The Blue Barn, and way too much about snake grass

We stayed in such a great little place in Smithfield. It was big, actually—a big blue(ish) barn that had been converted into a darling house. We loved it!

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I loved the little "stage" behind the kitchen table. It was covered by screens, which could be slid aside any number of ways to reveal the toy area. The kids settled in and were playing happily there from about thirty seconds after we walked in the door. They liked making shadows on the screens, too.

What Ziggy wanted most of all was to crawl to the edge, drop a toy down onto the bench below, and then dive headfirst after it. We prevented this…mostly.

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There was a big fireplace in the middle of the room, which we didn't use since it was so hot outside, but it was a good place to sit and read, and no one fell and cut a lip or chin on it, so that was good.

Ky took the little slanted room at the side of the play stage, which had a black light in it. He thought that was awesome.

There were also two cute sleeping lofts, and this hammock swing, which was fun (although there was so much fighting over it that by the end of the trip I had banned everyone from swinging at all).

My second-favorite thing about the one real bedroom was the little closet under the rafters, which you had to climb up steps to reach into. So cute!

But my very favorite thing was the tree-filled, sun-filled view from the bedroom windows!

We had a cute little deer come to visit. She stood by the basketball hoop and just watched us. She let me get pretty close to look at her before leaping away!

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This playground area was really great—it was so nice to just be able to let the kids play outside! There were wasps nests all over when we arrived, but the first night we were there, Sam got some wasp spray and got rid of them so the kids could play. There was also a cute little playhouse (full of spiders, but still so fun!).

But the best place for playing was the little woods surrounding the house.

You crossed a bridge over a little stream to get there, and then it felt like you were really out in the wilderness. These four played "Pioneers" for hours and hours! They were so cute. Teddy was the Dad, and also the friend "James."

Baby Ziggy came for a visit.

It was so pretty and green and wild everywhere! The little "pioneer children" gathered piles and piles of snake grass from the riverbanks. When they called me to come and see, I was amazed at their industry! They loved breaking apart the joints and making whistles or straws, and they loved rolling the segments back and forth in their hands to make a scritching noise. I read that snake grass is slightly abrasive and can be used for scouring pots or polishing things, kind of like sandpaper. So maybe their pioneer mothers should have sent them off to do the dishes with it!

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Cutest Teddy-boy. He takes his pioneer work seriously!

Sad about something.

So many things are pretty, when you take a minute to look at them up close. I loved the curls and whirls surrounding this dried seed case, like fireworks.

The snake grass is so pretty. I couldn't stop looking at it. I liked the bright green color, and the contrast of the black stripes around the shaft. There was so much of it growing everywhere! It looked lovely. I read that it grows by spores and is really hard to get rid of, which made me feel a little shudder-y about it, but if I just focused on how pretty it was I managed to keep my calm. :)

Up close, snake grass is fascinating. See the stacked rings under that very top point? They can bend back and forth like an accordion or a bendy straw. So cool!

The hollow shaft of the grass looked really pretty with the sunlight coming through it, too. Like a glowstick!

Green-covered path

So pleased with their handiwork.

There was a hill in front of the house that I climbed one night to watch the sunset. (This picture is looking at that hill from the facing view).

I thought the difference in light was so interesting—the first picture is when the sun was behind a cloud, and the second is after it came out. So different! The cool colors are so much more prominent in the first one.

I love the evening sun. It makes everything look pretty.

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While I was sitting there quietly thinking and watching the sky, I heard rustling and noticed a deer had joined me. Maybe our same little deer friend from earlier! She walked all around, examining me from every angle. She gazed at me quietly. I gazed at her quietly. We bonded. A car drove by on the hill opposite and some people yelled over, "There's a deer by you!" Yes. Thanks.

And then I watched the sun disappear behind our pretty blue barn-house. Such a lovely, peaceful place!