Last Friday morning we left North Hatley, Quebec and drove (another) 376 km to Topsfield, Massachusetts where we spent a great weekend with our daughter and son-in-law. Not only was it wonderful to see them again, but Mother Nature pulled out all the stops and provided the warmest and sunniest weekend the Boston area has seen so far this year. YES!
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| Dianne & Sarah in front of Parson Capen House |
Topsfield, settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1650, has a current population of approximately 6100. The town hosts a number of community events throughout the year and we were fortunate to have arrived just in time for the Strawberry Festival held each year on the Topsfield Town Common.
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| Topsfield Town Common - Photo courtesy of Google |
Overlooking the Common is the Greek Revival style Congregational Church. Its steeple houses a working Paul Revere bell.
Next door and across the street is the beautiful Topsfield Town Hall. The area could not be more picturesque!
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| Photo Courtesy of the Topsfield Historical Society |
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| Photo Courtesy of Google |
The Strawberry Festival provides something for everyone of all age groups. There were balloon hats and candy floss for the kids, strawberry shortcake for absolutely everyone, arts and crafts, as well as a plant sale, dog and cat paraphernalia and a vintage car show for automobile enthusiasts.
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| The Topsfield Garden Club selling plants |
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| Sarah and her first coleus! |
Each booth offered something different - everything from pottery to watercolours, jewellery to jams and honey, woodworking to handwoven clothing and accessories. And for music lovers a live group played at the bandshell.
The vintage car show showcased corvettes, porsche, VW's Westfalia and a Model T Ford.
On a knoll opposite the Common is the Parson Capen House. Built in 1682 it is one of the finest surviving examples of Elizabethan architecture in America. Parson Capen served as Reverend in the Topsfield Church for 44 years until his death.
The Parson Capen House was open for tours during the Strawberry Festival, as was the Gould Barn (located behind the trees above and on the far right).
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| Photo Courtesy of the Topsfield Historical Society |
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| Photo Courtesy of the Topsfield Historical Society |
Situated in between the Parson Capen House and the Gould Barn is this meticulously kept garden (complete with wooden picket fence) and garden shed. The garden was divided into various sections and included herbs, flowers and vegetables.
It was a great day at the Topsfield Strawberry Festival and when we arrived back home John claimed the hammock as his own. (Two days and two hammocks - methinks he won the lottery!!)
A special thank-you to Sarah and Tim for such a lovely day and super memories. Love ya! 💖
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