Harvest Host in Londonderry, N.H.

Driving from Freeport, Maine to Londonderry, New Hampshire took less than two hours. Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire. It sits between Manchester and Derry, the largest and fourth-largest communities in the state. and home to a small Episcopal Church congregation that participates in the Harvest Host program. The church sits in a very scenic location surrounded by apple orchards, farm stands, and beautiful views. Although rural in nature, the church was located near a busy road so earplugs were a necessity at night. But this was an ideal location for us due to its proximity to our friends Dan and Suzanne who live in Bedford near Manchester, New Hampshire. We arrived in the early afternoon on Monday and set up under some shade trees; the weather has been getting warmer and without hook ups we can't use our air conditioning.

Laundry was on the to do list. Between the washing and drying loads we did a trip to Starbucks but eventually got caught in a torrential thunderstorm. When we got back to the trailer with open windows, we had some items to dry off but nothing seriously wet. This abrupt change in the weather is typical of New England in the summertime.

On Tuesday, Dan and Suzanne drove out to meet us at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. It was just like old times. We gave them the tour of Trinity and they had so many questions. This seems to be a common occurrence given this radical lifestyle change. We promised to answer all their questions, but we decided to do it over lunch.

We ate at the Cooper Door restaurant and had a great meal to go along with great company. We got caught up as best we could in a couple of hours. I am always amazed at how quickly we reconnect with our friends and just continue on like no time has passed. We seem to have that experience often and I'm so very thankful for it.

When lunch ended, they drove us back to the church parking lot where the two women just couldn't say goodbye. Hugs, tears, more hugs and that was just Dan and I... no, just kidding.

We sense that another trip to New England is in our future. We so love this region and the people; we will have to come back to see more. When we do, Dan and Suzanne are top on our list and we'll make it a longer visit.