Country August - September 2016

Every year my dreams of fall begin in mid-August. Summer is still in its prime, my kids are outside having a ball (right), and I’m in the midst of harvesting the bounty from my garden. It’s all wonderful, but at this point I’m ready for a taste of crisper air, fall flavors and brilliant foliage. So in this issue we have a mix of summer and fall to share with you. Our ode to summer begins on page 20 with Robin Sizemore’s playhouse. Her dad built one for her one summer in the late 1970s. It was a place where she indulged her imagination and made lasting memories. Thirty years later, Robin and her dad enlisted her kids to build a new modern playhouse. It’s a space Robin and…

Jeanne Lundeen comes from a long line of great Southern cooks. Though she lives in Minnesota today, you’ll find black-eyed peas and ham hocks on her New Year’s Day table. Her daughter, Katie, lives close by and often shares the fun of cooking big holiday meals using cast-iron pans. Jeanne didn’t love those pans the first time she used them—read why on page 52. Julia Barber volunteers at the Lincoln Memorial Garden & Nature Center in Springfield, Illinois. She helps children explore acres of natural habitat, identifying flowers, trees and animals. Nature lessons continue at home with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who happily accompany Julia on adventures in the woods, as you’ll see on page 44. Get organized in 2017 with the American Landscapes Planner. The beautiful hardbound book features…

Photo Tips We love reader photos. Here are some easy tips to help take the best pictures of people: Move outside to snap the photo. Natural light is preferable to indoor light or flash. Don’t zoom in too tight. You can always crop a photo if you’d like a close-up. Pay attention to the background and leave out any objects that might be a distraction. Christmas Stories The holiday season brings out the best in all of us. Do you have touching or adorable Christmas photos that you’d like to share? Does your family have cherished traditions that have been passed down from one generation to the next? Tell us all about it, and be sure to include photos. Camping Adventures Sleeping under the stars, fishing in crystal-clear lakes and…

“We live on a dairy farm in western Chester County. Our son, Dustin, age 3, loves to run and play all over the farm, and the kittens are his favorite playmates,” says Andrea Smoker of Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. “He chased this one up onto a tractor tire.” It looks like this tiny furball could use a break, or maybe a nice catnap. CARE TO SHARE? Show us the glory in your neck of the woods. Learn how to share a photo and caption in our guidelines on page 66!…

Centered between beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee and picturesque Mount Chocorua is the charming little town of Tamworth, New Hampshire, which celebrates its 250th birthday in 2016. This area is bursting with spectacular mountains and valleys, fields and forests, twinkling lakes and rivers, and old New England architecture with friendly local residents. It's a destination where you can enjoy life at a relaxing slower pace by taking a drive to see fall foliage or gearing up for a hike through the countryside. Tamworth is a haven for all ages and in all seasons. By accident, my husband, Clayton, and I discovered the Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm while passing through town. We learned that Edwin Remick and son Edwin “Doc” Crafts Remick, both physicians, provided the townspeople with medical care from…

My wife, Glenna, and I love lighthouses so much that we spend two weeks each year “keeping” Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington State Park along Lake Michigan. We tend the light, work in the gift store, give tours and help maintain the structures through painting and restoration work. The camaraderie that we’ve developed with the other keepers is a highlight of our visits. Big Sable Point has been lighting the way for mariners along Lake Michigan since it was built in 1867. We affectionately call the light the “Big Stick” when we are sailing or fishing off the Point, and it is one of the most photographed lights. More than 120 shipwrecks were recorded between Big Sable Point and Little Sable Point lighthouses, all happening before or around the…