Back when I used to live in New York City, escaping to New Jersey to participate in things like horse races and outdoor concerts was always a lot of fun. While we toured the northern part of the Garden State on our Soprano's Sites tour back in December, and the southern part on a trip to Atlantic City, it has been ages since I've spent time in central Jersey where grassy farmland and forests are staples of the landscape.
My cousin owns an amazing farm with horses, goats, chickens and a few dogs. After a lovely lunch hosted by my great-aunt for my grandmother's 90th birthday, everyone in the family was invited to relax at her beautiful property for some post-lunch cake and conversation. John and I decided to take a long walk around the grounds.
I wasn't exactly dressed for a walk in the grass but, despite rarely ever wearing heels anymore, I made it!
Can you imagine how much work this place must be to maintain? Regardless, I love being in nature and around animals so it was certainly a treat to hang out here for an afternoon.
Having grown up in Central and Northern NJ, I am happy to see these photos. People do assume that NJ is nothing but the Sopranos, Newark Airport and Elizabeth Seaport, but I grew up in a town with a dairy farm, a general store, and no traffic lights. That is NJ to me.
I especially love the chickens – they look so healthy and happy at just the right size. I never think of Jersey as having a “countryside.”
I know! I wish I had some chickens at home for fresh eggs…
What gorgeous horses! Sadly, the only part of New Jersey I have experienced is the Turnpike, and it’s hard to see how the Garden State got its name from that depressing stretch of asphalt. Looks like I need to get out into the countryside!
Haha – indeed! The turnpike scares me – everyone drives so fast…
No one ever believes NJ has anything besides Atlantic City, the shore, and highways. We lived in Denville, which is a small town in Morris County in northern NJ, and my brother actually had a job working on a farm for awhile when he was in high school. Our area had tons of lakes, lots of wooded areas, and it was really pretty. So glad you had a nice time despite your shoes!
I would love to see more of it, actually. Being the Garden State I would think people would be much more familiar with that aspect
Soo gorgeous! I could easily spend a day here relaxing. 🙂
The house is definitely set up for that!