Tag Archives: photography

Because I always find weird and quirky places to visit.

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The other half of the Old Red Mill building in Jericho, Vermont was what I’d really come to see.

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No, that’s not a commentary on ultra left liberals.

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Named after Wilson Bentley, the museum celebrates the life of the first man to ever photograph snowflakes.

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We take photographs of everything for granted now, but trust me this was a big deal at the turn of the century.

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They even had his original camera.

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Imagine dragging that around in the snow.

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The museum was understandably small, basically just one room.

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And judging by the fact his favorite quilt, sewn by his mother, took up a whole wall…

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Exhibits were hard to come by.

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I tried to take a selfie with Bentley, but the lighting was wrong and left me with nothing but a giant glare.

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I forgot the moss!

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You thought you were done looking at rocks?

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Not quite.

I forgot one of the best parts of the Inner Sanctum trail at Ausable Chasm….

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The wall of moss.

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The husband went in for a close up… so you know it had to be good.

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A solid wall of perpetually wet moss. It was amazing.

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I loved it.

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Me.

Loving it.

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Thankfully it was a warm late October day and the bridge wasn’t iced.

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And though I didn’t want to leave, we’d reached the end of the trail and it’s giant knee pain inducing stairs.

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A final look at the trail from above.

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Have I mentioned how awesome it was?

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Ausable Chasm is awesome, no doubt about it.

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And the Inner Sanctum trail is one of the most awesome I’ve ever taken.

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It literally hugs the edge of the rocks and affords some fabulous views.

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Bridges cut back and forth across the canyon..

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And even my non picture taking husband was happily snapping away.

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It was stunning.

Gorgeous.

Impressive.

Remarkable.

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And yeah, most definitely awesome.

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Me. Enjoying the rocks and awesomeness.

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Visiting off season was perfect. We almost had the whole place to ourselves.

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Rocks!

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There’s the husband, still upset he couldn’t do the rope bridges and rafting adventure part of the chasm.

😳

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Sabbaday Falls, part two.

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Mother Nature is amazing and we thoroughly enjoy visiting some of her special places.

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Sabbaday Falls was one of them.

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The walkways and paths are cut into the rock and follow the natural trail.

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There’s the husband taking pictures beside a really big rock. That says it all.

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Did I enjoy all the stair climbing? No.

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But it was totally worth the discomfort and I smiled through the pain.

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Rocks and trees. Trees and rocks. I was a seriously happy camper.

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The falls spray water everywhere and some of the paths were slippery.

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But damn, it sure was beautiful.

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And the sturdy walkway was impressive in and of itself.

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If you’re ever in the area? Go!

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Downtown Littleton, antiquing and some seriously good beer.

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Every time we stay in the White Mountains of New Hampshire we try to explore a new town. This trip it was Littleton….

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A charming place with a delightfully quirky downtown area.

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They’ve been voted Best American Main Street numerous times and once you stroll around… it’s easy to see why.

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Of course when you’re strolling with my husband that means ducking into every antique store you see.

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Clearly this fellow takes his wine selection seriously.

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But wait… what’s that on the floor in the back?

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Weeee! Another vintage alcohol related crate for my vinyl collection. I paid more for this one than any of the others, but we haggled 20% off and there’s no sales tax in New Hampshire so I’m calling it a win.

Husband doing the dishes in our resort condo as well? Score!!!

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Heading to the riverfront area we discovered a pedestrian covered bridge.

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Which afforded some great views..

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And that old red building with the waterwheel on the left?

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Turned out to be Schilling brewery which made yours truly very happy.

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They kept the feel of the old mill with a rustic interior…

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And served a fabulous wood fired artisan pizza with chicken, bacon, cheese, spinach, tart apples and maple syrup. Sound weird? Yes… but it was heavenly.

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As was their beer, which they take very seriously. The bartender was extremely knowledgeable and quizzed you before you chose. It wasn’t pass or fail, but it definitely resulted in him pouring you the perfect beer suited to your tastes.

My liquid ambrosia this visit? Schlaumeier – a Hefeweizen (wheat beer) with delicate notes of banana and clove. It sounds bizarre was positively grand.

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Mountains, the road to nowhere and another covered bridge.

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When you’re in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, you drive.

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Here, there and everywhere if you’re with us.

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And though peak foliage had passed, the faded colors still retained a certain beauty.

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Anonymous mountain road?

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Sure, we’ll take it. Up and over…

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Until it narrowed down to the dirt path to nowhere and we had to implement a nail biting 3 point turn. Hey NH… would it kill you to post a dead end sign now and then?

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The Bump Bridge.

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Yes, that’s really it’s name.

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Spanning a small stream it was less impressive than some…

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With a redone roof which killed the historical appeal for me. But we didn’t plan on finding it, so no time was wasted.

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Onward…

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Leaves, more leaves…. and a few random turkeys.

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One of the nicest things about our resort in the mountains? Beautiful fall foliage right outside our door.

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We were a little past peak for this trip but it was still a lovely palette of color to wake up to.

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This quirky coffee house right down the road only opened the day we left which was disappointing. I haven’t been half baked in decades.

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First day of our trip? We drove…

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Here.

There.

Wherever the leaves took us.

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And if you’re driving with my husband that means traveling on some pretty obscure back roads. Often ones that turn to dirt.

Miles and miles, up and over mountains where there’s nothing but glorious foliage, nature….

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Bear warnings….

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And a randomly placed portapotty.

( Spellcheck kept changing this to portal Otto. I may have missed a prime Tardis opportunity there.)

Here’s a short clip of the splendor. Yours truly is announcing the sighting of turkeys on the left, repeatedly and quite loudly. I do this when I spot cows as well, though in the deeper audible resonance they deserve.

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Ah….

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I love fall!

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The resort, pros and cons.

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This is one of the timeshare resorts where I’ve been wanting to stay for some time and we were lucky to grab a few days in the fall because they’re usually booked solid.

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Located in the White Mountains, right off the Kancamagus … you couldn’t ask for a more perfect spot.

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Pro..

Nestled in the trees, on the side of a hill with mountain views from every side….

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It was blissfully quiet yet within walking distance to town.

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Our condo was nice. Comfortable furniture in muted autumn colors, a fireplace…

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Full kitchen…

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And two comfortable bedrooms.

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No, the husband and I don’t sleep separately…

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But booking a two bedroom unit means we have two bathrooms as well…. and that my friends, is the secret to a happy marriage.

Con…

Over looking the master bed?

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A moose whose eyes followed you around the room. Very disturbing, that.

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Pro…

The whirlpool bathtub was in the bathroom.

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Con…

The fixtures were outdated and the only soap offered was in this environmentally friendly dispenser.

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Ever try to shave your legs with liquid soap ladies? I don’t recommend it.

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Pro…

Glorious foliage and mountains right outside our balcony.

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And terraced rocks all around the property.

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There was even the namesake Pollard Brook running right down the middle.

Results of review – adding it to my “would stay there again” list, I’ll just have to remember to bring my own bar of soap.

👍

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Penobscot Narrows Observatory

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Do you have a bucket list for your own state? Mine is long and varied because somehow we never find the time to see the wonderful things in our own backyard… or in this case, the yard two hours away.

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But last week I checked this off. The tallest bridge observatory in the world.. which just happens to have Maine’s fastest elevator. Good thing too, my knee would never survive a staircase 420 feet up.

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The construction of this cable stayed bridge was big news in these parts and people anxiously looked forward to its completion. Started in 2004, completed and opened Dec. 30, 2006. And yes, we’re more than a little late to the party.

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I’m not sure the pictures do it justice, but trust me it’s quite something.

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Was my bad knee happy there were a few flights of stairs after we got off the elevator? No….

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But I sucked it up and climbed.

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And the 360 degree view was worth it.

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Sam Champlain was here.

Suck on that Kilroy.

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I’m including a video that has an annoying reflection of me throughout. Try to ignore that and enjoy the view…

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