June in Southern Vermont

A couple of Tuesdays ago, my Mom and I drove two hours to southwestern Vermont to visit Hildene, the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln, the oldest son of Abraham Lincoln. Situated between two mountain ranges, the home was enormous, historic and beautiful. My Mom was particularly interested in the delicately shaped gardens filled with peonies which were in full bloom.

Sundial, Hildene, Manchester, Vermont.

In the home I grew up in, my Mom maintained two white peony bushes and while I had never held too strong of an opinion of the scent, while at Hildene, I understood why she had loved the late-June flowers for so long. The scent is indescribable, almost like a super-rose.

The interior of the home was fascinating. The back garden, placed between the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains was naturally gorgeous with its roses, peonies, closely trimmed hedges and wildflowers.

Earlier in the day, we stopped at the Vermont Country Store. A sprawling wooden-floored shop that seemed to sell nearly everything from clothing to children's puzzles, to bedding to cheese, the store was certainly iconic in its old-fashioned merchandise, but had a sprinkling of newer material too, seemingly marketing a bit from both old and new.

The Vermont Country Store, Weston, Vermont.