You can imagine by now how giddy I was.  I sometimes even now shake my head that I actually took this trip.  I told Linda the reason I booked my flight so early was so I wouldn't back out.  I am such a home body and it would've been so easy for me to just stay home.  I am so thankful I took this giant leap! 

We arrived at the Rookery.  This home was originally built for Tasha's daughter, Bethany, but they have since turned it into the family gift shop called The Rookery.  A rookery is a gathering place of crows and Tasha's family once had a pet crow named Edgar Allen Crow.  I can only assume that's why they choose the name.  Had you been inside the Rookery after the tour with all of us, you may have been more tempted to call it The Coop!  We were all cackling like happy hens and scurrying about to see what might tempt us!

We all put name tags on at the Rookery with the state in which we had traveled from.  The path to Tasha's home and garden is through the woods.  Once we got to her gate, Megan Corgi greeted us.  What a lovely dog.  No barking and she just seemed so pleased to see us.  She was to be our unofficial tour guide.  Winslow is Tasha's grandson and Amy is his wife.  They were our hosts.  Amy informed us at the gate that we were the first private American tour they'd granted in the 3 years they've been giving garden tours.  That made us all feel very special!

Once inside the gate, we were free to go where we pleased, being mindful of the garden paths, the deer fence and closed doors.  We were able to go into any open doors there.  The first open door is a little outhouse attached to the back of the house.  I didn't ask if it was actually usable, but the door was open and I peeked in.  There was a poem written on a piece of wood and hung on the wall.  I should've taken the time to write it down, but we were under time constraints and I didn't want to waste it in the outhouse!  It was something about taking too much time to contemplate while sitting and then being greeted by death.

Off I went down the path.  Two little houses sat on the left.  They appeared to be small chicken coops with some shavings inside and a few feathers for appearance sake.  Neither were in use any more, but would be fun play houses for kids, given their size.  Just past those was a garden path that was almost completely covered overhead with trees and flowers.  The bench around the base of the tree was our clue that it was indeed Tasha's Secret Garden.  How exciting to actually see her Secret Garden!

I was trying to drink in all of the plant life that was surrounding us.  I really thought the tour would be more of a guided tour with identification of plants so I could write it all down in my journal.  You see, cameras were not allowed!  Instead, we were free to meander as we pleased. 

I kept looking for the bay tree.  My problem was, in my head it was small and in reality it was a lot bigger.  It's in the center of a beautiful brick circular garden and although I did see it, I didn't realize I saw it until after I was home and we all discussed it via the net.  I had been looking down at the brick work instead of looking up at the bay tree.  The bay tree is one of the few things Tasha refers to in her garden as "him", due to the massive size.  She grew it from a slip and it's got to be over 50 years old by now.

There were so many things to see.  The pond, the rock terraces, all of the lovely flowers, trees, shrubs and the house itself.  We went into the greenhouse on the end of the house.  It was MUCH smaller than I had imagined it to be.  As a matter of fact, everything was!  Keep in mind that when the books and videos were done in Tasha, she herself only weighed 95 lbs, so she doesn't take up much room!  Her greenhouse is attached to the house and she can access it in the winter via a steep, narrow ladder type set of steps.  I am certain she no longer does, given her age.  It would be too dangerous.  All of her home is connected in that manner so she could access the greenhouse on one end and the barn on the other without ever going outside in the snow.  I am sure it made it a lot nicer for milking her goats.

To be continued........................