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White Mountains trip…. last night, last day, last post in the series.
A full day of resort hopping on day 7 made us hungry so we stopped at an inn near our resort that had a well recommended British pub/restaurant.
The Jolly Drayman seemed inviting enough.
And though it was a very small place with limited seating…
I was willing to like it.
It’s a shame I couldn’t.
What English pub worth it’s salt only has 1 British beer on tap? Where was the Harp? The Smithwicks? The Old Speckled Hen? Yes, there was Guinness thank God….
But Pabst Blue Ribbon? Come on!
It went downhill from there.
A limited menu.
A disinterested, unfriendly server.
Uncomfortable seats.
And the worst beef Wellington I’ve ever had.
The husband had a not nearly hot enough beef stew ( with mashed potatoes?) that must have weighed 12 pounds… served in a fish bowl.
Framed fart humor not withstanding….
I wouldn’t go back.
Day 8…. the departure.
One more breakfast under the canoe.
And beside the twig lights.
We checked out and said goodbye to the dangerous looking ski motif rocking chairs…
And laughed at the resort’s wedding advertisement for the last time.
Heck, that’s as good a reason as any… right?
Through one more covered bridge…
And because you know my husband can’t drive past an antique store.
Funny part is, I went outside to wait for him because the owner was a crotchety old man I didn’t like the look of.
A few minutes later the husband comes out and I can hear that old man screeching his lungs out like a lunatic, cursing my husband from here to next Sunday.
Apparently husband had the audacity to take an old magazine out of it’s plastic sleeve and flip through it. Guess that’s a no no in the mountains.
Anyway, vacation over.
Home safe and sound with…. how shall we say?
Some coffee and a few beauty products for my cabinets.
Hey, if they’re going to charge an extra $25 resort fee per day for that lousy condo?
I’m going to fill my suitcase on the way out.
The end.
(You may now officially breathe that sigh of relief you’ve been holding.)
Resort hopping Part 3… The Eagle Mountain House.
Last on our list of resorts that day was an old and well known establishment.
New England is full of quirky places like this.
With a nice big porch…
And a nice big view…
It was a pleasant spot to end the day.
Charming…
Cozy…
And full of antiques….
It was instantly welcoming.
I can’t say it any better than that.
The bar.
Oh, stuff it Dorothy.
You know us better by now.
But amusing sign aside…
The mushroom risotto cake appetizer left a lot to be desired, as did the cranberry gin fizz.
A definite meh.
We only stayed for one round and then headed into the gift shop… where I saw a wine tag that made me laugh.
As well as…
Are you ready for this?
A bucket of ducks!
Christ on a cracker….enough with the rubber ducks.
This was getting creepy.
Bidding farewell to the hotel, and the ducks….
It took all I could do to convince the husband he could not go rummage in the establishment’s old slate roofed barn.
The mere thought of not being able to gather up all the unloved tools and rusted treasures that must be stored in there? Practically ruined his night…
Resort hopping Part 2. The Mountain View Grand.
Hidden away in tiny Whitefield, New Hampshire is a gem.
A sprawling hotel…
Packed with old world charm.
Sadly they were renovating the front entrance when we visited so we had to sneak in the side.
Look at those doors!
Chess anyone?
I’m a sucker for a good porch.
And this one did not disappoint.
I could happily plop here with a good book….
A pitcher of margaritas…
And never leave.
Back inside, I checked out the wall of history…
And some great old photographs…
While the husband continued his “I shall pee everywhere I can in Western Maine and New Hampshire” challenge with an upscale rest room this time.
And speaking of rest rooms…
Even I had to check out the pink marble in theirs.
But ooh la la…
There were private sinks inside the ladies room stalls.
Is that some chic shit or what?
Moving on through the lounge…
We found a dining room… and the place where we would spend the next two hours.
The bar.
Don’t look surprised, you knew it was coming.
One Lemonflower Martini…
One Cranberry Orange Margarita…
And one Melon Margarita later…
(Don’t judge me.
They had a 6 page cocktail list and tequila soaked cranberries…. I had to.)
There were some crab cakes.
Some smiley face crab cakes… and yes, that was on purpose.
Crab cakes weren’t supposed to be served that time of day, or at all in the tavern for that matter….. but when you make friends with the bartender?
Anything is possible.
An afternoon well spent, we poured ourselves out the door.
And lamented the fact we wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
Even mid facelift..
She’s an elegant old broad.
White Mountains trip… Day 7. The beginning of the end.
On the 7th and final full day of our trip, the husband woke up and said no more hiking, climbing and jumping rocks.
Or rather his back did…
So we did what any (not so) able bodied tourists would do…
We had a long lazy breakfast…
And resort hopped the day away.
Our first stop was a brand new place perched at the bottom of Mount Washington.
While it didn’t look like much from the front, the views out back were wide open.
With a large deck…
Ample seating, and a fire pit to take it all in.
Inside there was a nice dining room..
Filled with old photos…
And history of the area.
But it was the lounge and bar that drew our attention.
(You’re shocked, I know.)
It had my kind of moose head mounted over the mantle…
And a wall of windows…
That made for a damn near perfect spot to drink.
So we drank.
(You’re surprised, I know.)
My Thyme In Mumbai please…
Yes, I believe that tasted like another one.
The bartender/waitress was a hoot and had us sample a new hard cider by North Country called Squashed. I’m not a fan of all that pumpkin spiced crap but this was heavenly. Light, crisp with delicate undertones… I was hooked. Until I researched it and realized you could only buy it by visiting their tasting room.
Future road trip itinerary – check!
Thinking it might be a good idea to have some food to soak up the alcohol, I opted for a crab cake that was the size of a large saucer and pure crab. It was sublime.
Tomato bisque for the husband.
Which was small, but delightfully rich and creamy.
Bacon wrapped pan seared sea scallops for him…
Grilled chicken club wrap for me.
Good bye diet.
We soaked in the wall of windows a little longer…
Then headed out….
To resort #2.
(You’re welcome food people. Breakfast and lunch!)
White Mountains trip Day 6.. shopping and scenery.
Bethel is a lovely little mountain village with some quirky shops.
With a heavy accent on the Yeti for some reason.
We stopped in a gallery….
Filled with local artists…
Moose…
And numerous paintings of vegetables.
Thanks, but I prefer them on my plate… not my walls.
Heading out of town we passed a gorgeous old Victorian.
And a stately old colonial.
A home like that would be my dream… that, and enough money to buy one of those grand old dames and update their interiors.
New houses have no charm.
We cruised along enjoying the scenery…
And the views.
Damn, could you imagine having that for your back yard?
Not too shabby.
A little farther down the road the husband spotted some new construction and turned in to check them out.
By the look of the views? I knew we couldn’t afford it.
The properties were a good size.
With special attention paid to make sure no home blocked another’s view.
So if I win the lottery?
Look for me living here in the autumn.
Number 15 looks just fine…
We have a version of this sign over our way, so it tickled me to see one in the mountains.
Yes, those really are all the names of Maine towns.
Day 6 done, we headed back to our resort for dinner at Camp.
I liked the upscale rustic theme…
Sitting under a lighted canoe…
And a yummy salt brined citrus roasted chicken dinner.
White Mountains trip Day 6… The Bethel Inn.
After the rock museum we headed over to the Bethel Inn, which everyone we’d talked to had recommended for lunch.
It was a beautiful old building.
And I thought, oh yes… this will be good.
We headed inside…
And didn’t see a soul.
We wandered around…
Found a replica of the giant snowman Bethel is famous for…
An empty indoor dining room…
An empty outdoor dining room…
Another empty indoor dining room…
A gazebo…. and finally a person.
She told us because it was technically off season, none of the restaurants were open that day. But please go downstairs and check out the wonderful pub.
Oh, sure.
You mean the one where we can’t get anything to eat or drink?
Thanks.
We’d love to…
With further discussion we discovered this inn was on our timeshare list and we could stay in one of their condos.
Which would be great.
As long as I remember to book in season… when they can feed us.
P.S. food people….
I want credit for this post. I tried to have lunch!
White Mountains trip Day 6… rock lovers rejoice.
What do you do when you wake up to a rainy morning and you’re on vacation in Bethel?
You visit the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum…
Where it’s all about the rocks!
No, really…. it will be great.
Before we even made it inside there were awesome rocks.
Folded marble? Who doesn’t love that…
And check it, pink girlie rock!
I knew this was going to be good…
So you can imagine my disappointment when we discovered the museum was undergoing renovations and only had one room of rocks open to the public.
One room?
Okay, there was the Maine state fossil.
And one seriously freaky fish.
But….
But…
Only one room of rocks?
Even a chicken sighting didn’t cheer me up.
There weren’t nearly enough fossils.
Or gems and minerals to satisfy me.
But there were some pretty cool space rocks.
And they were certainly out of this world.
Some of them didn’t even look real.
But they’d make a fantastic kitchen countertop all the same.
Moon rocks rock…
But actual martian rocks?
Disappointingly dull…
The final case held Maine tourmaline.
Hugely popular for jewelry up here.
And in honor of our visit…
I had worn my pair of raw Kyanite bracelets.
Do I know how to coordinate or what?
A few polished balls later…
And all too soon…
We were done.
We’d seen all there was to see.
Except for the gift store…
Which had some absolutely fabulous jewelry!! With absolutely fabulous prices… and the husband couldn’t get me out of there quickly enough.
But if they ever finish the renovation, I’d go back.
One can never see too many rocks.
Diana’s Baths Part 5… rocks, foliage and zombie toes.
Okay… I lied. When we discovered the cairn garden I thought we were at the top, but it turns out we weren’t.
Yes ladies and gentlemen….
There will be more rocks.
And trees.
And trees that hug rocks.
But I promise you…
This time we had found the top.
But standing there, it really does make you wonder where all the water comes from.
The pools are shallow and yet the water keeps flowing… and flowing… and flowing.
Flowing so much in fact..
You knew that was coming, right?
Add another christened outhouse to the list.
Done with the Baths, we back headed down.
Through some lovely paths…
Where sometimes you just have to look up.
And soak in the splendor of autumn.
Naturally, when you look up…. you’re apt to trip over something you would have seen if you were looking down.
Like I did.
Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees a half buried zombie toe here.
And here.
Overgrown toenails et al.
It’s enough to make a girl shiver…
And crave a fortifying alcoholic beverage.
Which I found here.
At the Black Cap Grille, one of our favorite spots in North Conway.
Happily fortified with cocktails and a yummy grilled Caesar salad (If you’ve never eaten it this way? Start now)
And some succulent crab cakes…
We called it a day.
Diana’s Baths Part 4…. in which the husband builds a cairn.
At the top of Diana’s Baths we found a cairn garden.
Cairns…
Everywhere you looked.
Small cairns, big cairns.
Precariously balanced cairns…
Even one slightly Zen cairn…
Although technically not, as it’s singular.
But I liked it all the same.
Cairn:
A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones. The word cairn comes from the Scottish Gaelic: càrn[ˈkʰaːrˠn̪ˠ] (plural càirn[ˈkʰaːrˠɲ]).[1]
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes, from prehistoric times to the present.
In modern times, cairns are often erected as landmarks, a use they have had since ancient times. However, since prehistory, they have also been built and used as burial monuments; for defense and hunting; for ceremonial purposes, sometimes relating to astronomy; to locate buried items, such as caches of food or objects; and to mark trails, among other purposes.
Of course you know as soon as the husband saw all these constructs…
He was going to have to build one of his own.
And it was going to have to be made with boulders.
Oh… the effort and planning that went into this.
Meticulously searching the shore for the perfect shaped rocks.
The rearranging… the balancing.
Men.
Don’t let them tell you size doesn’t matter.
His cairn.
His very large cairn.
He particularly liked the way the bottom stone looked from this angle.
For his sake, I’m hoping the first high wind doesn’t knock it over.
FYI…. there are no cairn memes that don’t involve cute little dogs.
And when I searched Giphy for “stone cairn” ?
Epic fail.
River's world..... 
I congratulate, what words… a remarkable idea
I believe this post consisted of making fun of Duluth Trading Post’s expensive underwear. Not such a remarkable idea really, but to each their own.
This question is not clear to me.
It’s beer.
I was getting it on.
I’m not sure how much clearer I could be….
I consider, that you commit an error. I can prove it. Write to me in PM, we will communicate.
I can’t honestly say I even remember what this post was about, but I’m pretty sure I don’t need to communicate with you about any of it’s errors. Geesh!
Attempt not torture.
Okay, I know the Liebsters are annoying, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they’re torture…
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So ends the respite in between vacation post series.
Cape Cod here we come!
(Yes, it was a single post respite. Hope you enjoyed it!)