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There’s a page you can follow on Facebook called “Only In …”. It profiles restaurants, resorts, scenic hikes and fun places to visit in whatever state you choose. I’ve found quite a few hidden treasures in Maine this way… but now Vermont is bootlegging my feed in an attempt to lure us over the border again.
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Hmmm..
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Staying in a Hobbit house sounds interesting, and the view is lovely.
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I wonder if there’s a height limit.
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Saturday afternoon, the deer and the snow showed up at the same time.
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Our two little bowls of sweet grain don’t last long with a herd of 13 and there’s always a good deal of jostling for position. This includes outright kicking.
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It’s hard to tell, but our buck has finally lost part of his rack.
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And as the alpha male he usually gets a bowl to himself.
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For your viewing pleasure, deer tv.
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I sampled heavily at the distillery while my other half was busy talking.
I sampled lightly and drank heartily at the Whippletree winery.
And now, I was ready for a late lunch. But sadly, late lunch wasn’t ready for me because every single restaurant we tried in North Conway New Hampshire on a Saturday afternoon in December was filled to bursting. Damn those hungry Christmas shoppers!
Wasting a good hour hopping from place to place to no avail, we said to hell with it and drove.
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Through the White Mountains and over to Mount Washington.
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The closer we got the darker it became, and we arrived at the Notch Grill in the Glen House just as flurries started to fall.
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Thankfully they weren’t crowded and we settled in.
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Hibiscus rose margarita …
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With a view isn’t a bad way to end the day.
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Crispy pork pot stickers with Thai ginger dipping sauce to share…
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Followed by pan seared duck breast with apple rosemary jam, roasted fingerling potatoes and squash rings for me… baked haddock in white wine and buttered crumbs with mashed potatoes and carrots for the hubs.
It was all delicious and we were too full for dessert.
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I was also too full to sit and watch a slightly out of date Christmas program on the bar television.
Andy Williams?
Ho. Ho. Hum….
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Our resident juvenile red tail hawk dropped by the other day.
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He uses our backyard bird feeders as a training ground for hunting, but that afternoon he was perfectly happy hanging out on the back deck railing.
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Until he spied Lord Dudley Mountcatten stalking him from the window behind the couch.
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Then it was bye bye birdie…
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Since we were unable to ride the actual train, we had to check out the little Cog Railway museum while we were there. I won’t drone on about the engineering wonder it was….
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But I will draw your attention to this…
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I simply can not imagine flying down the mountainside on a small piece of wood.
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And trust me, it was small. It’s hard to tell from that picture but look closely and you’ll realize big butt people need not apply.
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Although that dog seems to be enjoying the ride.
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A few more foliage pics from our drive home.
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Bye bye Mountains.
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We certainly enjoyed the show.
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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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We haven’t seen a woodchuck for weeks now.
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And while my flower gardens are sighing in relief…
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I have to admit I miss the fat little buggers.
( note – spellcheck always changes buggers to nuggets… and is that really better? )
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It’s ironic that now the ground is littered with apples from our trees, the apple munchers have left the building.
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This is the fourth year in a row we’ve had a woodchuck family move in.
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So I guess we’ll say so long chuckers.
( which spellcheck changes to chiclets every damn time )
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See you next year.
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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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