Grandparents Day

Did you miss it this weekend?

We did as Sunday, Sept 13, was Grandparents Day in the U.S. an annual holiday which occurs on the first Sunday after Labor Day. 

Like many other grandparents, the current pandemic crisis meant that we did not celebrate with grandchildren and family. All live out-of-state in RI and PA. However, we talked with all and received current photos too.

We last visited with all three grandkids was during the 2019 holidays, which seems so long ago. Right now, we're uncertain when the next visits will be, hopefully by early next year, perhaps sooner. All of them have grown in the 9 months since we saw them.

Grandson will be celebrating his 14th birthday in December. He's already as tall as his mom. His sister, granddaughter turned 9 this past July. Both will start online classes today in RI and celebrated with ice cream treats yesterday.

Youngest granddaughter attends pre-school and celebrates her 4th birthday in December.

Here's the background on this holiday.

Marian McQuade

Grandparents Day was created thanks to the efforts of a West Virginia woman Marian McQuade who served on the WV Commission on Aging and the Nursing Home Licensing Board. In the 1970s, she started a campaign to gain support for a holiday to recognize grandparents by emphasizing the wisdom and family history that grandparents can offer family members. 

Her idea grew and in 1973, McQuade's home state of West Virginia was the first to proclaim Grandparents Day an annual holiday. She petitioned the nation's governors and Congress to make it a national holiday and 43 states did so. In 1977, West Virginia Senator Jennings Randolph introduced a Senate resolution for a national observance and Congress passed the legislation. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the Sunday after Labor Day as Grandparents Day, first celebrated in 1979. September was chosen to represent the autumn years of life.

McQuade died in 2008 at the age of 91, the mother of 15 children, grandmother of 43, and great-grandmother to 15. On the 10th anniversary of Grandparents Day, the US Postal Service issued a commemorative envelope bearing her likeness. 

This holiday is not only celebrated in the US. Many other countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom celebrate a Grandparents Day on various months of the year. 

As the late broadcaster Paul Harvey would famously say, and now, you know — the rest of the story.

Last Friday's post ended with a comment about dancing in the street this weekend. That happened Sat night when the Hal McIntyre Orchestra performed Big Band tunes, couples danced on Water St, and kayakers on the Nashua River came to listen. We watched and listened too.

Friday Funnies

Face Off on Main Street . . . and mask-less as well.

Titled We Are, this artwork is one of 30 sculptures placed throughout the city of Nashua, NH, the only city in the U.S. with an annual Sculpture Symposium. While there is a directory to locate the artwork on walks around the city, this piece had neither a description or the name of the sculptor listed. (An online search was fruitless.) It's quite remarkable, and I'll see if it bears the name of the sculptor on a future walk downtown.

The purpose of the Nashua International Sculpture Symposium is to create outdoor public art that engages the public, generates enthusiasm for art, and identifies the city as a unique and special place. This year's symposium will add three more works.

On a somber note, Sept 11 is the 19th anniversary of the single deadliest terrorist attacks in the U.S. Nearly 3,000 people died in the destruction of the World Trade Centers in NYC and the downing of four airliners. This year's remembrance will be different because of the pandemic. Anyone can take a moment for a silent prayer.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Swing dancing in the street here on Sat nite

Anyone Notice Shortages?

Do you all remember months ago when a lack of TP (toilet paper) on shelves was a hot topic here in the U.S. and other countries as well? 

The situation was so dire for many that an Australian bush poet, S.J. Paterson summed it up in a comedic parody, The Ballad of Dunny Roll included in a March Friday Funnies post.

Good news — apparently there's no longer a shortage of TP in many areas. Local store shelves are not only fully stocked, but there's been many sales. 

I admit to a bit of curiosity about Cottonelle® Professional TP which it seems is for public restrooms. According to the company's website: Make a lasting impression every time with the home-like comfort of Cottonelle® Professional Toilet Paper. A premium toilet paper that delivers a superior feeling of luxury for customers . . .

The things one learns.


TP is not the only former items that was once in short supply. Other items like — hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes were often hard to find as well. Lately, I've seen store shelves fully stocked with these products and, of course, all types of masks, face shields thermometers and other items.

That's not to say there's no product shortages, but earlier shortage issues seem to be  have been replaced by others in short or limited supply, like — toilet bowl cleaner and similar disinfectant cleaning products. Over the past few weeks, local supermarket shelves and retail pharmacy shelves in Nashua, NH have posted signage for purchase limits.

That's assuming, there are any products to limit. Most times when we've been shopping, stores shelves have looked like this ↓.

Just Wondering — Is this the new shortage crisis? 
Are any of these items in short supply where you live?

(Thanks for your comments on fall decos outside our apt entry. These were put up the first week in Sept, in hopes of fall-like 🍁 weather. However, it's been very warm and more like summer 🌞 the past 2 weeks.)

The Gang's All Here

Fall has arrived (how did that happen?) — Scarecrows and friends are outside our apt entry. This collection has been greeting us during the Autumn months for several years. The bat cutouts and spider (bottom left) were added by former neighbors in retribution payback for decorations we would leave by their entryway.

This is Labor Day weekend, the final 🇺🇸 U.S. summer holiday, which will be vastly different this year with fewer celebrations and get-togethers 😢 as keeping healthy is reason to celebrate now.

No special holiday plans for us, other than a day 🚗 trip in NH to visit a new to us place. Details will be shared in a future post (of course).

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Be safe and have fun — however you spend it

Fort at the Port

As mentioned in a previous post, our travel plans for a Canadian rail trip are off this year. Instead, we're taking day trips and getaways (longer day trips) in NH and possibly other New England states for the remainder of 2020. 

Last week's day trip was in-state to a former NH military installation. It's now a state park and overlooks a port. Unlike some other places, no reservation was needed to visit.

View of Portsmouth Harbor from Fort Stark

Fort Stark is a 10-acre former military fortification situated on Jerry’s Point in New Castle, NH on the Southeast corner of New Castle Island. It overlooks the Piscataqua River, Little Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The water views were wonderful on the day we visited. The fort views, while impressive for their size and what remains, have expectedly suffered the rages of time and unfortunately vandalism. 

The fort is named in honor of NH native General John Stark, commander of NH forces at the 1777 Battle of Bennington. The state motto is attributed to Stark who, in an 1809 letter to veterans wrote: “Live free or die; death is not the worst of evils."

There were no descriptive signs at the fort remains on this self-guided. Admittedly, I'm not knowledgeable on military terms and history and learned about much of the fort's background from online sources.

Most of the surviving fort was developed in the early 20th century, following the Spanish–American War. There were several earlier fortifications on the site, portions of which survive. The fort, now a state historic site and state park, is open to the public who can view former military batteries, gun emplacements, an 1910 Ordnance Machine Shop (museum) and oil storage house.

Gun mounts at Fort Stark

Early forts were built to protect colonists. Fort Stark's purpose was to defend the harbor of nearby Portsmouth as it increased in importance and the Revolutionary shipbuilding industry expanded. It was one of seven New England forts built to protect Portsmouth Harbor. Three others are in NH: Fort Washington, Fort Constitution and Fort Dearborn (Odiorne Point State Park); and three in ME: Fort Sullivan, Fort McClary and Fort Foster.

The site of the present Fort Stark was first fortified in 1746 as Battery Cumberland. It was rebuilt in 1775 for the American Revolution, but guns were removed to arm other area forts. Later, guns captured at nearby Fort William and Mary were used to rearm the fort. In 1794, a new battery for nine guns was built on the site as part of the First System of U.S. fortifications. Harbor defense became more critical with the establishment of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1800.

In 1898, after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, emergency batteries were constructed to quickly arm key points based on fears that the Spanish fleet would bombard the U.S. East Coast. The defense concept was to mine the harbors and erect gun batteries. At Fort Stark, these consisted of two 8-inch guns; removed in 1900 to make room for the new batteries at Fort Stark.

Construction on a new fort began in 1901 and was completed in 1905. The new defenses included four batteries. Facilities for controlling an underwater minefield in Portsmouth Harbor were added in 1907-1909. As with other U.S. seacoast forts, Fort Stark was garrisoned by the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps and became part of the Coast Defenses of Portsmouth with Fort Foster and Fort Constitution.

When the U.S. entered WW I some guns at Fort Stark were dismounted and sent to Europe for use on the Western Front on field carriages. These guns were sent to France and returned to the U.S. after the war, but not to Fort Stark. During WW II, the Harbor Defenses of Portsmouth were garrisoned by the 22nd Coast Artillery Regiment.

In 1942, a combined Army-Navy Harbor Entrance Control Post (HECP) and Harbor Defense Command Post (HDCP) were built atop the inactive Battery Kirk, disguised as a seaside mansion of that time. 

The design of this facility was unique to Fort Stark and included an SCR-682 radar, a WW II fixed seacoast artillery microwave radar set designed and built by Radiation Laboratory in Cambridge, MA. The SCR-682’s role in the HECP was management of harbor traffic and to identify hostile vessels/aircraft approaching the harbor. 

Fort Stark Harbor Entrance Command Post

In stateside installations, this radar was deployed in support of the HECP at each of the Harbor Defenses to identify and track approaching surface ships and aircraft. HECPs were often disguised as seaside homes or lighthouses. 

Battery Hunter's 12-inch guns remained in service until February 1945. The original Batteries Hays and Lytle were deactivated in 1942. The guns were scrapped and the fort was deactivated in 1948. 

Over the years, remains of the fort have become a favorite of graffiti artists. Wire fencing surrounds most of the structures; however, ring our visit, we watched people climbing over them despite numerous caution signs.

In 1950, Fort Stark was turned over to the U.S. Navy which used it for harbor defense purposes until 1953. It was used as a reserve training center for a Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit until 1980. The property was deeded to the state of New Hampshire in 1983 and established as the Fort Stark State Historic Site and later a state park.

Fort Stark Museum and Visitor's Center

A small museum in the Visitors' Center includes a single 3-inch gun and military artifacts and information about the 22nd Coastal Artillery headquartered here during WW II. We looked inside the museum briefly from an open door; it's currently closed through 2020, sadly another result of the corona virus pandemic.

Admission is free and the tour is self-guided. The park gate is open Memorial Day through Columbus Day with parking available from 8 am to 8 pm. 

We're planning a future return visit for the water views alone. It's a great place to social distance for an outing. Picnic tables are provided on the fort grounds.

Pandemic Purchases Anyone?

The 2019 Christmas holidays came and went, the New Year started and time came to settle up holiday spending bills and maybe start saving❓

Until early March, the COVID-19 pandemic erupted and shutdowns began — restaurants to retail stores and speciality shops. Online buying became more popular, surging with purchases of essentials and some not-so-essential items too.

Our essentials buying patterns didn't change. We continued grocery shopping with new protocols of social distancing, mask wearing. No need to shop as a planned Sept trip was cancelled and not going anywhere meant nothing new was needed. 

That left time (and money) to buy several completely non-essential items. In my defense, all were good deals and one is no longer in my possession.

Why Buy? Because they were there.
Did I need them? Absolutely not, see above comment.
What did I buy? Continue reading to find out.

Photography is a hobby and while I wasn't planning to buy anything, looking at eBay listings resulted in purchases of 2 Panasonic Lumix digital cameras, both were older, pre-owned models, ranging in age from 7 to 12 years, very far from new. 

Bidding on eBay can get crazy, especially at near-auction end. Many sellers list items as Buy It Now some with a Make Best Offer. That's how I bought the cameras — Best Offer was made  and accepted on both. If a seller accepts a Best Offer, the item is off the market and placed in the buyer's checkout cart. I honored both purchase commitments. 

The black ↓ Lumix DMX-TZ5 (top), new in 2008, was described as a great travel camera with a stabilized big zoom lens in a compact package. This was when a 9.1mp, 10X zoom (28-280mm equivalent) was big news on a small camera. The camera doesn't have manual control over shutter speeds, aperture or focus, but does provide exposure control. 


The silver ↑ Lumix DMC-ZS25 (bottom), new in 2013 has a 16.1 mp, a 20X zoom super zoom (24-480mm equivalent) has both auto and manual exposure control. 

Both included extras. The Lumix DMC-TZ5 included a charger, two original Panasonic batteries, 16MB SD card, small camera case. Its original, new price was over $200, my winning bid, $25 plus shipping. The Lumix DMC-ZS25 came with a charger and three batteries. Its original, new cost was over $300, my winning $39 plus shipping. 

The above view shows both cameras side-by-side with zooms extended. The build quality between them differs in that the older black one is heavier with a metal body.

My third pandemic purchase is the small black item in the photo, a bluetooth speaker seen at a local flea market Seller said it's the last one at $5, adding give me $2, so I did. In the  original package with charging cable, this Onn brand sold at Walmart for $12. 

Savings was $10 on an unplanned purchase that works great. It pairs up quickly with an old iPhone used for podcasts and audio books, and turns off when not in use. I've been using it more often than an Anker bluetooth speaker bought 2 years ago.

UPDATE: The Lumix DMC-ZS25 camera has a new owner in another state. While a good deal, it wasn't needed. Coincidentally, it sold as a Buy It Now within a day of being listed. I'm keeping the DMC-TZ5 which is compact and handy for in-town walk-arounds.

Just Wondering❓Buy any non-essential(s) — Do share; this is a no judgement blog.

Forgot to mention, Grenville bought this → after a lengthy search. It's a pity cherries are no longer available in the local supermarkets; he can always pit olives until next season.

Welcome Autumn 🍁 September is here 🍂

Friday Funnies

There's a song lyric that includes . . . birds do it *
Apparently, cormorants do it too — social distance — although 6 feet may be harder. 

* Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love, also known as "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) or Let's Do It is a popular 1928 song written by Cole Porter and introduced the same year in Porter's first Broadway musical (From) Broadway to Paris by French songstress Irene Bordoni. Porter wrote the musical as a starring vehicle for her. The play ran for 77 performances.

The song was used in the 1929 English production of Wake Up and Dream. It was the title theme music in the 1933 Hollywood movie, Grand Slam, with Loretta Young and Paul Lukas. The film is not about baseball. In 1960, the song was in the film version of Cole Porter's Can-Can, a star-studded 20th Century Fox Studio's lavish musical that featured Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, Maurice Chevalier, and Louis Jourdan and was #2 at the box office that year. The song is featured prominently in Woody Allen's 2011 film Midnight in Paris.

In Porter's 1928 publication, opening lines for the chorus carried three derogatory racial references: Chinks, Japs, and Laps. The original lyric was: Chinks do it, Japs do it,

up in Lapland little Laps do it...

These original lines were heard in several early 1928 recordings of the song by the Dorsey Brothers & their Orchestra (featuring vocal by Bing Crosby), Rudy Vallée, Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. Billie Holiday also and Peggy Lee (with the Benny Goodman orchestra) recorded a version in 1941. And, again, a 1944 version by singer and well-known Broadway star Mary Martin (with Ray Sinatra's orchestra) included these lyrics. 

The opening was later changed to the less offensive lyrics: Birds do it, bees do it, Even educated fleas do it, Let's do it, let's fall in love.

An online search came up with nearly 40 artists recordings of the song in addition to those above including: Eartha Kitt, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Della Reese, Nancy Sinatra, Al Hirt, Johnny Hartman, Joan Jett, Diana Ross, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Alanis Morrissette.

And now both you and I know all more about the song's history than before. (You never know when such info could be useful, perhaps in trivia games?)

As if the current pandemic crisis wasn't enough, now more thoughts and prayers to those in Louisiana, Texas and all other places threatened by hurricanes.  Such a pity these rains can't help the state of California in battling disastrous and devastating fires there.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

21st Anniversary Getaway

My recent post about our 21st anniversary (Thanks for all your well wishes) stated that in lieu of our cancelled Canadian rail trail trip, we would be taking getaways both in NH and neighboring New England states, whenever (safely) possible.

There was no better time to start then last week in NH ahen we traveled 90 minutes from Nashua to Wolfeboro, NH, for a 3-day pre-anniversary road trip celebration. 

On an earlier visit last October to America’s oldest summer resort, we toured several local museums — The Wright Museum of WWII, The Libby Museum, and the New Hampshire Boat Museum — all interesting places to revisit one day, not on this getaway. 

We wanted new-to-us experiences that included being outdoors as much as possible without the need to mask-up, and where we could more than adequately social-distance.

So, instead of looking for additional indoor attractions, we opted instead to walk a rail trail and to hike through a nature sanctuary. 

A rainbow on Lake Winnipesaukee, us and The Wolfeboro Inn, our lodgings

We stayed downtown at the Wolfeboro Inn (1812) and didn't have to go far for the rail trail. The 12-mile long Cotton Valley Rail Trail begins at Depot Street in Wolfeboro near

Former Boston & Maine Wolfeboro Station

the picturesque gingerbread train station, which now houses the Chamber of Commerce, and ends at Turntable Park in Wakefield. This is an all season trail that's used in warmer months for walking, running, biking, wildlife viewing and fishing. Colder months activity includes cross country skiing, snow-shoeing and snowmobiling.

The trail links the towns of Wolfeboro, Brookfield, and Wakefield by way of a former railroad right-of-way. It's one of only three trails under state DNCR management (Department of Natural and Cultural Resources) that have intact rails that are used recreationally by local rail car clubs. We didn’t hear (or see) a train on our walk !

Rails along the Cotton Valley Rail Trail

The Cotton Valley Rail Trail has beautiful scenery, especially along two causeways along Lake Wentworth and Crescent Lake. At 3,097 acres, Lake Wentworth is the seventh-largest lake located entirely in NH. The trail goes over trestles, scenic wetlands, beaches, back woods and fields.

Railroad heritage is evident on many sections of the pathway, where cyclists ride narrowly between the track’s standard gauge irons, and cross wooden platforms to get over the old Wolfeboro Railroad track as the path goes on both sides. 

The path undergoes terrain changes including dirt, gravel, on the track, wide, narrow and along the track. It provides walking access to a couple of Wolfeboro museums — the Wright Museum of WWII and the New Hampshire Boat Museum — which can be walked to off the trail. 

We didn't spot any non-human wildlife on our rail trail walk, but there were plenty of wildflowers as evidenced in these images ↓ which include clover, thistle, vetch, ox-eye daisy, sumac and goldenrod. (Admittedly I don't know the names of all, some of these may be incorrect.)

Wildflowers along the Cotton Valley Rail Trail, Wolfeboro, NH

Vintage Boston & Maine, Wolfeboro, NH Station

A brief RR history: In 1872, the Eastern Railroad opened a branch line from Sanbornville to Wolfeboro to transport freight and passengers to Lake Winnipesaukee. The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) purchased the line in 1892 and ran it until 1936. This line originally reached Dockside where passengers boarded the MV Mount Washington and other boats to go to inns and hotels around the lake. Before the auto was in use, school children rode the train like they ride a school bus now. Wolfeboro had six stations on the seven mile portion that lies within the township. There was a “flag” stop on the Wentworth Causeway. Islanders would leave their boats nearby, flag down the train and ride to town. In 1972, The Wolfeboro Railroad, a group of investors, bought the line to restore freight and passenger service. Freight service never took off, but the train ran as a tourist attraction until finally closing in 1986 after which the state of NH acquired the corridor. 

Our second nature adventure took us to The Loon Center in Moultonborough, NH, a 30-minute drive from Wolfeboro. 

The Loon Center, Moultonborough, NH

The Loon Center is located on the grounds of the 200-acre Frederick and Paula Anna Markus Wildlife Sanctuary in Moultonborough, NH. Built in 1973, it serves as a base for state-wide research, management, and educational activities of the NH Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) created in 1975 in response to a declining loon population.

Loon and chick, photo by Kittie Wilson

What are loons? They are aquatic birds, loons (North America) or divers (UK/Ireland), that are the size of a large duck or small goose and distinguished by a unique call. Males and females have identical plumage, patterned black-and-white in summer; males are usually larger. Loons are excellent swimmers and use their feet to propel themselves above and under water. Their feet are located far back on the body making it difficult to walk on land, which they avoid, except when nesting or injured. 

Because loons are a threatened species, the LPC monitors lakes and ponds. Its efforts include nest site protection, exhibits and presentations, statewide efforts to reduce loon deaths from lead poisoning, and rescues of injured or sick loons.

Did you know? lead poisoning from ingested lead fishing sinkers and lead-headed jigs is the largest cause of adult loon mortality in NH. Since 1989, lead poisoning from lead fishing tackle has accounted for 42% of loon deaths statewide. Lead tackle can no longer be sold or purchased in NH. In 2018, LPC partnered with New Hampshire Fish and Game to conduct a first-in-the-nation lead tackle buyback program to remove lead tackle from active use. It provides a financial incentive to encourage anglers to switch to non-lead tackle. Since 2018, over 14,800 lead sinkers and jigs have been collected and recycled. NH’s loon population has more than tripled in 27 years and The Loon Center is being expanded to allow continuance of this work. 

Markus Wildlife Sanctuary Trail Map

Lucky for us, our visit to The Loon Center came days before the center was closing indefinitely for renovations to provide more work and lab space for biologists and the addition of a field operations center with housing for field biologists and veterinary interns plus maintenance and storage of boats, trailers and field equipment.

The Markus Wildlife Sanctuary consists of upland forests, marshes, ponds, clear-running streams and over 5,000 feet of undeveloped shoreline on Lake Winnipesaukee. It's one of the largest remaining areas of natural shoreline on the lake. The sanctuary is home to a wide variety of plant and animal species, including loons. 

Two walking trails wind their way through the Sanctuary and are open year-round from dawn to dusk. We walked both the Loon Nest Trail (1-1/2 mi.) and the Forest Trail (1/4 mi.) during our afternoon visit.

Only foot travel is allowed on the trails— no bikes, horses or motorized vehicles, no hunting, fishing, camping or swimming. The trails were described as country walking with sturdy shoes or boots recommended. We were glad to be wearing trail shoes. Sneakers would have this a difficult and uncomfortable hike. Regretfully, we forgot hiking poles at home. These would have come in handy in many spots (maybe next time).

Rocks and roots on Markus Sanctuary  Trail,

We weren't here early enough to catch sight of the Sanctuary’s nesting loons (late May-early June). We also managed non-sighting of waterfowl, woodland birds, deer, otter, or beaver. The only sightings were animal tracks in some mud flats, and no sightings of moose or bears, probably a very good thing.

Start of Markus Wildlife Sanctuary Loon Nest Trail

The Loon Nest Trail walk started relatively and deceptively easy. It was strewn with wood chips scattered along the path. Also, the start of the trail included a series of wooden walkways which were not connected but dispersed randomly over low-lying areas. 

Boardwalks on Markus Wildlife Sanctuary Loon Nest Trail

Further along the trail, we saw how hiking shoes were needed as the trail progressively became rockier, more root-filled, and somewhat challenging. We had a lot of time alone to experience nature's beauty and solitude. Until we headed back to The Loon Center, we didn't see another hiker(s). Trees along the trail were marked with yellow blazes, with was a good thing even if finding them wasn't always that easy.

Markus Wildlife Sanctuary trail blaze marker

We spotted many granite glacial erratics along the trail and, in some spots saw granite boulders split in half. Glacial erratics are stone and rocks transported by a glacier and left behind when it melted, and so called "Erratics" from Latin errare (to wander). These deposited rocks can differ from sizes and types of rock native to the area. Erratics can be carried for hundreds of miles, ranging in size from small rocks to large boulders. 

Glacial erratics on Markus Wildlife Sanctuary Trail

According to the trail brochure, the sanctuary included various wildflowers and wild blueberries, but the only vegetation we spotted were trees, ferns and moss on large boulders. The trail had numerous stopping resting points with granite benches where we enjoyed views of Lake Winnipesaukee. 

Lake Winnipesaukee viewed from Markus Wildlife Sanctuary Trail

The day we visited was fairly warm. Walking through the sanctuary, then visiting The Loon Center to view a film about loons was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. We were free to walk outdoors without masks and were definitely social-distanced from anyone. 

Not finished with outdoor activities during our stay, we played miniature golf. And, as it was a celebration, we treated ourselves a couple of times. We shared a banana split and an order of the Wolfeboro Tavern Potato Chip Appetizer (house fried chips, melted Swiss and Cheddar cheese, corned beef, Thousand Island dressing) — not both on the same day.

We shared these anniversary treats

A bonus to this road trip was a first time lunch time meet-up, Thursday at the Wolfeboro Inn with fellow blogger Erika (BioArt Girl). It was a great way to end our 21st anniversary celebration (even if we traveled ahead of the actual date).

Our (year-long) celebration will definitely continue with future road trips. We already have a couple of in-state day trips planned.