Tag Archives: fall foliage

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The journey home, continued…

October 24, 2022 Rivergirl 17 Comments

After traversing the Green Mountains in Vermont, we entered New Hampshire.

Still mountains, but now they’re White. Although technically right now they’re red, orange and gold.

This is a beautiful section of NH and one we drive through quite a bit in the autumn.

There are random wooden moose.

Glorious fall foliage.

Random skeleton coffee house greeters.

And more colorful scenery.

I think my husband shed a tear over the state of this neglected barn.

Common to this area? Random filling stations for crystal clear mountain fed spring water. Bring your bottles, fill for free and make some amazing tea or coffee when you get home.

Yes, please.

Do that as well..

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Another scenic drive.

October 20, 2022 Rivergirl 21 Comments

Fortified with a wonderful meal, we continued our aimless wandering through Vermont.

It’s hard to take a bad photo there, especially in the fall. Mountains, trees, and cows.

Mountains, cows, and farms.

Every once in a while you’ll pass through a town.

Then it’s back to mountains, trees, and cows.

And a very serious porch lover.

Also, there were fish.

I have no explanation for random fish, but they were delightful all the same.

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The best? I don’t know.. but it was pretty damn good.

October 15, 2022 Rivergirl 27 Comments

As we headed out on the morning of our only full day in Vermont ( 3 days, 2 nights is simply too short a trip) we enjoyed the leaves and the scenery and headed for what I was told was the best bread in the state.

The Red Hen.

It’s a bakery and cafe.

So we sidled up to place an order.

And watched the pros at work.

I grabbed two loaves of fresh bread to take home, (a crusty peasant white and an unbelievably tasty lemon rosemary) but had to try a mushroom toasty while we were there as well.

The husband had some sort of homemade soup I didn’t get around to photographing because my sandwich was simply too divine to ignore. 3 types of sautéed mushrooms with spinach and melted cheese on whole grain bread. Sounds simple but there was an unidentified herb in the cheese and it had me smiling ear to ear.

Clearly this long armed chicka by the door could have used one.

Onward….

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A Notch rock, Stowe… and the biggest, bestest eagle in Vermont.

October 14, 2022 Rivergirl 22 Comments

Morning dawned and after breakfast we headed out through The Notch again.

Big rocks?

Check!

We drove through Stowe, one the most picturesque New England villages you’re ever apt to find.

This is the money shot people line up on the side of the road for when the leaves are at peak. We were a little early, but trust me it’s glorious in full color.

Stowe is lovely and filled with interesting little shops and restaurants that we didn’t have time to explore this trip.

It was also raining, which kills the joy of leisurely strolls for me.

Even if there is a covered bridge for pedestrians.

A bit further down the road, I saw something out of the corner of my eye and hollered at the husband to stop. (He loves that. Don’t let him tell you differently.)

I have no idea the why of this, but slightly off the road in a little clearing was this beautiful metal eagle. I should have taken a selfie for scale, but I’m 5’4 and stood under the wing no problem.

There was a sign to the right with the artist’s name and number but it was so faded I couldn’t make it out. My husband was glad of this, because I kept saying how absolutely fabulous this guy would look in front of the man cave/Barn Mahal.

👍

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The journey.

October 10, 2022 Rivergirl 40 Comments

We set off early Tuesday morning and it was a perfectly beautiful day. Sunny, with a delightful bite of crisp fall air.

We hit the western Maine mountains before 10….

And the New Hampshire White Mountains shortly after. Leaves were just beginning to turn and it was wonderful.

At 1:00?

Hello Vermont! We’ve missed you.

And you’re welcome, though I’m not sure what we did to deserve your thanks.

If you’ve never been to Vermont? I have one word for you… go!

Verdant green fields and barn red barns. Gentle rolling hills and well tended farms. Picturesque mountain villages and of course, cows.

It’s gloriously scenic, delightfully quirky, and utterly addicting.

We were sad to see The Farmer’s Daughter gift shop had lost its daughter. There used to be a large sign out front of a farm girl with her skirt blown up… but all that’s left now are the hands, hanging disembodied and more than a little creepy.

We did see a giant hammer wind mill down the road…

But it doesn’t bring the same smile to your face as that saucy wind blown wench.

When we headed north and west towards our resort, the weather took a turn.

Eerie, ominous skies dominated the rest of the way and by the time we arrived in the little town of Jeffersonville?

Rain. And so much high fog you couldn’t see the mountains.

To be continued….

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More random nonsense.

November 3, 2021 Rivergirl 24 Comments

With Thanksgiving right around the bend, my mind naturally turns to food. Visions of a glistening, perfectly roasted, juicy bird take center stage… and I can guarantee you it’s not this kind.

A plant based turkey?

An already stuffed with God knows what plant based turkey?

Not on my holiday table.

🤢

Backyard color.

(Disclaimer-this pic was taken before the N’Or Easter. The wind stripped her bare)

But yes, the burning bushes are burning.

I have to ask… wouldn’t duct tape work just as well?

Lord Dudley Mountcatten doesn’t care.

I’ve always found this to be true.

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Random stuff.

October 31, 2021 Rivergirl 20 Comments

For those of you who haven’t seen the header image on my blog this month…

Flying woodchuck witches seemed more than appropriate.

Birds?

Yeah, we got ‘em.

Flocks of hundreds of starlings that fly in and empty our bird feeders in record time.

I’m guessing “Your nuts are in this box” is not a package most men expect to receive.

Can you see the beautiful buck hidden behind the blueberry bushes?

It seems Lord Dudley Mountcatten has had enough of the glorious fall foliage.

And finally, in honor of Halloween…

I wish I’d seen this sooner.

It’s a holiday yard decoration I could totally get behind.

🤣

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Mountains, foliage and a little food.

October 18, 2021 Rivergirl 20 Comments

When you exit the Kancamagus Highway…

You find yourself in the town of Woodstock, and when you’re in Woodstock?

You have to visit the Woodstock Inn and Brewery.

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.

The brewery is a funky place, filled with all kinds interesting eye candy.

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.

Pomegranate margarita and some fabulous duck wontons with sweet Thai chili sauce for me.

And a French onion soup so loaded with cheese for the husband I thought he’d never get through it.

After our snack we headed to Franconia Notch…

Where the fall color was a bit past peak but still impressive.

Trees.

Fall leaves.

And mountains.

No narrative required.

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Random drivel.

October 4, 2021 Rivergirl 26 Comments

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.

Because nothing says ‘private domain of men’ more than a strategically placed fall wreath.

And speaking of turning leaves….

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.

Weren’t expecting that?

Neither was I, but it popped up on my FB feed all the same.

🥴

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?