Original Rufus Porter Murals Painted c. 1830
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007We arrived in N.H. around 2 a.m. on a Saturday, pharm at a wonderful little B & B. We were all very tired and couldn’t wait to hit the sheets! First thing in the morning, Carole knocked at our door. “There’s a huge antique show going on in the field across the way”!! I jumped out of bed and got dressed as quickly as I could!! We had our breakfast and off we went. There was so much to see. We spent a couple of hours there and decided it was time to be off to our destination.
Our drive was beautiful. Back roads all the way, winding and bending along rivers and streams. When we finally arrived and pulled into the driveway, no one was home. We weren’t worried though. The owner, Lynn, told me they had a wedding on the day of our arrival, and if they were not home when we got there, we should just walk in and make ourselves at home! Can you believe that! We were total strangers to her. We had never met, ever! Carole and I walked up to the door and knocked anyway. No answer.We slowly opened the door and poked our heads inside. We called out,”Lynn”? Still no answer, so we signaled to Bill and Ted, and we all went inside. It was the weirded feeling being in someone’s house that you have never met, and they are not there. We looked around and wondered where we would find the murals. As we walked down the hallway, we turned the corner, and there they were!! Oh, my, they were wonderful!!! Here we were in a house where Rufus Porter once stayed! The real Rufus Porter, our inspiration!! We were looking at murals actually painted by him!! Standing where he stood! It was so thrilling to us. They were in such beautiful condition. There were more going up the stairway and down the hall into the bedrooms! Just amazing! This was an experience that I will never forget. I am so grateful to Bob and Lynn, for inviting us to see them. Oh, yes, we did finally meet them. They pulled into the driveway, not too long after we got there. They were such gracious people. We so enjoyed their interesting stories about the house, and the spirit that once lived there.
This is part of the mural I painted in my dining room in 1999.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will visit my antique store and website, where you will find over 243 beautiful photos to choose from for note cards and prints. Carole’s Country Store has LOTS of wonderful things, so please stop by and take a look. Take care and come back soon. I always have something to talk about!