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Especially when it’s autumn…
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In Maine…
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And you’re a wild blueberry.
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Then?
It’s downright breathtaking.
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Tag Archives: new england
A beautiful time of deer.
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Fall foliage and deer in the backyard.
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It’s a view I never get tired of.
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This is our dark doe. She’s a big girl, and I swear if you put a rack on her she’d easily be a healthy buck.
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The difference between her and our old doe is striking, and sad.
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But to each thing there is a season…
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Natural beauty.
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Have you ever noticed how quickly sunsets change?
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I see a pretty one out the window…
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And by the time I grab my camera it’s almost over. Rather like life….
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Fall came early this year.
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And while I do love the colors, peak foliage came too soon.
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What was supposed to pop in October, popped in September.
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And as much as I’m ready for this year to be over, this is one part I wish would last a little longer.
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Risking life and limb for my blog.
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Never let it be said I don’t put myself in harm’s way for my loyal readers.
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Yes, I drove home from the store one handed the other day just so I could share a few shots of our beautiful fall foliage in Maine.
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We had a very hot dry summer…
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So the leaves aren’t as vibrant as they could be.
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But it’s still a pretty sweet show.
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Minus the spots and streaks on my dirty windshield that is.
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No small animals were killed while I swerved left for that burning bush…
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And swerved right for that perfect sugar maple.
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Good thing we don’t get much traffic on our road.
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Or police cruisers.
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Ah, autumn in New England.
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If you’ve never experienced it….
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What are you waiting for?
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Cape Cod Day 4, Edgartown (and because you knew there had to be some…. rocks.)
First stop on Martha’s Vineyard?
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.
Cape Cod, Day 2… JFK memorial park, the beach and some grazing geese.
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.
White Mountains trip…. last night, last day, last post in the series.
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.)
Resort hopping Part 3… The Eagle Mountain House.
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…
Diana’s Baths Part 5… rocks, foliage and zombie toes.
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.
White Mountains trip Day 5… Diana’s Baths
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.
