A Summer Tea Party With Friends

 Today I had tea at Summersweet Gardens in East Hardwick, Vermont, with some ladies from Joe's Pond. (Pictured are, left to right: Dotty Noyes, Diane Rossi, Cyndi Rouleau and me.)We drove in the rain most of the way there, taking time to go into Hardwick village where there was so much damage from flooding. We took the back road to Greensboro and saw a lot of washouts along the road shoulders, and piles of debris along river banks. Those piles were trees completely bare of leaves, limbs and bark, tangled with rocks, slabs of road pavement, random pieces of metal, and more than a few recognizable sections of buildings - someone's home, garage, barn or shed -- piled in unnatural heaps along the banks of streams. Where we would normally see green fields of corn, farmland with grass nearly ready for a second cutting, or natural wetlands of reeds and tall grass, we instead saw mud flats.We saw one bridge that remained cantilevered over the water, it's former landing washed away leaving it several feet short of it's former support. There were road crews and one-way traffic in some spots; excavation equipment and men with shovels working in the rain to repair the damage. We crossed the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in at least two places, and there were "Closed" signs. Most of the hill country was ok except for minor washouts along dirt roads and high water marks defined by sticks, grass and other debris clinging to bushes along the brooks. It was the villages in the valleys that took the brunt of the deluge.

We had a lovely tea - dainty cucumber sandwiches, scones with strawberry preserve and cream, and a delicate pastry. There was an unbelievable variety of tea selections to choose from. The tea was served in lovely old-fashioned porcelain pots that provided each us with at least two cups of tea kept at just the right temperature. We agreed, it was the sort of occasion one should "dress" for -- a flowing summer gown, wide-brimmed straw hat, gloves, and strappy shoes. However, in deference to the weather and generally wet conditions, we were in trousers, raincoats, and water-proof "mud" shoes. The owner of the place met us in the soggy parking lot with big umbrellas.

The rain let up just in time for us to do a walk-through of the gardens. There are plants of about every variety you can think of that is hardy enough for Vermont, and dozens of beds of lilies, ornamental grasses, phlox, hostas, and more. I explored a whole area filled with garden ornaments of every description and size, lovely little statues of dogs, cats, turtles, pigs, bees, butterflies, and fairies. I was so busy looking, I forgot to take pictures. Some "tourist" I am, right? However, here's a photo that I found on their website. Oh, yes, and there is a charming gift shop near the dining areas.

It was a lovely break for me - my garage project began this week, and typically of these things, there are always surprises. This project's "surprise" was that when they dug for the new foundation, they hit water - and I mean a considerable amount. And some of it got into my basement. It would have been nice if a couple years ago when I had my pond dug we'd had that problem. Instead, Ben Ackermann had to come back and divert water from the woods above the pond. This excavation was supposed to be dry - but with all the rain we've had recently, nobody was really surprised the ground was wet, but they didn't expect to have to deal with water bubbling out of the ground! There is good drainage there now, and I know when they are finished (Larry Rossi is doing the job) it will be far better than it ever was. In the process, there is a lot of turmoil and mess to go through to get to that point, though.