Peyton Place

Today is our first run of the spring.  We'll be doing the Gilmanton 5k up in the Corners.  Yes little Gilmanton New Hampshire otherwise known as Peyton Place.  If you haven't read the book, it's actually a decent read.  Back when it was first released it caused a firestorm in this small New Hampshire town and was a banned book in many libraries across the nation for it's racy and scandalous topics.

It's also been five years to the day that  we first moved into our little home here in Barnstead NH.  It was a valiant search that ended in the selection of what I consider the most perfect place for us.  We started our home search in October of 2006 and told our realtor what we were looking for; we didn't want to be house poor, we wanted something post and beam, preferably a log cabin, and we definitely wanted to avoid Barnstead.  It just sounded like a hick town!  We saw houses in Pittsfield, Alton, Gilford, Gilmanton. and several caught our attention.  We looked at the cutest little place with seasonal views of Alton Bay several times, but it didn't have a septic system (I know, sketchy) and the main beam was an old tree.  But it had those seasonal views of the Big Lake and a guest house...it also didn't have a driveway!   And I  will admit that I was head over heels in love with it.  I also didn't mention that it had been part of the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center...yup the same one that lost over 40 homes to fire a few years ago.

When we chose our house, I had been following in on Northern New England Real Estate Network and the price just kept dropping.  I told John that we really should go look at it and see if it looked liked a fit to us.  The only drawback, it was in the town I said I didn't want to move to.  It was a cold snowy February day when we came to see it and the only sound we could hear was a lone snowmobile cruising around the pond.  The house wasn't completed and we found we could have it finished to our specs.  Sign me up!  I was hooked.

So here we are five years later and I think of all the things I wouldn't be doing if we hadn't moved to Barnstead.  And frankly I would be seriously missing out if I hadn't moved here.  Our life is a little more fulfilled living up here on this hill.  And yes I am wearing my firefighting mittens...couldn't find my running ones this morning.  Thankful I haven't pulled my winter stuff out of my gear bag yet!