His Lordship has discovered the joy of popping bubble wrap.
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And literally throws his whole body into it.
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Because Easter is right around the corner.
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This sounds utterly disgusting to me, and to be honest… I don’t think the Peep looked pleased either.
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I didn’t know this, but am glad I do now.
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Yes, she’s still here.
And yes, we’re still getting snow.
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I know I complain about trying Facebook recipes that never turn out as pictured…. but I dare any of you to cook a pork tenderloin that comes out like that!
🤣
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If you know, you know.
😖
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My neighbor sent me this picture a while back. She was coming up her driveway and captured the strange cloud formation.
Friday dawned sunny and relatively warm so the husband and I jumped in the car for a drive to the mountains.
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Heading west to try a new brewery that had popped up since our last visit.
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And while the hilltops were free of snow, the lakes were still frozen.
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Our destination was Steam Mill Brewing which had a colorful tasting room.
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And a comfortable, laid back western vibe.
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We did a few tastings but weren’t overly impressed with the beer.
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But my Rogue Angel – Titos, elderflower cordial, grapefruit juice, soda water and orange bitters – hit the spot.
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Crab cakes with Cajun remoulade and truffle aoili? OMG. To die for. Some of the best I’ve ever had… and they are always my go to app.
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Husband’s French onion soup? Dark, rich and full of sherry. Yum.
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The vaguely spider like overhead lighting was bizarre.
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But my veal, beef and pork bolognese and his mixed green salad with grilled chicken and warm maple vinaigrette were amazing.
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The town was also running a cocktail competition that, had I lived there, I would have been all over. Bar hop 11 places and taste test their cocktails? Sign me up.
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Naturally I tried Steam Mill’s entry… which, while tasty, was down right deadly.
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On our way out, the rest rooms provided a few laughs.
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Then it was back over the mountains for a scenic drive home.
A new Sicilian restaurant opened recently and you know we were all over that.
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Small and unassuming, it was packed tight with hungry customers and upon entry we were asked if we had a reservation.
For lunch.
On a Tuesday.
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We didn’t, but happily snagged the last two seats at the bar…. which is where my husband always wants to sit anyway.
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The Limoncello spritz was lovely and fit the decor perfectly.
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My arincini was too die for. Light, pillowy and perfectly prepared. The bread was freshly baked and the husband’s meatballs were juicy and correctly spiced.
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The husband had –
Canneloni Al Forno Lacinato Kale + House Ricotta + Marinara + Mozzarella + Pecorino + Lemon Zest.
It was light and flavorful and even though it contained the devil’s weed… I liked it.
The husband and I found a (not so new, but new to us) brewery in Lewiston recently.
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Baxter brewing is housed in the old Bates mill complex …
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And has a fabulous tasting room space.
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I love when companies repurpose old buildings. This was a hydro powered textile mill back in the day and if you look closely in the far corner of that picture you’ll see a raw rock wall. During heavy rain storms it weeps… wear waterproof shoes if you sit there.
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The beer?
Yeah, there’s lots of it on tap.
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That chocolate orange stout?
Primo!
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They also have a full bar and since I’m a sucker for fresh herbs in my cocktails…
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I sampled the thyme after thyme mule with pear and lime ginger beer. Yum!
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At the bar we spied an outdoor mural we missed on the way in.
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Along with the beer?
Food.
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Sadly it wasn’t as good as the booze.
The husband’s French onion soup was sent back because it was basically just a bowl of soggy bread.
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My dumplings were tasty but a bit overdone with hard edges.
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The generator that powered the mill.
It’s massive and would have cost a fortune to remove so they just painted it and left it in place.
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The husband liked his chicken tenders, though I thought the coating was too heavy and too dry.
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I should have known better than to order a smash burger… I don’t usually like them as they’re thin and well done… but the bartender said the maple honey cream sauce was amazing so I took the plunge.
Sauce aside, it was a dry hockey puck.
Am I the only one who hates this smash perfectly good meat to smithereens trend?
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Poor pub food aside, the atmosphere and beer were good enough to warrant a return trip.
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We’ll just order something it’s harder to screw up. Like nachos, or salad.
After we visited the delightfully quirky Calefs General Store in New Hampshire last week, we were hungry for lunch. Not being familiar with the area we asked the ladies who worked there for a recommendation.
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They directed us to Dante’s, an Italian restaurant we were assured was popular, crowded and always delicious.
Unassuming from the outside…
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And not at all crowded on the inside, I was beginning to doubt the review.
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The bar is always my husband’s preferred seating choice and since it was completely empty, we got started.
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I like arincini, but have never in my life been served any this large.
Seriously, they were the size of tennis balls.
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Almost as big as my blood orange and vodka spritz.
Shame they were cold in the middle and virtually tasteless. If they’d been tasty I could have eaten them as a meal.
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This was supposed to be ravioli carbonara, but instead of pancetta they used ham and instead of garlic there were large chunks of onion.
The portion was huge, but again… rather tasteless.
Vowing never to return to this disappointing place, we noticed a woman walking out of a doorway adjacent to the bar with a brush and a can of hair spray.
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Turns out it’s a hair salon.
Right there.
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And next to the hair salon? A fitness center.
It was a regular one stop shop!
You could work out, blow out and pig out all in the same building.
As many of you know, we’ve battled a certain red squirrel in the past.
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She’s chewed holes in our barn, our garage and our wood shed.
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She’s gnawed her way into the eaves of our home and given birth to a large brood we physically had to evict. She attacked my husband when he was cleaning gutters and built a nest in his truck engine, destroying wires that required it to be towed to the repair shop. I could go on, but I think you get the gist.
She’s a menace.
So the other day… when I saw she had a friend?
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I was concerned, but before I could fully process the horror? I saw this…
Our Coopers Hawk has been visiting the backyard again. He lands on the deck railing, in the apple trees, on the telephone pole and on his very favorite spot…
The bird feeding station.
It’s a shame he dislikes the paparazzi and flies away as soon as he spots me… but I did manage this rather nice photo.
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They’re so beautiful.
❤️
The following is a notice from a Maine church… and while I’m not a religious person, I have to admit God Invented Chocolate is a great advertising gimmick.
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Clever marketing, that.
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Who makes these things?
When I’m craving sweets… I can guarantee you the last thing I’m reaching for is cabbage.
🥴
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There.
That’s better…
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 