GROWING UP NEW ENGLAND
New England is more than just a place to live and grow up, it's a way of life. Rich with farmland and mountains, seashore and caves, incredible glacier carved lakes and wildlife beyond imagination. We don't have rainstorms and snowstorms, we have "Nor Easters". We don't go to the liquor store, we make a packy run and it's wicked cool! If you're taking a left turn, for the love of Nomah, use your blinkah and if you miss your turn, just bang a uey. Sprinkles are for cakes, we put Jimmies on our ice cream you know, that same ice cream we make a frappe out of! We drive around the rotary after grabbing a tonic and grinder hoping a Statey won't pull us over. Our Chowdah is not red, and Maine has a law on the books making it illegal to put tomatoes in the Chowdah. Yes, our accent is rough, we only use Rs when we must - so go pahk the cah will ya? We love leaf peeping season and look forward to ice-out on lake Winnipesaukee.
I grew up in a modest home in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, just thirty miles north of Boston, thirty miles from the ocean and thirty miles from the mountains. I'm the youngest of five kids and was raised by my mom and four older sisters. Growing up with four sisters couldn't help but give you a distinct perspective on life. I'm extremely fortunate to have had all I did growing up and often look back and wish I had appreciated it more than I did.
New England is rich in history, and it was great to have experienced the Bicentennial and the marvelous Freedom Train with a whistle stop in historic Lowell Massachusetts, the birthplace of the industrial revolution. I watched President Ford's motorcade go by on Patriots Day as we celebrated the shot heard round the world. Lived through the Blizzard of 78, watched the Challenger shuttle disaster in horror as one of New England's own, Christa McAuliffe lost her life in duty to her country.
Experiencing the heyday of Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski and Steve Grogan defined for me what hometown spirit was all about. Life before the internet, cable and cell phones meant more time playing street hockey, pick-up basketball, epic games of hide-and-go seek and bike rides to historic Concord and Lexington.
My childhood was filled with trips to my uncle's farm in a small town called Clarksville New Hampshire, just four miles from the Canadian border. Yes, that is God's country where watching bears at the dump and Moose on the main road heading to Canada is still the favorite past time. I learned that a barn, one hundred head of cow and three hundred acres of fields, pastures, and woods, can make for the best summer vacation with memories that will always bring a smile to your face. Simple life? Yes, but filled with challenging work, family, and friends. This is where you know everyone in town and neighbors help neighbors! It's just what you do.
The smell of Aunt Evelyn's homemade donuts were worth the trip alone. Breakfast before sunrise with peanut butter on the donut and a trip out to the barn with your boots, barn clothes and a swagger that says, "time to round up the cows!" A few miles of hiking the pastures in search of a stray or 2 and bring them all back to the barn for milking, feeding and health checks. Then back out to the fields and time to hit the tractors for haying and planting. Back then, the farms weren't automated the way they are now. This was backbreaking work that had your entire body aching a good ache.
After a hardy dinner, entertainment was reading, playing card games, telling stories, or watching one of three channels that barely came in unless you were holding the rabbit eared antennae with one hand and the wall with the other. We were all simply happy to have a TV and listen to the sound from the shows.
The front of the farmhouse had at least a couple of acres of land to the dirt road that led to the driveway. The driveway meandered past a small trout pond and up to the barn and house. It was a welcome end to a 4-hour ride through the mountains, past the old man and through meandering roads with miles of farmland on both sides.
Seaports and Mountains, iconic cities, rivers, landmarks, and history. Legends and Lore, Pilgrims, and Witches. Sailors lost and dreams found. This region is not for everybody but everyone who visits can feel centuries of tradition and majestic beauty painted on every turn and I'm so glad I continue to be growing up New England.