Wintery Walk Through Vaughan Woods State Park, Maine
On December 23 we boarded the plane for our flight to the States to be with family and old friends during the holidays. It is always refreshing to spend time back in New England where we both grew up. No matter how far we stray from that corner of the world, it will always hold the biggest spot in our hearts. There is no where more comforting to me. Since it's in our roots, I can't help but have things I miss about living there. Close to the top of my list is the snow. Now I know there's lots of New Englanders (and I'm sure people from other snowy parts of the world) rolling their eyes at that as they have to continuously dig themselves out storm after storm in the coming months. But it's the truth—I miss the snow.
For the 2015 holidays, when we headed home we were both hoping it would be a white Christmas or we would at least see a snow fall during our time. Unfortunately we missed out BUT I can't complain too much since shortly after we did get to trek through the snow on the stop of the alps in Salzburg. That was our only snow fix for the year, though. It just doesn't really snow in London because it's so mild. I've seen photos of when it has but it is a rare occasion and one we have yet to see (unless you count the 5 seconds last year). So this year as we planned our trip home, we could only hope we would get lucky this time around and see a good storm!
Not only did we see snow but we got a few different days of it. Christmas was semi-white but the real storm came the following week while we were up in Maine (the State that time and time again wins my heart) spending time with my in-laws. It was so magical to look out the window and see it falling so gracefully down from the sky. I feel like a kid again whenever I see snow. So, I said to Rico—let's go somewhere to really experience it. While the roads weren't great, we knew a spot that was a super short drive to get us in nature soaking it all in. Another great part about being home is knowing a location like the back of your hand. It takes way less brain power to figure out where to go when we know we can hit some of our favorite spots.
Vaughan Woods State Park is in South Berwick, Maine where Rico's family moved to from Boston when he was younger. We've been to this spot before when we've wanted to get out but never in the winter so our trek through the woods there gave it a whole new memory for us. Close to the boarder of New Hampshire, the park consists of 165 acres along the Salmon Falls River. Within the park is four trails and a great view of the Hamilton House. It is very picturesque and maybe even especially in the winter (though I may be bias now)!
Going home is alway brings a mix of feelings. Some times it feels like we are living two lives—one in London and one back in the States. The two aren't very connected but they make us who we are. Both places bring out different sides of us—here we tend to be city people and are constantly on the go while back in New England, we're in the countryside immersing ourselves in nature. I feel grateful to have both places in my life and heart as they have made me grow in different ways that I wouldn't have been able to experiencing just one. We returned back to London on Monday from this trip even more confident in our choice to eventually settle back down in our beloved New England. Nothing seems to compare and it's special to have these short glimpses of what life will be like again one day—to continue to make memories in our favorite spots even when we're miles and miles away. London is right for us at this point and I'm so excited for the next couple years here but it's comforting to know how right we feel about our future New England plans.
OUTFIT DETAILS:
Beanie from L.L.Bean
Parka from Eddie Bauer
Fleece lined leggings from One 5 One (similar)
Boots from L.L.Bean
