Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Friday Surprise for Outdoor Wednesday

Outdoor Wednesday with Susan at
A Southern Daydreamer.
Stop by and say Hi.
You'll enjoy Susan's sunny yellow
flowers this week.



Last Friday our plans were
laid out before us.

All three children and I got
into the car at 6:45am headed
to Kennett Square and Longwood
Gardens. As is usual since Mikey
has begun his internship someone
has made this drive five days a
week.

The grandmas have shared these
commutes. Everyone seems to be
enjoying the process.

So on this Friday we intended to
stay at the gardens for the morning
as Mikey was supposed to get done
about noon. We were happy and
looking forward to it.

But, upon arrival, Mikey found out
that on this Friday he would stay
until about 3:00pm. It was an hour
and a half until the gardens would
open for guests. On the other hand
it was a a 40-45 minute drive home.

We decided to head on home and just
come back later.

So...we headed on our way...
UNTIL...we saw a sign for a barn
sale. Do you know how cool barn
sales can be in our neck of the
woods? I am telling you...they
can be oh, so interesting.

Since we had no place to be, we
took the detour. Through woods
and on tiny little roads following
signs. If Jonathan had not been
with me I probably would not have
been so brave. But, each little
sign urged us on until at the end
of a gravel road in the middle of
a woods we saw this...



In the middle of Nowhere!!!!



And in this cute barn was a nymph
of a girl named Courtney who was so
very friendly and helpful.



When Courtney saw our enthusiasm for this
unexpected adventure and learned that I
do this thing called blogging she said we
needed to go up to the house and meet her Dad.
He, apparently had some neat trails through
the woods that we would enjoy.



I was thinking that it was a bit
strange but friendly of her.
But we talked as I "shopped".
I promise to show you my finds
later...maybe tomorrow.



Courtney gave us many matchbox cars
for Mom's trip to El Salvador.
The children will love them!
She was so happy to help.



I think perhaps the reason Courtney
knew we would enjoy the trails was
the knowledge that Mikey was at Longwood
and that I shared my love of gardens.



So, soon she gave her father a call
and before we knew what was happening
we were pulling up to a very
unique and beautiful home and setting.

Would you know a gnomehome
if you saw it?
Jonathan knew
right away...

These were at the parking area.



You cannot believe the things we saw.
I was feeling too much as if we were
intruding to ask to take photos in the
house. But it was a real work of art.



Turns out we had stumbled upon the
Gnomeman!
His name is Richard Humphreys.
Actually, I had heard of him...
I don't think you can live in our
area and not hear of "The Gnomeman"
but I have never been into gnomes.
My apologies, Mr. Humphries.




Mr. Humphries is an educator.
You know that at the first sentence.
He is also very proud of the work he
has done on this part of the countryside.



The photos you are passing by
are from the outbuildings before
we headed to the woods.



The next thing we knew we were
walking on well defined paths.
Mr. Humphreys invited us to wander
at our leisure. Pretty kind of him,
I'm thinking, since we had only just
met. The other part of the equation
is that normally there is a charge of
$10 per person to take a guided tour.

Either we scared him to death or blogging
has its priviledges...because...

He generously waved that aside and
told us to enjoy it and to be sure to
play the drums we would find in a
gazebo at some point along the way.



The day was absolutely perfect.
Sunny, blue skies, gentle breezes
and happy attitudes.

Both Chelsea and Jonathan agreed with
me that we felt we had stumbled upon
a wonderful playground.
A gem in the
Southern End of Lancaster County.



The drum boomed out
over the hillside.









Jonathan said this gnomehome was
equal to a palace. A very noble
gnomehome.



We went...



down steep hills...



and back up again!



Before we knew it we were
back to ...



The gazebo housing the drum.









We chose the upper bridge...
There is a troll bridge underneath
but we always recommend taking the
high road...Jonathan insisted on
taking our picture as we made the
best choice.





Our walk came to an end but we have
certainly not forgotten the surprise
and gift received one summer day in
July 2009. It was a special blessing.
I would never have thought I would say
that about a place called Gnome Countryside.

To see a photo of "The Gnomeman" you can see
his website here.
You will find him to be
interesting...I found him to be an artist,
a teacher and a very lovely person.
His daughter, Courtney is a joyful and
outgoing person. Her happiness is contagious.



Thanks for visiting today.
I hope one day, very soon,
you are blessed with a surprise
as nice as this one.
♥♥Becky K.♥♥

34 comments:

xinex said...

What an expectedly fun adventure. How lucky that you met those hospitable people. Can't wait to see what you bought from the barn..Christine

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Becky, what a wonderfully fun adventure you had! This is SO neat, and I love all of the stone on the buildings and also that cool barn with its neat windows and siding. And the trails! Just so special. He looks like a very interesting man... loved the picture. Thanks for taking us along on this tour. Enjoyed it throughly. I cannot get over how breathtaking those woods are and the trails!

Happy OW...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Jadehollow said...

What a wonderful adventure Becky! I haven't any knowledge of Gnomes.. what a peaceful looking place. I'm sure it's an experience you will all always remember. Happy Wednesday!
Hugs,
Debbie

Sandra said...

Wow Becky, what a nice place to have stumbled upon! I've never heard of gnomes either. I enjoyed all the pictures you posted. Thank you for sharing with us. :)
Blessings,
Sandra

Carol said...

You certainly had an exciting unexpected adventure! Thanks for sharing the fun!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What fun! I never heard of a gnomehome before and tney were fun to look at!

Happy Outdoor Wednesday! It's my first time joining in and I was happy to visit you.

Hugs, Pat

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Oh My Gosh Becky, What a wonderful adventure. I feel like I walked down each of the paths with you. All the flowers and the rock displays were just beautiful. I loved it all. Thanks for sharing. I have signed up to follow your blog. I hope you will stop over and see mine and sign up as well. Country Hugs, Sherry

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Thanks for sharing you tour. Looking like a fun place to visit.
Glenda

Light and Voices said...

Unexpected journeys are certainly a lot of fun. Thank you for taking us on the cyber tour.
Joyce M

Unknown said...

Fantastic photos... looks like a beautiful day for all!
Hope your week is going well...
~Really Rainey~

Anonymous said...

Wow Becky,
What a great find and so unexpected. Loved the pictures.

SmilingSally said...

Your post sounds like a fairy tale. I expected to see a giant leap out or to have you find a treasure. And you did--find a treasure! What imagination the gnomeman has.

Barb said...

Hi Becky, what a wonderful place to visit....there is a delicate nature to it even though it is in the woods! Love all your pics.

I have a feeling....you are a good mother or mama....as I would say in the South!

Have a wonderful day, Becky!

Barb

Cindy said...

Oh Becky, what a wonderful surprise for you! I would love to see a place like that and you took some great photos. I so enjoyed my visit with you today. Thank you, also, for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Hugs, ~cindy s~

Regina said...

Hello Becky these are fantastic!
What a great post.

Blessings. Happy outdoor.
Regina

Unknown said...

What a delightful surprise!!! Wonderful, enchanting place to visit and so unexpected! The building seem to compliment the grounds. Thank you for the tour!

Love Bears All Things said...

Well, what an interesting post. And I say it was God's plan for you to have this adventrue otherwise Jonathan would not have had to say late. We visited Longwood Garden in May one year with Daughter and Son by Love. This was before the arrival of the little people. Honey Bear and I were living in Tennessee at the time so we flew from there, and met up with the pair as they flew up from Alabama for our connection in Charlotte. We journied the rest of the way together. It was very cool day in May and we were not prepared so most of our tour was in the indoor areas.
This is a beautiful barn and I'm glad you included the photos of it.
Mama Bear

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a wonderful adventure. Thank you for the tour and your wonderful descriptions of the frames we were viewing. It's a marvelous post. Have a great day.

Sue said...

Hi Becky,
What a wonderful adventure you all had, and the way you described it I felt as though I was there. Don't you just love it when things happen like this. Thank you for sharing. Loved all of your photos!
Sue

stefanie said...

what a awesome adventure!!! how knew, that by going to a sale you would find such a treasure, can't wait to see what you bought. have a wonderful week.

Barnyard Country Gifts said...

Thank you for the adventure today. Love the pictures of the Barn.
Have a nice outdoor wednesday, Annemieke

Cami @ Creating Myself said...

What a wonderful adventure & how generous the Gnomeman was to allow you to wander. Great picture of y'all crossing the bridge!

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Ok, I have lived here longer than you and have never heard of the Gnomeman! :)

What an amazing barn and property! Sounds as if they are lovely people! I will have to check out his website.

Thanks for sharing!

Vee said...

Wow! Like walking into a fairytale...I've been using that line a lot, but it's so true with this post. Thank you for sharing and what a great gal Courtney was to know that you were folks with whom to share.

Gayla said...

so cool.. How wonderful for you guys.

Happily Retired Gal said...

What a lovely adventure and delightful post. Thanks for sharing these sights and experiences with us here ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

Carrie said...

Thank you for sharing your delightful excursion!

Kelly said...

Very nice! I'm glad you posted this after talking about it last Friday night. It looks like a wonderful place to visit, and now I know why you didn't want to hike in the woods on Sunday.

Terri Steffes said...

I love surprises!

I think the photos are marvelous. You should think about making some of them into note cards.

Have a great day!

Elizabeth said...

Hi, Becky -

How are you? This is my first time to your blog and I really enjoyed it. I love your area of the country. I've seen lots of pictures of it. My sister in Virginia goes there several times a year and always tells me all about it. How lovely it is.

Well, you certainly had an adventure at the knome man's home. What a find!

Well, I hope you have a great Thursday...Do you homeschool year round? What's your curriculum?

God bless,
Elizabeth

RobinfromCA said...

Beautiful photos and such a great adventure to stumble upon! I'm glad you followed your adventurous spirit!

Happy Outdoor Wednesday!
Robin@Miscellaneous Thoughts

JD/ Jill said...

How lovely! Great post!

Amisha said...

Beautiful, beautiful pictures!

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Becky, Your open heart and open mind brought you to this unexpected adventure and it is a moment in time that will probably never be forgotten. It is like a gift for your spirit. I love when things like this happen and I am happy that it happened to you.
♥, Susan