Tag Archives: new england

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Cape Cod Day 4, Edgartown (and because you knew there had to be some…. rocks.)

January 3, 2020 Rivergirl 23 Comments

First stop on Martha’s Vineyard?

map 13

Edgartown.

A beautiful place to visit…

A nerve wracking place to drive.

The streets are narrow and many of them one way.

Which is charming…. until a delivery truck blocks your only egress.

But let’s get back to beautiful.

Park your car and walk…

Because that’s the only way you’ll discover all the wonderful nooks and crannies in town.

Since we were there in November, off season…

We practically had it all to ourselves.

Full of old world charm…

And coastal breezes…

I highly recommend an extended stroll.

And the required clothing souvenir from the Black Dog.

(Okay, I bought 3… so sue me.)

I could have easily walked and shopped all day but the husband will only tolerate so much of that.

So we headed out.

And drove past mile ….

After mile….

After mile…

Of stone walls.

Seriously, I thought they would never end.

Some houses had them in the front, to the sides and around the back.

Some sections of the road had them lining both sides.

And speaking as someone from Maine, which has it’s own fair share of stone walls…

I must say, this section of the Vineyard put us Mainers to shame.

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Cape Cod, Day 2… JFK memorial park, the beach and some grazing geese.

December 22, 2019 Rivergirl 12 Comments

Close to the harbor we found a nice beach…

Framed by those lovely shingle sided homes that are so typically Cape Cod.

And quintessentially coastal New England.

I’ve always loved them.

Up from the beach?

Canada Geese, lined up like bowling pins.

I love me some goosers!

And behind the goosers?

The JFK memorial.

On this day, quiet…

Reverential…

And filled with grazing geese.

I imagine this park is packed during the summer….

But happily we had it mostly to ourselves that day.

Well, us….

And 17 adorable water fowl.

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White Mountains trip…. last night, last day, last post in the series.

December 18, 2019 Rivergirl 39 Comments

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.)

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Resort hopping Part 3… The Eagle Mountain House.

December 17, 2019 Rivergirl 29 Comments

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…

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Diana’s Baths Part 5… rocks, foliage and zombie toes.

December 10, 2019 Rivergirl 37 Comments

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.

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White Mountains trip Day 5… Diana’s Baths

December 4, 2019 Rivergirl 27 Comments

Doing our good deed and making a donation, we entered .

Took a leisurely stroll…

Down into the woods…

Past some type of fairy installation….

And a tree who clearly loves his rock….

Across a bridge…

Alongside a stream…

And found the bottom of the Baths.

Not usually the best part of a bath but…

These are a different type of bath entirely.

Not much is left of the old sawmill.

But if you look carefully…

You can find it.

We happily spent the whole afternoon exploring this place.

Hiking the trails and climbing the rocks …

And there were plenty of rocks to climb.

The water levels in the autumn are quite low…

And it gently cascades down a section here…

And there.

But in the spring it’s dangerously high from the snow melt.

(Required selfie)

In the summer the pools fill, and it’s a favorite spot to beat the heat.

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Cathedral Ledge Part 2.

December 3, 2019 Rivergirl 38 Comments

Mountain views.

Valley views.

Vibrant autumn color.

And love locks… Cathedral ledge has it all.

Even lovers with a sense of humor.

It was glorious… and that was only the front half.

Walking along the sides, we made friends.

Took 100 more pictures….

And simply marveled at the beauty of nature.

Even the husband was quiet.

Honestly, there’s only so many times you can say wow.

It really was a special spot.

This way?

Beautiful.

That way?

Fabulous.

Gaze in wonder.

Take picture.

Repeat.

There were rocks!

And trees!

And they made me realize how blessed I am to live in a truly wonderful part of the world.

We made one final lap along the fence line…

And strolled a few final steps across those marvelous rocks…

I tried again…. unsuccessfully… to get a double selfie where the husband actually looks at the camera.

But no matter.

We took one last look and bid goodbye to a place I’d revisit in a heartbeat next time we’re in the area.

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White Mountains trip Day 5. Cathedral Ledge.

December 2, 2019 Rivergirl 39 Comments

Are you ready for a deluge of photos?

Good, then you’re in the right place…

Because this was probably the most scenic spot we found on our trip.

Pulling into the park, the ledge loomed ahead.

We drove up a long, winding, foliage bracketed road…

And a short walk from the parking lot at the top?

Wow.

I’m going to run out of words to describe the view pretty quickly.

Breath taking. Splendid. Dazzling. Jaw dropping. Stunning…

See?

Speechless..

And look at the rocks!

And the trees!

And the even bigger rocks…

With people climbing up them.

I was one happy camper.

Even when I saw I couldn’t use the mountaineers as target practice.

It was glorious.

Every where you turned…

Magnificent views.

Made me feel like I was on top of the world.

More to come.

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White Mountains trip, Day 4. Mother Walker Falls

November 29, 2019 Rivergirl 33 Comments

Never let it be said I’m not up for a good waterfall.

Sadly, this Mother wasn’t.

It sounded promising, so we headed down.

And while it was a pretty spot, I didn’t see a whole lot falling.

Oh, there were stacked rocks.

And precariously balanced rocks…

But even when we followed the sound of running water, there wasn’t much falling.

I’m sure it’s much more impressive in the spring.

But we still enjoyed the walk, the day, and…

The rocks.

A scenic drive…

Some foliage…

Some mountains…

And a lovely old bed and breakfast later….

We followed someone’s advice and stopped for a meal at the Sudbury Inn in Bethel.

Tucked away out back, down some dark steps… we found what I can only describe as the local dive bar.

Local workmen at the bar (shooting us disgusted looks) and slumming prep school students from Gould Academy made up the clientele. Uncomfortable chairs, spotty silverware and a disinterested (borderline surly) bartender/waiter… who made us wait longer than he had to… made us question why we were there.

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But despite the business card decorated ceiling and questionable decor…

There was surprisingly good food and at least 2 dozen beers on tap.

Mr. Personality even accommodated the husband’s preference for grilled chicken with his chicken parm.

Which just goes to show you can’t judge a bar if you’re from out of town…. or something like that.

Our 4th day ended at our resort with us walking past the strange carved bear out front.

If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was praying for new carpet.

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White Mountain Trip Day 4… Step Falls

November 27, 2019 Rivergirl 31 Comments

Trees and rocks… rocks and trees ahead.

You’ve been warned.

Oh, come on.

Early morning day 4, we woke with the sun and headed out for a hike to Step Falls.

I wish I could convey the sense of peace that envelops me when I walk into a forest. The fresh air of natural places, the gentle breeze swaying the leaves. The sweet songs of the birds, the whisper of the trees. It’s pure magic.

I don’t know who’s responsible for finding these wild and beautiful places and opening them to the public… but I’ll be forever grateful.

Step Falls in Bethel, Maine. In October when we visited… gently cascading streams. In spring during snow melt season? Torrents of angry water rushing down the mountain not caring what lies in it’s path.

Many of the places we visit are free to the public, but are maintained by local volunteers who ask that you donate to help with costs. Most people never do, so we make a point of it each and every time.