New England

For LL in the UK

I've given you a brief insight into my life here in Florida, LL. Now I will do the same for life in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The ranch and all the land I own there is, excepting my ladies, the love of my life.

It does run to acres but also square miles. There are meadows on the lower lying land, a river and a lake, along with deciduous woodland. Higher up the trees are conifers. I mainly run horses there and trade them. I have several recognized  bloodlines. Over many years when I lived in Norfolk, I spent many times at racecourses and Newmarket in particular. I also owned a racehorse until I left for here. She was called Misty Lady.

Now I have various horses including American Quarter horses, but no racehorses. I just love them. One of the most beautiful beasts on this earth. I guess if I counted them all there'd be over fifty spread across quite a few acres and several stable blocks.

The stables are quite away from the house LL, about a mile, I'd say. The house itself is beautiful and larger than my first place in the State. It's rarely empty when I'm there either - my visitors and friends and of course my much larger family since I married Ash. I intend staying single now LL. Two good marriages is enough and losing them both has given me enough heartache to last a lifetime.

You would love the house, not so sure about the countryside. There are some animals you would be familiar with, like moles and foxes, red and gray. Then there are deer and of course moose. You being a town dweller in the UK may not be familiar with some of the others that need a little care, like black bears, wolves and mountain lions...and skunks. If you run one over a skunk or even run over a dead one it takes weeks to get the smell off your wheels. There are also porcupines and squirrels.

Beyond the animals, the scenery on my ranch and beyond is gorgeous and intensely so in the Fall when all the maples come into their own.

Naturally, I go riding, but I also take a rifle. Largely to shoot vermin and scare anything bigger away.  Normally the horse knows if there's something around, particularly on the woodland trails.We use radios on the ranch, more reliable than cell phones out in the country. I employ quite a few staff and a manager. I posted his photo some time back with some of the horses.

I also go shooting at a nearby range. Partly to keep my accuracy up but also to renew my hunting licence. I am also authorised and have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Mine is a Glock, but I only have it up in New England and one other in Oregon. I bet your son would be interested in my collection of rifles.

I have a lot of friends locally in Concord and around, so I'm never at a loss for company. They were great when Ash passed away - very supportive. As I am sure you can guess, I also have quite a few lady companions both locally, in Boston and in New York. They visit from time to time at the ranch and more so in my place on Nantucket, Massachusetts.

The latter is quite a place. I posted a photo a while back. I won't embarrass you by telling you how much it cost but it ran into the $m's. It quite close to the sea, in fact you can see the ocean from the house and I like to write there. Nantucket itself is a lovely place, small town America inhabited by locals fishermen and more than a few wealthy people many of whom I count as friends.

I know the fishermen too and have spent many a morning 'chewing the cud' with them. In a word LL, New England for me is idyllic and it's where I truly unwind, relax and enjoy myself. Yes, I am lucky I guess. You said I was when I moved there to be with Ash. In that respect you were right. Most everything else you have done has been wrong.

Back to Naples tomorrow.

Ciao