Happy Halloween !

No tricks - grandkids are treats !

What a Difference . . .

An overnight can make after a storm.

This was the scene yesterday afternoon in Lancaster, PA when we left our motel room and ventured to Panera for lunch.

The scene was much different by mid-morning today. Roadways were snow-free, with some of the 3-inch snowfall along the roadsides.Our postponed family visit took us past farms in snowy fields.

Early morning calls to family in CT, NJ and RI reassured us that everyone was OK, aside from a brief power loss in NJ. It was good news to hear after listening to TV news reports of widespread  power outages and downed tree limbs throughout the northeast. We are thankful.

Monday morning we are heading home to the VA eastern shore. It’s been a great road trip. Thanks to everyone who followed (and commented) on our road trip posts. Glad to have you all along.

Snowed-in PA

Readers of this blog already know all about Grenville’s excitement over this early pre-Halloween snowfall we’re experiencing this weekend in Lancaster, PA. If you don’t, just check over his recent posts, starting before we left NH and earlier this morning in PA.

After spending most of today in a PA motel room  – the plans to visit family were put on hold until Sunday – we decided to venture out by late afternoon.

The flowers in front of the motel were not ready for winter.

This couple of true “snowbirds”  watched motorists and pedestrians get around in the slushy mess.

The snow was still coming down during and after our outing.

There were some very pretty scenes.

Our destination was one of our favorite eateries, Panera Bread, where we enjoyed a soup bread bowl.  We also bought a baguette loaf for tonight’s fine dining experience – cut up cheese and apple.

The only thing that’s missing is a nice fire, but the Days Inn folks wouldn’t take kindly to us having one in the room. So, we’ll have to “make do” with lighting our travel candle.

HEY!!!!! I was joking!!!!!!!

Really folks, that “I’m Dreaming of a White Halloween” was just a joke. BUT someone at Snow Central has gotten this whimsy of mine all wrong. We are in Lancaster Pa this morning and as we sat munching our waffles the rain outside kept having some white stuff mix in. The guy on the TV just used the term ‘Unprecedented’. I was hoping that he meant no Prez candidates in the area.
  This is the Harrisburg radar at 8:30 this morning. We are just below the label ‘Harrisburg’ in that pretty pink area. Pink being a mix of rain and snow, and the white stuff is all moving towards the upper right corner.

On the plus side we will be meeting Daughter #2 at about noon to see THE WEDDING GOWN!!!!!!! Yes we will be taking pictures,,,,, NO we will not be posting till the wedding later this spring (if the snow melts by then). Then back to their NEW place for dinner (depending on weather).
Here is a last look for now of the ‘Historic Storm’ the TV guy is saying with a ‘significant amount’ accumulation. Pink is BAD.

UPDATE @ 0934…. Rain has changed to large white fluffy flakes…..
Grenville (in Winter-Wunder Land)

UPDATE 2….. Just called the North Pole and got the following musical message:::: “You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why, you’re getting what you wished for now!!!!!” Hope  is fading fast!!!

G

Say It Isn’t S-N-O-W

As you know, Grenville was quite excited about the 1/2-inch snowfall we had on our last night in NH yesterday. Actually, that’s putting it mildly because he was downright giddy. If I didn’t know better, I would suspect him of doing a snow dance.

We are now in Lancaster, PA, which is our weekend stop to visit family before continuing home to the VA eastern shore and GUESS WHAT ?

S-N-O-W is on the way tomorrow as the entire eastern seaboard braces for the first snow of the season – before Halloween – did Mother Nature forget to check her calendar?

Could Grenville have wished this event in his earlier post?

Here’s what we saw before leaving NH this morning. These flowers were definitely unprepared.

The roadsides looked a bit “wintry” with black ice earlier in the a.m.

But, the trees were not quite ready for this early blast of winter and are still “dressed” in fall colors.

We’re here until Monday morning. It should be an interesting weekend – 6 to 10 inches of snow may be headed this way.

Grenville is in his glory, or maybe just out of his mind.

What do you think?

Friday Funnies

Can you ever have TOO much toilet tissue?

If you should run out, look what’s on the opposite wall . . .

LOTS MORE ROLLS !

These photos were taken in a Portsmouth, NH facility, which just goes to show that it’s always good to have a camera handy.

No More Dreaming!!!!!!

YEPPERS,,,, it is SNOWING!!!!!!!

YEP!!!! Big Puffy White Flakes…. and it is sticking in the trees and bushes turning everything into this seasons “First Winter Wonderland.” BUT not on the road surfaces yet, and that is fine since we have to head south tomorrow to see Daughter #2 in Lancaster. 

AND someone forgot to pack a snowbrush in HER car.
BUT for now I’m going to put on some quiet music, turn off some lights, and watch it snow. G’night now.

*****Special Note to Elaine and Grammy G:::: Stop shaking your heads and laughing….This is exciting to me*******

Family Visiting

This weekend we're winding up our month-long road trip through NH. It’s been fun exploring and sharing our adventures with everyone. But, we realize you may grow weary of so much history.And, the adventures continue with family visits before we're home on Halloween.

Before leaving New England, we made a return trip to RI for a visit with grandson and granddaughter as we won’t see them again until post-Christmas when we re-visit New England.

Grandson carved a couple of pumpkins with help from Grandpa.

He was proud of the results too.

Granddaughter entertained with many expressions. She’s already captured our hearts.

Y

Grandson and Grandpa played several games and grandson won!

NH Lake Region Towns

Last week, we travelled back roads passing through many small towns in what’s known as the NH Lakes Region and stopping at a few places along this route.
Meredith is located beside Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest lake in the state at 72 square miles. It was first called Palmer's Town for Samuel Palmer, who taught surveying and navigation, and laid out much of the land surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee. In was later renamed named after Sir William Meredith, a member of Parliament who opposed taxation on the colonies.

Farmers grew corn, wheat, rye and potatoes; the area was noted for apple orchards. The outlet of Lake Waukewan provided water power and by 1859, Meredith had a sawmill, gristmill, blacksmith shop, and tannery. It became a summer destination for passengers who arrived by train or steamboat, the most famous was the original SS Mount Washington, launched in 1872. Meredith is also home to the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad. Grenville posted about our excursion earlier.
Wolfeboro is a popular tourist destination because of its proximity to Lake Winnipesaukee,its scenic beauty and its small town New England character. Settled in 1768, it was incorporated in 1770.  It's named after General James Wolfe, remembered  for his victory over the French in the Battle of Quebec. Colonial Governor John Wentworth built an estate on what’s now called Lake Wentworth. This was the first summer country estate in the area and the basis for Wolfeboro’s claim as the oldest U.S. summer resort.
Like many other New England towns, Wolfeboro was a farming community. Lumber and the growth and sales of apples were a large part of early industry. Wood products remained a major local industry until the early 20th century.
The tourist industry began to flourish in the early 1870s after the Civil War ended.  The first major hotel was built in 1850, and others followed. The SS Mt. Washington steamboat also brought in tourists during the summer season. Tourism is still a major industry.
Weirs Beach, or "The Weirs" as locals call it, is the name of a wide, sandy, public beach on Lake Winnipesaukee. Adjacent to the beach and comprising the center of the village are a boulevard and boardwalk that run along a quarter mile stretch of Lakeside Ave. An arcade and seasonal shops are along this stretch.

The main summer port of the Winnipesaukee Flagship Company's MS Mount Washington is located on the boulevard. A large public dock is a popular stop for boaters on Lake Winnipesaukee. Built in 1925, the Winnipesaukee Pier was a popular venue for many of famous big bands of the time, including the Glen Miller Orchestra.

The Mount Washington Hotel – seen above on a rainy day – was was completed in 1902 as one of the largest, most modern grand hotels in the White Mountains. Designed by NY architect Charles Alling Gifford, the hotel was financed by industrialist Joseph Stickney who  brought in 250 Italian artisans to construct, particularly the granite and stucco masonry.

Served by as many as 57 trains a day, the hotel became was one of the most luxurious summer resorts in the U.S. and catered to wealthy guests from the east coast cities of Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Up to 50 trains a day stopped at three nearby railroad stations. Omni Hotels & Resorts currently operates and maintains the hotel, which was designated a national Historic Landmark in 1986.

Riding the Rails in New Hampshire

This years trip hasn’t been the greatest for riding the rails. We stopped at both the HOBO Railroad in Meredith and the White Mountain Central at Clark’s Trading Post and were too late to ride either. But we did get some pictures.

  
We found these in the HOBO yard in Meredith. The cabooses seem to be privately owned. What a neat weekend  place. Later you will see more of the HOBO RR as it is connected with the Winnipesaukee Scenic RR.

The White Mountain Scenic RR runs out of Clarks Trading post which is home to some trained dancing bears. But it was after the season and the bears were napping when we got there.  Maybe they were getting ready to watch ‘Dancing with the Stars’. Of course the minor detail of being “Closed for the Season” didn’t stop me from roaming around (through an open gate i found) and taking some pictures of their rolling stock. I’m hoping that on a return trip in the summer we will be able to ride this line.

















As Beatrice told you we made a two day excursion to North Conway and rode the Conway Scenic RR. We took the 21 mile trip to Bartlett and back again. As you can see they do sometimes run all to Fabyan Station. The coach we rode in was a renovated Central of New Jersey RR coach that used to run on the Jersey Coast line from Bay Head to Newark. CNJ is now part of the New Jersey Transit System.



Our locomotive that day was a restored GP-5.









On our return trip we stopped at an apple cider mill for some coffee and a traditional apple cider donut (see Beatrice post on that).

This past Sunday we ventured up to Weir’s Beach, just outside of Laconia, to ride the Winnipesaukee Scenic RR. As i said, this and the HOBO RR are run by the same company. Our ride was a short one from Weir’s Beach to Lakeport, a section of Laconia. What made this trip different was that there was no “run around” where the locomotive switches from one end or the train to the other. This time we just went in reverse, caboose first.

  
The lake is the largest lake in the state and also the most populated even in the off season. Our ride went along the shore line which while beautiful still had some boats on it. This one caught my eye since i owned a similar one years ago.

Ever Happen to You?

Many Thanks to Everyone for your wonderful comments on the posts detailing our NH fall road trip. Grenville and I read and appreciate ALL of them.

Sorry, if I haven’t been commenting on your posts as well. But, it’s NOT my fault – honest.

WHY?
The past couple of evenings, blogger has been acting very strange, which is not unusual in itself.

For example, on our Frog & PenguINN blog, I go to sign in, yet the site comes up that I am already signed in! OK, but when I go to a blog to post to leave a comment, this message comes up . . .

Your current account (onleyimages@gmail.com) does not have access to view this page.

Click here to logout and change accounts.

And, so I click on the link and re-sign in the comment gets posted. But then it happens again on another blog !

It’s VERY frustrating and also time consuming. So, if it seems that I have not commented on some recent posts, NOW you know WHY.

I’m Dreaming of a White Halloween!!!!!!

Yes there is a chance of this, I can’t wait, but locals are less enthusiastic……
From NWS in Portland Maine: Low pressure will develop in the Midwest Thursday morning and move northeast spreading rain and, in some places, snow into Maine and New Hampshire Thursday afternoon.

SOOOOO I'm wearin’ my jammies backwards and inside out ALL DAY!!!!!

Grenville……

Day Trip to Littleton

One of recent  day trips was to Littleton, NH, which was memorable not only for the foliage views along the highway  on a somewhat overcast day . . .
But also for the views of the White Mountains . . .

Littleton currently has a population of about 6,000. In 1764, it was known as Chiswick (Saxon for “cheese farm”).
The town was part of Lisbon, NH until 1770, when it was renamed Apthorp in honor of George Apthorp, head of one of the wealthiest mercantile establishments in Boston, MA.
It was again renamed in 1784 in honor of Colonel Moses Little, who held the post of Surveyor of the King's Woods.

The historic Littleton Grist Mill is along the banks of the Ammonoosuc River. In 1797, Littleton resident Solomon Mann purchased the mill privilege on the Ammonoosuc River, built a dam and erected a saw mill and grist mill considered state-of-the-art for its time when it opened in 1798.
The grist mill was sold to millwright Asa Lewis who operated it until his death in 1815. Afterwards, it changed ownership often, and about 1890 was converted to the use of Hercules water turbines which powered a Robinson mill manufactured by Munson Brothers, Utica, NY. In the 1930's, it fell into a state of disrepair.

In 1997, the original grist mill  was restored to its original appearance. Two local families formed Renaissance Mills of Littleton LLC to restore the basic workings of the grist mill as a historically accurate replica of the original, which is now open as a working museum.
The Littleton Diner serves buckwheat and whole wheat pancakes made with mill-ground flours.
Just a short walk from the grist mill is a covered bridge, completed in 2004 that serves as a walkway across the Ammonoosuc River.