ONCE UPON A WINTER'S EVE

Yesterday I turned another year older....and that is all I'm going to say about that. Amen. In honor of my birthday my husband took me to Strawberry Banke to partake in the Holiday Candlelight Stroll. Strawberry Banke is a historic museum located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The museum consists of 32 buildings on their original sites in the neighborhood of Puddle Dock. Many of the homes were decorated for the holiday season according to a particular era. We first were greeted by St. Nicholas in the Rider-Wood House, an early 19th century home of English immigrant and widow Mary Rider. At the Chase House an 1818's mid winter dinner party was happening with live harpsichord music in the formal parlor. At the 1870 Goodwin Mansion, Governor and Mrs. Goodwin had made a wonderful maze of colored ribbons on the Christmas tree-each leading to special color coded gifts for each individual child. The year was 1943 at the Marden Abbott House /Store where the family was preparing a special dinner to welcome home their soldier son who was on leave for Christmas. At the Shapiro House the year was 1922 and featured the family celebrating the last evening of Hanukkah with special food, games and music. At the Masons Historic Lodge-Pitt Tavern soups and hot drinks were available, a perfect amenity to a cold winter's evening. The Candlelight Stroll is a wonderful event to put one in the holiday mood. You will find musicians in many of the homes, carolers singing as you stroll along the dirt paths illuminated by candlelight. Warm spiced cider and hot chocolate were available and a bonfire to warm your bones.... In my case "old bones." If you have never visited Stawberry Banke place it on your list of places to see.... in my case I refer to this as my "bucket list". In summer the flower and vegetable gardens are amazing here and are especially enhanced with the view of Portsmouth Harbor and the smell of the ocean air. Thank you sweetie for taking your "old lady" out on the town.... it was a wonderful evening.