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Ours trees are bursting with apples….
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So what better thing to do on a perfect fall day than bake?
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Deep dish apple pie for dessert. And while I was at it?
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Deep dish chicken pot pie for dinner.
You can’t go wrong with pie.
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When you exit the Kancamagus Highway…
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You find yourself in the town of Woodstock, and when you’re in Woodstock?
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You have to visit the Woodstock Inn and Brewery.
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Of course if you visit this time of year.. you can expect to search endlessly for a parking spot, be unable to sit outside due to the high crowd volume, and find that the only indoor space available are two stools at the end of the bar.
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The brewery is a funky place, filled with all kinds interesting eye candy.
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But it was extremely crowded as well as extremely loud, so we decided to have a drink and an appetizer and be on our way.
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Pomegranate margarita and some fabulous duck wontons with sweet Thai chili sauce for me.
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And a French onion soup so loaded with cheese for the husband I thought he’d never get through it.
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After our snack we headed to Franconia Notch…
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Where the fall color was a bit past peak but still impressive.
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Trees.
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Fall leaves.
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And mountains.
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No narrative required.
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Part two of Mother Nature’s amazing foliage display along the Kancamagus Highway.
No narrative required.
( And if you’ve never experienced autumn in New England? What the hell are you waiting for! )
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Now tell me your blood pressure didn’t just drop.
😉
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I’m going to post a collection of photos today. I took them this weekend as we were driving the Kancamagus in New Hampshire.
The Kanc is a 36 mile swath of highway cut right through the White Mountains… and this time of year? It’s beyond stunning.
The pictures speak for themselves, so I’ll be quiet and let you enjoy the splendor that is autumn in New England.
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A side note – We weren’t the only ones enjoying peak foliage season that day. And in all my years of peeping leaves in this area? I’ve never seen so many people line the roads to gawk. At times traffic was at a dead stop.
All Hail Mother Nature!
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And now, experience it in real time.
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To be continued..
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Fall.
Autumn in New England.
Cooler temps, brightly colored leaves, pumpkins and yes…
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An abundance of apples from our trees which means….
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It’s time to bake.
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Apple fritter bread.
So damned good.
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I’m going to bore you with more autumn photos.
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Because even walking around the backyard is lovely during this season.
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Blueberry bushes aren’t very attractive most of the year, but the red is pretty striking now.
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And you’ll be happy to know the un-manning of the man cave porch continues… with 5 chrysanthemums and two pumpkins complementing the wreath.
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Apples?
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Our trees are bursting with more than we can use. But why are the best ones always so damned high up?
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Early autumn.
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The leaves are just starting to turn in our area and I’m always spell bound by the colors.
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So I drive one handed, snapping pictures.
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I know I shouldn’t..
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But when Mother Nature puts on a show… attention must be paid.
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Autumn is here and it’s by far my favorite time of year. Crisp air, brightly colored foliage, pumpkins, apples… what’s not to love?
Of course if you’re my husband, who just spent countless thousands turning his barn into a man cave, you might not fully embrace the season.
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Because nothing says ‘private domain of men’ more than a strategically placed fall wreath.
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And speaking of turning leaves….
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Ours are just beginning to put on a show. It’s the season I starting twitching for a road trip to the mountains. Whether that will happen is still up for debate.
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Weren’t expecting that?
Neither was I, but it popped up on my FB feed all the same.
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A photo of Lord Dudley Mountcatten meeting my new toy. He was not impressed, but I am.
Since blowing out my knee last year, getting on all fours to scrub the kitchen floor has been a no no. Enter the Bissell steam mop. Cheap and surprisingly efficient.
How well did it clean the floor?
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So well that I literally gasped at how filthy it had become.
In my defense, I mopped right after a rain storm and had to erase an artful array of the husband’s muddy boot prints, but still.
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I found these tasty treats in the grocery store bakery section.
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And seeing that they were alcohol laden, you know I had to try them.
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The Captain rarely disappoints, and even in cake form he was quite yummy. Moist and spicy, it had a pleasing apple pie autumn in New England vibe.
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This wasn’t my favorite of the three, but it still had a nice pound cake richness.
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But if you love beer, this is the cake for you. The simple act of opening the wrapper released an instant heady aroma of hoppy goodness. Deep, dark and chocolatey like a good stout should be…. this dessert was a winner.
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A few more windows needed trimming…
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Which meant a lot more measuring, cutting and cursing…
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Why the cursing?
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Because the last window was not what you… or any semi sober person… would call square.
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Oops.
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Cover the gap with quarter round, trim…. then call it good and move on to the porch door.
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Yes, the porch is my domain … so the porch door has a seasonally appropriate wreath. Man cave be damned.
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Trimming this slapped together frame for a door that came from the dump proved challenging.
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And yes, the language got as colorful as the wreath.
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But it was only when the husband looked down…
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And realized the floor moulding should meet the vertical door trim… not the other way around… that he knew he had some tinkering to do.
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But viola!
Adjustments were made and everything that needed to be trimmed was finally trimmed.
Is this the end of the Barn Mahal interior construction?
Only time will tell.
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