Let’s play.

December 16, 2022 Rivergirl 46 Comments

Because everyone has a favorite film.

This is a hard one for me as I have quite a few. And while I don’t mindlessly watch tv like my spouse, I do have a few movies that will make me stop what I’m doing and watch.

All time favorite film? Casablanca. But for something a tad more recent?

For a history buff like me, you can’t beat this one. An important story of the 54th Massachusetts, the first black regiment to fight in the civil War. It will put a lump in your throat and pride in your heart. Hell, I weep just hearing the soundtrack.

I cry unashamedly every single time I see this one. And with music from Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen? You can’t go wrong.

You can have Stephen King’s horror movies for fluff, but the fact he can write books like these and chooses not to is sad. Pass the tissues, I’ll need them with both of these films as well.

The extremely underrated and heartwarming true story of P.L.Travers, author of Mary Poppins, and Walt Disney’s battle to bring it to the screen. I laughed, I cried and will never doubt Emma Thompson’s genius again.

I could go on all day, but I’ll just drop one more favorite.

I’m not a huge Russell Crowe fan but this sweet and funny story about love and family stole my heart. Set in Provence, the scenery is stunning, the acting sublime. Grab a glass of wine and enjoy.

So how about you?

What movie can you watch again and again….

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Because I always find weird and quirky places to visit.

December 16, 2022 Rivergirl 18 Comments

The other half of the Old Red Mill building in Jericho, Vermont was what I’d really come to see.

No, that’s not a commentary on ultra left liberals.

Named after Wilson Bentley, the museum celebrates the life of the first man to ever photograph snowflakes.

We take photographs of everything for granted now, but trust me this was a big deal at the turn of the century.

They even had his original camera.

Imagine dragging that around in the snow.

The museum was understandably small, basically just one room.

And judging by the fact his favorite quilt, sewn by his mother, took up a whole wall…

Exhibits were hard to come by.

I tried to take a selfie with Bentley, but the lighting was wrong and left me with nothing but a giant glare.

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Maine military museum part three.

December 15, 2022 Rivergirl 12 Comments

Put a Marine and a sailor together at a military museum and there are going to be some serious disagreements.

But they’re friends, so it’s all good.

As was the collection of pins from the Vietnam era.

Kill a Commie for Christ is probably not what Jesus had in mind.

My husband’s father was a SeaBee, though in an earlier war. Looking at their mascot made me wish I had a few more arms. Dinner prep would be so much easier.

As I said before, all the items in this museum are donated. Though why someone wanted them to have dirty underwear and a partial denture I’m sure I don’t know.

This uniform parade was a little creepy, especially the headless model.

That’s an exact replica of a cell at the Hanoi Hilton, right down to the inch.

And the rats and bugs.

Impressive roof patterning. wish I could talk the husband into doing that on ours.

Our friend, pointing out his photo from his time in Bosnia.

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Antiquing and the Old Red Mill

December 15, 2022 Rivergirl 20 Comments

You knew there had to be some antique shopping on our trip.

The husband refused to let me purchase this pair of chicken rocking chairs… even though I knew they’d be great on the barn porch. The $2,000 price tag might have had something to do with that.

This old advertisement made us cringe. Clearly 666 didn’t have the same connotation back in the day.

But look, it cured everything from headache to constipation . What’s not to love?

We hit a few stores and were about to call it quits but then, from the corner of my eye….

A beer crate! At an extremely affordable $25 price. I was thrilled and I think the store owner was so happy to sell something he gave me these two vintage wooden darts (with real feathers) for free.

Score!

Later in the day we arrived at our destination.

The Old Red Mill in Jericho.

A picturesque, well preserved piece of the past.

One half the building houses a lovely gift store filled with crafts from local artists.

And I liked the way they left the original mill works in place.

In hindsight I really should have bought this book.

Probably some decent blog fodder there.

But it was the other half of the building that I’d actually come to see.

To be continued…

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Maine Military Museum part two.

December 14, 2022 Rivergirl 13 Comments

There was so much to see and take in at this little museum.

The husband with two of his old work colleagues taking about some kind of gun. 62 years of Army, Navy and Marine Corps service represented right there.

The Nazi flag came from a soldier who liberated Auschwitz.

This flag flew during the Normandy invasion.

A wall of WWII Life magazines. It will not surprise you to learn my husband has them all.

There’s a story for this fellow with the strategically placed leaf…

Of all the uniforms that have been donated and are on display at the museum, a WWII era French officer’s is not among them. All they have so far is a hat, so this poor guy is doing what any self respecting Frenchman would do while he waits…. drink wine on a nude beach.

You have to wonder why S/Sgt. Towers kept these particular souvenirs from his war years. Good memories… or bad?

🤣

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Random Vermont

December 14, 2022 Rivergirl 13 Comments

Vermont really is a beautiful state and even after most of the leaves had fallen in late autumn we enjoyed our scenic drives.

Since we live on the Maine coast, we always love to see the mountains.

Lake Champlain has a bit of both.

This is the Old Round Church in Richmond, Vermont.

Built in 1812, it’s a rare, well-preserved sixteen-sided meeting house. Sadly it’s never open when we’re in the area, but maybe someday.

Oh… the horror! As if the government isn’t squirrelly enough.

I love barren, scraggly trees against a clear blue sky.

This colorful moose was on a restaurant we tried called Piecasso. It was always packed when we drove by so I figured it would be great.

I was wrong. It wasn’t. Just an overpriced pizza joint.

And while I’ve tipped kitchen staff in the past, I didn’t hear any cowbell this time around.

Something tells me it’s time for a few repairs here.

Cow!

Creative wood stacking. You have to love that…

The sky was too perfect here, I had to snap a picture.

Yes.

Of course we took that road!

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News you can’t use.

December 13, 2022 Rivergirl 20 Comments

Because there’s an infinite supply of ridiculous headlines and I like to share the wealth.

No good can come from arming squirrels. Trust me on this.

Apparently your bladder is just like your cell phone battery. Drain it all the way down before you recharge… and don’t tinkle until you’re full.

Gee, that sounds like fun.

Unexplored avenues. Guess that’s one way to shrink the population.

Yes, they really had to warn idiots to stop looking ( or licking, as the case may be) for a free high.

Hey there! Here is the “ribbiting” late night content no one asked for. Yet here we are. The Sonoran desert toad (Bufo alvarius), also known as the Colorado river toad, is one of the largest toads found in North America, measuring nearly 7 inches (18 cm).

These toads have prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin. It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth. As we say with most things you come across in a national park, whether it be a banana slug, unfamiliar mushroom, or a large toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please refrain from licking. Thank you.

My sympathies are with the toad on this one.

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He likes big barns, I cannot lie.

December 13, 2022 Rivergirl 17 Comments

No matter where you are in Vermont, there are barns.

And if you’re traveling with my husband, there is envy.

Because no matter how much he improves his own Barn Mahal/ man cave, somewhere someone has done more.

This barn had an apartment.

This barn was haunted. It’s hard to top that.

The white barn didn’t really look like a barn, but it was.

Barns with cows…

And barns without cows. He loves them all.

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How did I not know this existed?

December 12, 2022 Rivergirl 14 Comments

The husband and I were invited to a fundraiser at the Maine Military museum by an old friend who worked with him at the FAA.

There were numerous items for sale, as well as a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and donation box.

There was also free food, beer and wine.

You have to love a museum with a bar.

The museum itself is small but jam packed with memorabilia, all acquired through donation. I’m amazed that we never knew it existed but seriously glad we do now.

We strolled around for an hour and could have spent all day. The collection of military history was impressive and the passion project of one single man. We tagged along on a portion of a tour with him and were blown away by the encyclopedic knowledge he had of every single piece in the building. As you can imagine, most of the stories were heartbreaking.