“Our English Garden”

When my wife, Donna and I purchased our home in 2000 our backyard had
absolutely zero appeal. It had very minimal plantings and the lawn had more weeds than it had grass. I took this as an opportunity to express my creativity and develop a landscape that reflected our carefree and relaxed personalities.

We both adore the outdoors and wanted to have a peaceful sanctuary that we could enjoy on a warm summer day.

Growing up in England I always loved the look and feel of an English Cottage
garden. I used that inspiration when I was creating the walled flower beds and
pathways. My vision was to be able to walk through the pathways and discover a new type of flower or plant around every corner. I made sure to plant in every nook and cranny so there was always something of beauty to be seen. I even allow flowering weeds to accompany my plantings. There is something quite beautiful watching the controlled chaos of weeds growing in harmony within the garden.

My latest addition to our English garden oasis was our chicken coop that I
designed and built surrounded by a handmade fence. I knew that I wanted to build a fence that was unique, but that also felt that it belonged in a nature setting. I achieved this by using unfinished locust tree trunks in their natural shapes.

Our backyard took some time and work to get it where we wanted it, but we
couldn’t be happier with the result. We love sharing our space with family and friends and of course the curious neighbor!

“Poetry in Thread” celebrates one of our most delicate and beautiful textiles. Our exhibit will introduce you to the history and technique of lace making from the 17th century to today. With almost 50 items on display in the Dr. Daniel Kissam House, you’ll see examples of beautiful hand and machine-made lace, many from the 19th century.
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We are particularly proud to have on display several fine pieces from a collection of Kissam family lace, which we recently acquired from the descendants of Dr. Kissam.
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There were sheep being sheared! There were “sheepy” crafts being done! There were games being played! There was music (and PLENTY of dancing too) There was food to be enjoyed! It was the Sheep to Shawl festival and it was terrific!