Where fiction and reality collide
Once upon a time there was a family from New Zealand, who decided upon moving to Connecticut. They moved to the picturesque Litchfield Hills—the Berkshires of Connecticut. Home to historic towns that look like the backdrop to every Hallmark Christmas movie, the largest lake in the state, and possibly the most hiking trails per capita of anywhere in the world.
It’s a paradise of wildlife: bobcats (obviously), bears, turkeys, deer, foxes, wolves, coyotes, coywolves (wolf/coyote hybrids), racoons, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks, voles, frogs, snakes, and a rainbow of birds. A big transition as the scariest creature they’d encountered in New Zealand was a giant grasshopper (wētā).
New Zealand… that’s in Europe. Isn’t it?
If geography isn’t your strong point… New Zealand is nowhere in the United Kingdom or Scandinavia. It’s a multi-island nation grazing the Pacific Ocean, north of Antarctica and South-East of Australia.
They’re a long way from home
Life kept pulling this family back to the States. Besides, Spud wanted to hike The Triple Crown (Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide), and didn’t want to be confined to a 90-day visa, so he decided it was simpler (!) to become a U.S. citizen, instead.
But, moving to Connecticut?
Steph is a dreamer, who read The Baby-Sitters Club series and Little Women too many times as a child; then, watched too much Gilmore Girls as an adult. The thought process on moving to Connecticut went something like this:
Steph: I want to live somewhere like the town in Gilmore Girls.
Spud: Is Stars Hollow even a real place?
Steph: No. But it’s based on the towns in Litchfield Hills, Connecticut.
Spud: Connecticut? Do they do Cars and Coffee in Connecticut?
Steph: When we get a house, can we name it Stoneybrook? Oh my gosh I’m moving from California to Connecticut, just like Dawn in The Baby-Sitters Club! And if I sell one of my books I’ll be just like Ann M. Martin and Jo/Louise May Alcott! Eee!
Spud is far too nice and indulgent of his wife wanting to live in imaginary locations, so long as the house comes with a garage large enough to work on his Supra(s).
Are they here to stay?
For now. But an obsession with fairy tales by Steph, and the opportunity to drive to drive a Supra around the Amalfi Coast for Spud leads them to dream about purchasing an estate or castle in Europe in need of love and renovation. Because where’s the fun in normal, really?