{this moment} – A Fall Hike
21 Sep 2012
Mount Major, Alton Bay, NH
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
New Hampshire
Covered Bridges In New Hampshire
16 Sep 2012
VisitNH.com states that there are 700 covered bridges across the US and of those 700, 54 are located and protected by state law here within the New Hampshire limits. During our latest trip North to the New Hampshire National Forrest, we were able to visit two of these bridges. The first, built in 1890, is located in North Conway. As a single lane bridge on the banks of the Saco River, it handles a steady flow of traffic traveling on NH Route 153 in Conway Village.
The second covered bridge is one of my favorites. Nestled in the New Hampshire National Forrest in Albany, this beautiful post and beam structure was built in 1858.
It quietly spans the banks of the Swift River adding geometric beauty to it’s natural surroundings.
We spent some peaceful moments walking through the bridge, enjoying the babbling of the Swift River Below. Then we climbed down to the edge of the river and stood ankle deep in the cool water to skip rocks. Looking up, I couldn’t help but be taken away by the breathtaking views of this historic functioning work of art.
Happy Adventuring!
Going On A Bug Hunt
8 May 2012
Griffin made an awesome bug catcher at school. Over Spring vacation we decided to put it to good use. We headed up to the Great Bay Discovery Center to see what we could find.
He got a little annoyed that the ants were too fast to catch. So he moved onto beetles.
He tried so hard, but had no luck catching a bug. He quickly recovered by moving onto all the other beautiful things to see. We followed the wooden path out to the water.
On the way, there were a bunch of discoveries. The path is painted with all different animal prints. Griff really surprised me with all the ones he knew.
We also enjoyed all the life that was exploding into Spring. The leaves were coming out,
and the ferns were unrolling.
We talked all about how the dead trees help the new growth in the marsh and help birds make nests.
Griff guessed squirrels on this cute little prints.
When we made it to the edge of Great Bay, we stopped for lunch. It must have been lunchtime for the cranes too, we got to enjoy them as they glided across the water in front of us. There was also a red winged black bird that was flirting with us as we munched on our sandwiches.
It’s such a beautiful spot.
After lunch we packed up and headed back to the Woodland Walk. There we came across a replica Abenaki Indian camp. The Abenaki Indians were the Native Americans in the region. Griff felt right at home, channeling our ancestors by gathering water, making a pretend fire and cooking dinner.
It’s such a beautiful spot. If you live in the area and are looking for a kid friendly discovery walk, this is the place.
As for the bug hunt, we didn’t think we caught anything. I had the bug net in my bag. Once back in the car, I had the net in the front seat. Griff noticed a beetle in the net! I must have caught one in the wind while it was on my shoulder. Sadly, it was a beautiful day and we had the windows down. It didn’t take long for the beetle to quickly find a window and fly out. Ah, oh well. We never got to use the bug catcher, but sure had a great day!
A Roadtrip
24 Oct 2011
A spur of the moment trip to Montreal found us driving through the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
I grew up visiting these beautiful mountains, but each time I visit, I am always in awe of their beauty.
I found one mountain with some “white” on it!
Of course, we couldn’t pass through Franconia Notch without seeing the “Old Man of the Mountain”.
The beautiful granite ledge that has been the symbol of New Hampshire for years collapsed down the side of the mountain in May of 2003.
A memorial has been erected in its memory. If you line up all the lines on the medal bars that stands at the old viewing site, you can see where his face use to sit.
Echo Lake is still as beautiful as it’s always been. A small little lake that just glistens with all of the peace of the land around it.
Griffin was very curious as to why he couldn’t see an old man sitting on the mountain. It made me wonder what he had envisioned in his imagination.
Franconia Notch is such a beautiful spot in New Hampshire and one of my favorite places to visit.
Happy Adventures!
Street Eats
1 Oct 2011
We recently visited one of the coolest restaurants around. It’s called STREET and is located in Gallaghers Plaza on Islington St. in Portsmouth NH.
It is a fun concept for a restaurant. The menu is themed with “street” food from around the world, while the atmosphere is open and airy with details of “street” art.
The tables have chilled bottles of water with cups to greet you when you are seated.
I was happy when they served whole milk for the kiddo. The milk mustache was complimentary!
The menu has many different and refreshing drinks. I decided to start with the “Maxamosa” (a mimosa with Grand Marnier). It was SO TASTY!
Onto the FOOD! The menu is limited, which I like (do a few things and do them well!) We were there on Sunday enjoying their brunch menu. The kiddo ordered the Happy Cake…A pancake with fruit and bacon arranged into an adorable face.
The Hubby ordered “BASH”, bacon, avocado and eggs on a hoggie roll smothered in hollandaise sauce.
I stepped out of my normal tastes and ordered the “Savory Waffle of the Day”. This savory waffle was two homemade waffles topped with a southern fried chicken and a fantastic southern style white sausage gravy. All I can say is oh my gosh! It was melt in your mouth deliciousness!
Everything was fresh and fantastic. Both entries were served with a fresh homemade triangle hash brown. Just all in all a fantastic meal. If you live in the area, I highly recommend this restaurant.
What new places have you been lately? Have you ordered anything outside your comfort zone?
Happy Eating!
A Little Color
12 Sep 2011
It seemed people really enjoyed my “butterfly” moment so I thought I would post a few other shots from that day. We really had a beautiful day in Prescott Park, Portsmouth NH. We walked the gardens and played Frisbee. While touring the gardens we even saw “Peter Cotton Tail” hopping around. Griff kept saying he is gonna get in trouble from his Mommy for being in the garden!
Some days you just a good day with your camera, this was one of those days.
American Independence Festival 2011
2 Aug 2011
Last year we attended our first “American Independence Festival” hosted by the town of Exeter, NH. This year, we were excited to watch the festivities play out again.
George Washington made his way into town.
The kids kept busy with sticks while the Declaration of Independence was being read.
I have to hand it to these ladies, it was over 100 degrees out this day and they walked around all day in the hot sun in these dresses. I don’t know how they did it back in the day!
I caught this cutie eating an apple under the tent, trying to stay cool.
Camp was set up so nicely. I didn’t see the spinners and knitters I saw last year. I did see the weavers, but I really wanted to see the spinning!
This cutie realized he was in the wrong spot and ran across the field to meet up with his friend. He was too darn cute.
It is always amazing to see them load these mussel loaders. I was so excited I got this shot (without jumping!)
The music was beautiful. This guy was all decked out as well- it was so hot, and they all did so awesome.
Then before we left, I caught the little one (with the apple) passed out in mommy’s arms. Some things don’t change.
Happy Adventuring!
Rocks and Lighthouses
10 May 2011
Fun-filled days of weekending found us on some beautiful adventures last Sunday. It started with a great lunch at BG’s Boathouse in Portsmouth. It’s the perfect super casual dining place for kids with an intimate deck and great fried seafood!
Griff’s favorite part is throwing rocks into the water after lunch.
After getting our fill of skipping rocks, we headed off to New Castle for a little playground fun and a nice walk along the rocks to check out the lighthouses at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor.
The old Whaleback Lighthouse building just offshore is looking pretty shabby these days. It has been abandoned for years.
The Whaleback Lighthouse is still in operation right off shore.
Below is the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. It is one of two working lighthouses for the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor. It actually dates back to 1771.
My beautiful family. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.
A Tea Event
3 Mar 2011
I attended a great event to launch a new book, Culinary Tea by Cynthia Gold and Lise Stern. Lise Stern is the editor of a very popular local food and wine magazine Taste of the Seacoast. It took place at our local bookstore.
The book is filled with all you don’t know about tea. There are recipes for food, cocktails and more. We were lucky enough to sample some of the recipes.
There was a nice presentation on different teas and how to steep bases for different dishes. All the dishes we tried did not taste like tea. The tea only enhanced the other flavors in the food and drinks.
We learned of many different teas and how they came to be. We heard stories of how traveling and packing changed the flavor of the teas.
This dark chocolate with tea was amazing. I only took one piece, but contemplated dumping the rest in my purse!
The cocktails were a nice surprise. One made with simple syrup steeped with green tea and vodka, another that was so nice and smokey made with tea and sugar maple liqueur. They were wonderful. This book is perfect for Spring and Summer cocktail parties. It is on the top of my list.
SPCA Story Time Rocks
10 Nov 2010
I have posted before about the SPCA Story Time. It is just such a fantastic local story time that I had to share again. Last time we were there my dear Mother In Law was with us. I didn’t realize it had been so long since we had been. So this post is for her. Griffin enjoyed brushing the different animals and listening to a story. I was very proud of him, he was sharing very well with other children there.
If you do live in the seacoast area – this story time is every Thursday at 10:30am. It’s free, but donations are welcome. It’s one of my favorite things to do with Griffin.
