the Anderson family buys pots--by the cart load

We also went to Peterborough (one of the cutest New Hampshire towns) to pick up some drinks and snacks for a neighborhood party.  If you are in Peterborough, you must stop at Nature’s Green Grocer.  It is the type of grocery store that has everything from organic vegetables and local wines to the best cruelty-free/natural health and beauty section I’ve ever seen.

We ended our lovely day by joining the neighbors for 6:00 cocktail hour (I’m loving this new place more and more), where I discovered the most beautiful flower growing at the edge of the woods.  If anyone knows what it is, do tell!

It was hard to leave!  The thing I love most about being a “grownup” is realizing how utterly cool my parents are.  Instead of begging for car keys or complaining about the injustice of being a teenager, I get to be close friends with them while realizing how very much I love them both.

Love you dad!

Note: most pictures in this post were taken with my cell phone using an addictive app called “hipstamatic” that makes your images look vintage.  The image of my father and I is legitimately vintage of course!