Offspring In The Neighborhood!

Not long after we moved here to New Hampshire, really just a few weeks, I was out exploring while my kids were in school and I was driving down Washington Rd. in Rye off Route 1 and noticed some blood red dahlias growing inside a stone wall.  I thought it was such a gorgeous sight.  And year after year, those same dahlias kept appearing every late summer when I took the time to drive down that road.  Well guess what?  I now have some of the offspring of those dahlias growing in my own Rye yard this late summer!  And I have noticed those same dahlias growing in many yards in this village of mine.  Here is how this happened.

In early May this year I was driving down Central Rd heading to Portsmouth and I noticed a sign at the end of a driveway announcing that there were free dahlia tubers to be had.  I slammed on my brakes!  I had already ordered quite a few dahlias to plant but free ones?  Yes please.  More dahlias!  The gentleman giving them away said that almost 20 years ago he had planted a dozen dark red dahlias over at his parents house on Washington Road and since then they had multiplied into the hundreds and hundreds as he dug them up every late fall and gave away the offspring each spring.  Now I know why I see them every where and I am so pleased to have some of my own to carry on.

 The Washington Road wall where I first noticed them.

 Now the neighborhood offspring displays.

This pic above and the one below are the ones in my yard.

And now I will end this post with a few pictures of summer New Hampshire gorgeousness!

 From a foggy walk the other night above and below.

 A glorious Pee Gee Hydrangea hedge on Cable Ave in Rye.

 The sun near dusk lighting up boats in New Castle Harbor above.

 New Castle Harbor

 New Castle Harbor.  Did you know they just opened a Green Bean restaurant right at this location?
 Our Rye yard apple tree makes stupendous pies!!!

Carmelizing cherry tomatoes from our garden in butter and sugar and oregano, then adding balsamic vinegar and cooking to reduce, then roast in oven at 400 for 1/2 hour.  We ate these tonight over thick toasted Poilane sourdough (from the famous bakery in Paris - we still had some in our freezer from our December trip carried across the ocean in my backpack), and pesto made from our garden basil - Yum!