.
When you’re traveling rural roads in northern New England, finding a covered bridge is bound to happen.
.
.
This particular bridge was quite a nice one.
.
.
Lovely setting, well kept and structurally sound.
.
.
Complete with vintage warning sign.
.
.
There were a few too many trees for the perfect money shot, but you get the idea.
.
.
I love when the town posts a little history.
.
.
And when my spouse has to test the construction.
.
.
🤣
.
.
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….
.
.
But I will draw your attention to this…
.
.
I simply can not imagine flying down the mountainside on a small piece of wood.
.
.
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.
.
.
Although that dog seems to be enjoying the ride.
.
.
A few more foliage pics from our drive home.
.
.
Bye bye Mountains.
.
.
We certainly enjoyed the show.
.
.
.
When you exit the Kancamagus Highway…
.
.
You find yourself in the town of Woodstock, and when you’re in Woodstock?
.
.
You have to visit the Woodstock Inn and Brewery.
.
.
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.
.
.
The brewery is a funky place, filled with all kinds interesting eye candy.
.
.
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.
.
.
Pomegranate margarita and some fabulous duck wontons with sweet Thai chili sauce for me.
.
.
And a French onion soup so loaded with cheese for the husband I thought he’d never get through it.
.
.
After our snack we headed to Franconia Notch…
.
.
Where the fall color was a bit past peak but still impressive.
.
.
Trees.
.
.
Fall leaves.
.
.
And mountains.
.
.
No narrative required.
.
.
.
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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!
.
.
.
.
And now, experience it in real time.
.
.
To be continued..
.
.
There’s a new product shortage right around the corner.
.
.
Yes, it’s true.
.
.
So if you’re hard up for cash? Start digging through your car’s glove compartment for the ketchup you threw in there during your road trip to see the world’s largest ball of twine back in ‘04. That stuff is gold!
.
.
Because the price gouging has begun.
.
.
In reality I guess it makes a perverse type of sense.
.
.
20 packets for $50 doesn’t seem like a bargain to me.
.
.
But in a few months, maybe it will be.
.
.
Sometimes you just have to go. Which, when on the road during a global pandemic, can be a challenge.
Yesterday the husband had to physically enter his office for the first time since March to pick up some paperwork, so we took the scenic route which added a half hour to the hour long drive. The sun was shining, the leaves were turning…. life was good. Until those 2 large glasses of iced tea I had with lunch kicked in.
I don’t know what’s it like in your part if the world, but here in Maine a lot of the convenience stores, gas stations and fast food places have closed their rest rooms to customers for fear of spreading the virus.
It took us 4 stops to find a Burger King that welcomed people with full bladders. And by the look of the pictures on the doors? I wasn’t the only one in dire need.
.
.
.
Never let it be said life with my husband is dull.
Take the other day for example…. he asked me if I wanted to go for a ride up the coast.
Envisioning a leisurely scenic drive along the crystal blue ocean, I jumped at the chance.
This is where we ended up.
A salvage yard.
And it’s a testament to how much I love that man that I was actually thrilled.
Thrilled that he was willing to throw a few things out and not dump pick to add to his collection.
Marriage.
It’s funny that way.
Although what this sign was originally warning against I’m sure I don’t know.
Beware!
Oreo cows ahead?
You never know where you’ll end up. Pre Covid 19… it was usually worth the effort.
Now?
Not so much.
The man drove a half an hour… for water.
Why?
Because his office threw out a water cooler. Need I say more?
We arrived, and I elected to sit in the car. A girl can only stand so much excitement. But I was waiting… and waiting… and finally had to check the progress.
Never having been to a water store, I’m by no means an expert. But I’m guessing the water you’re paying for…
The highly purified water?
Isn’t supposed to be on the floor.
After he talked to the machine and they came to an understanding….
All was well.
And now the big barn has clean cold water by the door.
Will the husband ever drink it? Probably not, but don’t miss the point.
The machine was free.
As we were leaving the resort for the 12 hour plus drive home, I found this behind a door.
Clearly the previous tenants vacationed in the coat closet and didn’t want to be disturbed.
And yes, you read that correctly. This will be my last blog about the Williamsburg, Virginia vacation.
To think it only took me 60 posts to get here!
So…. it was a grey overcast morning the day we left.
And I have absolutely no idea what this was.
But here’s the Washington Monument….
And the entrance to a tunnel.
Was my husband obeying the speed limit?
No.
He never does, but when you’re riding in a rental Brontosaurus and the lanes get smaller due to construction? My blood pressure ruses when he approaches 100 mph.
I also look out the side window a lot.
Although it’s hard to focus properly at that speed.
Playing with my phone helps…
As does laughing at some slightly painful road names.
Here’s the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
And the toll ticket that cut off our George Washington Bridge exit price on the bottom.
For those of you who have never seen the New York City skyline on an overcast day from the New Jersey Turnpike at 90 mph?
Here you go.
Next up was the George Washington Bridge, where I usually close my eyes and pray to the God of Tequila that I’ll live to see another margarita.
Ironically… as soon as I started filming, the husband slowed down. Which is a good thing since the roads were potholed and in horrible shape.
Traffic was a nightmare.
But it always is.
And every time we pass these massive apartment complexes….
I realize how blessed we are to live in the country.
Was this water blowing off the top of that truck?
No. It was smoke, because something was probably on fire. When we crept up next to it and signaled the driver there was a problem?
He flipped us off.
Ya gotta love New Yorkers.
The rest of the trip was long, traffic laden and uneventful.
We were even too pooped to make our normal pit stop at the tax free New Hampshire liquor store.
Technically I took a few more…. but still.
Why is sitting in car doing absolutely nothing for 13 hours so damn tiring?
So we got up bright and early to make the almost 5 hour drive down to North Carolina.
Required Christmas selfie.
And as we were walking down the sidewalk of our resort it struck me…..
I might not be the only one who cursed my husband’s choice of the behemoth rental car.
It was an uneventful trip.
But we saw lots of cotton.
Really, a whole lot of cotton.
And absolutely nothing else. Nothing for miles and miles… except cotton… and I was starting to sweat the steadily dropping level of gasoline.
Behemoths be thirsty.
I also took issue with Apple maps when the GPS put us in the middle of a National Forest and told us to turn around.
WTF?
When the rental beast was pretty much running on fumes, we finally found a service station to fill it…. and us, since we skipped breakfast. The only choice was Subway, where I ordered a rotisserie chicken wrap and managed to leak half of the sauce on my blouse resulting in a large greasy stain.
My first words upon arrival in N.C. weren’t “Merry Christmas!” but….. “Let me raid your closet.”
My second words were “What you would like to drink?” as I unpacked my carton of holiday cheer.
Destiny chose a bottle to match her sweater, because coordination is everything.
We gave them our gifts…. and Gracie liked the books.
Though I think she liked the pig a little bit more.
We spent time with our daughter of the heart’s step children, John being home on leave from the Army.
As you can see they aren’t young enough to be hers…. because like me, she married an older man. Which her mother thinks I’m responsible for and never lets me forget, but hey.
It worked for me.
An old Marine Corps buddy of the husband’s came with us…. and it was a laid back country Christmas with lots of love and laughter.
A few highlights:
My bartending skills were highly rated.
And strange toys were questioned.
Does a llama really need to shake her booty?
But more importantly, why was this horror voted toy of the year in Australia?
Watch the bizarre commercial that looks like a Saturday Night Live skit and decide for yourself.
Numerous pictures were taken.
Some with prominently placed bows. (These may have been alcohol induced)
Rick posed with his namesake shirt.
Dogs with serious underbites begged for treats from a wonderful brown sugar glazed ham dinner I completely devoured and forgot to photograph.
Sorry Martin.
Blame the carton of alcohol, not me.
Animated discussions of politics took place….. (Which might also have been alcohol induced)
But my husband smiled wider and laughed more than he has in a while, and that made my heart full.
Then before we were ready, it was time to say goodbye.
Hugs and tears….
And we were back on the road.
For the longest almost 5 hour trip ever.
The only bright spot?
This house…
That gave new meaning to the term holiday decorating.
Truly an extravaganza.
River's world..... 