A Day Full Of Surprises

Sunapee Harbor - Sunapee, New Hampshire

May 27, 2012

We will be in Woodstock, Vermont until Saturday, so following some laid-back rest days, we began working on a loose "plan" for the rest of our time here.  After Saturday's hike and time spent enjoying the village, we were ready for a day of exploring.  I mapped out a rough circular itinerary using maps. chamber of commerce websites and following designated scenic highways/byways as much as possible.  This type of planning most always yields some wonderful surprises and are often some of our most memorable days of the trip.  This day was no exception!  

Leaving Woodstock, we headed south towards Mt. Ascutney and over the state line into New Hampshire with the goal of our first stop being Claremont.   Why Claremont, you ask??   In a word - WALMART!   Not going to take up space here discussing Vermont's ongoing battle with Walmart, but bottom line is, they don't want them and currently, the entire state has four, only ONE of which is a Super Walmart meaning groceries!!  Quite frankly, I like the philosophy behind Vermont's stance, but I've also learned from traveling that sometimes you just want "familiar."  Guess it sounds like I'm walking both sides of the fence, but on this day, we needed a few staple items, not all of which were groceries and neither of us wanted to spend valuable time searching out where those could be found.  We just wanted in/out and to know what we were getting.  

So the Claremont Super Walmart went into Endora (our beloved GPS, who has only been fired twice on this trip so far) as the first stop.  But wait!  Something caught our eye as we were driving through the downtown area of Claremont (only because we refused to take the bypass which highly insulted Endora) and it became unexpected surprise #1.  

I love old mill towns even though many nowadays make me quite sad as they are long abandoned and often eyesores.  Not so in Claremont, New Hampshire.  We pulled into a very nice visitor center where we'd spotted a pedestrian bridge headed back across the river towards the old mills which had obviously been carefully put to new use as many things.  Here was our first look...............

Crossing the pedestrian bridge, we found ourselves on a very nice patio that seemed to go on forever.  Peering inside windows gave glimpses of what appeared to be a lovely restaurant not yet open for the day.  

Now my philosophy here is don't break any rules or cross private property or no trespassing signs, but beyond that, if a door is open and no one stops you, keep walking until your curiosity is satisfied.  I have had some of the most wonderful encounters of my life simply because I walked through a "door" because I wanted to see what was on the other side.  

In this case, we walked through the door and found Mary.  I am so sad that I failed to get a picture of Mary because she was an absolute delight.  Turns out Mary is the Special Events Coordinator for the Common Man Inn and Restaurant, the facilities we entered when I walked through that door.  Mary was a talking encyclopedia when it came to this extensive renovation and unbelievable revitalization of a huge former textile mill complex that had fallen into total disrepair.  We found ourselves being given a guided tour including a peek into one of the inn's amazing suites and learning tidbits one would've never noticed on a simple walk-through.  Things such as the reuse of materials from the original mill floors as well as a most creative use of the beautiful doors.  We learned that the mill made linens used on the Titanic and at the White House and that the large separate mill further down the river was where the first Buster Brown shoes were manufactured.  We learned that the hundreds of thousands of employees lived across the river (from where we'd just come) in employee housing and used the pedestrian bridges(there were three) to get to and from work.  A great video and a bit more history can be found here, but we have Mary to thank for a most memorable visit to Claremont, NH.   And all because of Walmart.................................

 Outdoor patio seating for restaurant

 Inn and Restaurant Entry Area

 Picture of original mill hanging in inn's lobby

Looking back toward Mt. Ascutney.  This mill had been renovated, but not yet fully occupied.  It appeared to be lofts/condo. 

With the quick trip to Walmart behind us, we headed east towards Sunapee Lake, a designated New Hampshire Scenic Byway.  A lunch stop at the conveniently placed bench.........

........beside the Visitor Center yielded surprise #2.  Another one that we would have totally missed had I not walked through the open door and started asking questions.  Because naturally, when I saw this......................

..........I had to know where it went and how far it was.  The very helpful lady in the VC said it was about a 10-minute walk along the river to the harbor and that we MUST do it.  That was good enough for me, so off we went.  

Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, after a long haul up and over a very steep hill which the lady failed to mention (LOL!), we stepped out into a lovely and quite bustling little harbor.  On a Sunday afternoon of a holiday weekend, there were lots of families playing, people strolling around and all kinds of boats coming and going.  And of course, there was ice cream...............

Sunapee Harbor, New Hampshire

May 27, 2012

By the time we returned to our car and thanked the lady at the VC for her insistence that we see the harbor (remember, it was NOT on the official scenic byway map), it was already mid-afternoon and we realized that our entire itinerary for the day was not going to happen.  

To save some time and get to our next destination, we did something we rarely do.  WE GOT ON THE INTERSTATE!  Granted it was only for 20 miles, but we still didn't like it!! Lebanon, NH, probably did not get a fair shake of our time because we still had two destinations left to cover, but we did enjoy a stroll around the town green and got a good look at the Lebanon Opera House, a venue well known for its summer programs and where a good friend of ours spent one summer as a performer in several of their productions.

A few miles up the road from Lebanon stands one of those places any baker aspires to visit at some point.  Because who hasn't heard of King Arthur Flour Products?  Unfortunately, those of us in the south don't see as many of King Arthur's products on the shelves of our grocery stores as I've seen here, but I'm well aware of the reputation and quality that defines them.  I knew we would be close by and hoped to be able to visit their store.  So to all my baking friends, all I can say is that I've never seen such a huge variety of wonderful things from which to choose.  I know this isn't saying much coming from someone who is NOT a baker, but there were so many things I'd never even heard of, much less would know what to do with.  And to top it off, they were having a Memorial Day weekend sale with 15% off EVERYTHING in the store.  We came away relatively unscathed, but not totally.  In addition to their store, they offer lots of classes and during regular production hours, you are able to see the bakers at work.  It was a neat place to spend some time.  

 When we arrived, the place was packed, but it was nearing closing time so the crowd had thinned by the time I took this picture as we were leaving.

 Shelves of all different types of flours lined the entire perimeter of the HUGE store.

Shucks, forgot to get pics of the 50 and 100 pounds bags!!

One more stop on the day's agenda and we'd be headed back to Woodstock.  This was an important one and we were both excited although getting a bit tired.   I've mentioned my goal to visit all of the Ivy League Schools.  Today, Dartmouth was on the agenda.   We were only six miles from Hanover when we left King Arthur, so didn't take long.

Dartmouth  was founded in 1769 and is probably best known for its three professional school, The Tuck School of Business, Thayer School of Engineering and Geisel School of Medicine.  It appears as if the town of Hanover grew up around the campus, but it's a quaint little college town in its own right.  On a Sunday afternoon, we knew the campus would have a different feel than on a weekday, but we were surprised at all the activity.  Without a brochure or guide, any of our thoughts were purely speculation, but it appears as if the original campus building were built around the huge campus green which quite obviously remains a center of activity.  Students were everywhere and we can only speculate that perhaps a summer term had already begun.  The campus is quite large with lots of newly constructed buildings and a very impressive fine arts center nearing completion.  We walked for a long way just enjoying the different buildings and discussing what a comfortable feel it had in comparison with the stern, gothic, very formal atmosphere we encountered at Yale. 

 Dartmouth Campus Green - Hanover, New Hampshire

May 27, 2012

All these pictures are buildings on or just off the campus green and were our favorites because they appeared to be original.  Further back from the green, buildings had been constructed using more recent architectural styles. 

We were about about 45 minutes from our "home" in Woodstock and after a very full day, we were happy to see it.  There is much to be said for all the time spent planning and researching things to do and see on these summer adventures, but more often than not, it's those unexpected surprises along the way that make a day truly memorable.  We will always remember Mary and the sweet little lady in Sunapee who pointed us towards a harbor we'd never have seen without her guidance.  

Another hike was on the agenda for the next day, so needless to say, it was a very early evening!

Thanks for reading!

Two Years and Going Strong!

Bleeding Hearts Along the Burlington Bikeway - Burlington, Vermont

May 21, 2012

This is a Healthy Living blog update.  If you receive the posts automatically via email and are ONLY interested in the travel updates, feel free to skip this one!!

I'm not sure exactly why or if perhaps, I'm just not looking in the right places, but we don't see a lot of Bleeding Hearts where I live.  I know where some can be found along the trails in my mountains, but that's about it.  I think they are one of God's most delicate creations and can't believe anyone could look at something like this and question whether or not there IS a Master Creator!  I found this plant along the Burlington Bikeway and found it to be one of the most perfectly formed I'd ever encountered.  Every single flower was just exquisite!  

As I stood mesmerized, I was reminded of more than one folklore story about how the bleeding heart got its name, but today, I'm writing my own.  

On May 14, 2010, "Gains and Losses: Life through Sharon Eyes" began when I hit publish for the first time and started with the words, "I love to write, I always will."   I was extremely unhappy with the 30 pounds I'd regained after having successfully lost 65 in 2006-2007 and maintained that loss for a couple of years.   I felt as if I'd tried everything to get my mojo back and nothing, absolutely NOTHING, was working.   I'd like to say that six months later, I was right back at my goal weight, but we all know that isn't true.  Life has very much happened and has included pain, death, illness, forward progress quickly followed by periods of total laziness.  But through it all, there has been constant support from so many of you that I wouldn't even begin naming names.  Along the way, others of you have joined that group and I'm sad to say that some have faded away.   

I'd always kept the faith that at just the right time, something would click and thankfully, last November, it did!  By then, I was up 40 pounds from my lowest weight in 2007 and 35 from my goal weight.   Although I didn't make it quite back to goal by the blog's second anniversary, I was within six pounds.   And I'll be at goal by my birthday on July 30th.  

What does this have to do with Bleeding Hearts?   That plant along the bikeway had at least eight stems, each with 8-14 perfectly formed bleeding hearts extending out from the base.  At first glance, they all would appear identical, but one need only take a couple of steps closer to see that every single one of them was completely different.  Not only were they ALL DIFFERENT SIZES, but their shapes were unique, the lines ran in different directions and yes, even the "blood" was many shades of pink!

Bleeding Hearts in Faulkner Park, Woodstock, Vermont

May 26, 2012

Exactly like all of us!   We blog in the Weight Loss/Healthy Living/Fitness community because our "hearts" have that in common.  We want to be at a healthy weight, eat correctly and maintain exercise routines that make us the best we can be.  Our roots are the same!  Our stems extend differently!  I'm still anxiously awaiting the day I can claim an active BlogFriend in every state and province!  Traveling has taught me we do things differently in different places and I love learning about that from you. 

But when you look at each unique heart, one-by-one, you'll immediately see how different, how intricately made and how absolutely gorgeous each one truly is!  No matter what size it is, no matter how its "lines" run, no matter what shade of pink it is - IT'S STILL BEAUTIFUL!   And so are you!   And so am I!   And each one of us "bleeds."  We bleed when we hurt, we bleed when someone we love hurts, we bleed when we see pain/sickness/suffering/devastation in our world.  We bleed at LOT!  And we should - sadly, there is lots in our world over which we should "bleed."

But the heart is strong.   And it's resilient!   It bleeds and then it continues to grow.   Let's take our "bleeding hearts," keep them side by side, connected at the stem and deeply rooted in the base of our desire for healthy living. Let's support each other unconditionally.   I have certainly found that from you over the last two years and I plan to continue drawing on that support for quite some time to come.   I certainly hope you have felt it from me.  

Thank you for two wonderful years of writing!

 November 26, 2011 - 35 pounds from goal!

 May 1, 2012 - Six pounds from goal!

Can you see the difference?

The first picture was taken by Mr. B on the day after Thanksgiving also now known as the day I began the 17 Day Diet.  The second picture was taken by my friend, Judi@Blue Roads to Hiking Trails. 

At Home in Woodstock

Mt. Peg Summit - Woodstock, Vermont

May 26, 2012

This update has lots of pictures.   Remember, you can enlarge any picture simply by clicking on it!

Following a couple of restful days enjoying our new home in Woodstock, we were ready for some activity.  As you might expect, this.............................

...............made me very happy indeed!    We chose to hike up to the summit of Mt. Peg as our first hike from the Woodstock area.  It wasn't to be a very long hike and we were able to walk to the trailhead directly from our house.  In fact, we'll be able to do that several times while here.  We'd been told this was a very popular hike so we left early in hopes of having some quiet time at the summit.  The trail was different than those we have in the Smokies with mostly a pine straw surface, lush with an amazing array of ferns and oh my goodness, never in all my life have I seen so many Jack-In-The-Pulpits!  Until a few weeks ago, I looked for this exquisite plant in specific places I knew they were to be found, but thanks to my hiking friends, Judi and Gene, I learned that where one is found, ALWAYS look for others.  Along the trail to Mt. Peg, I am so glad I knew that.  My guess (verified by Bill) is that we saw at least 25 on this trail.

We thoroughly enjoyed our morning at Mt. Peg.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

 View to the north

View to the west

Got back from the hike just in time to head downtown (remember, it's only 2 blocks) for the Memorial Day Parade.  We weren't quite sure what to expect.  The nice lady in the Welcome Center had told me it was "too long" which I sincerely doubt is the message the Chamber of Commerce would want her to deliver.  This is a very small town and we couldn't imagine where parade participants would come from that might make it too long.  Armed with an open mind and our own flag to wave, we meandered down to the grounds of the historical society where we encountered a parade comprised of approximately ten entries INCLUDING the police escort at the front and the fire truck escort in the rear!!  In this town, the parade route meandered through town and STOPPED at several places where those in the parade performed in different ways.  At the historical society, a gun firing demonstration was held and TAPS was played.  At the town green, bagpipes played Amazing Grace.  At the North Cemetery, the Drum Corp performed.  The crowd simply followed the parade as it moved from place to place.  A very unique and moving way of celebrating.  We loved being a part of it and we most definitely disagree with the lady from the visitor center.  It was NOT too long!  

 Firing demonstration in front of the Historical Society

I think a picture of every parade participant EXCEPT the police and fire truck escorts is included!!

Following the parade, we wondered around downtown enjoying the people and shops.  We'd been taking a walk each evening, but long after the carpet's been rolled up and everyone has gone home.   Our first stop was F.H. Gillingham's, a general store opened by Frank Henry Gillingham in 1886.   What a wonderful Woodstock tradition, a place one can lose themselves in for a long time.  The saying that if you can't find it here, you don't need it, could certainly be said about Gillingham's.

 F.H. Gillingham's General Store - Woodstock, Vermont

Grocery Aisle - Gillingham's, Woodstock, Vermont

This was the warmest day we'd experienced since arriving in Woodstock, so following a bit more meandering in town, we headed the two blocks back up the hill as the cool breezes we knew we'd find on the front porch of our little house beckoned.   I'd planned a pretty aggressive day trip for Sunday and we wanted to get started early.

My plans was to include Sunday's adventure with this post, but we covered so much territory and stumbled upon so many neat places that became totally unexpected surprises, I decided it deserved a post of its own.  To whet your appetite, think Ivy League and lots of flour!  I'll get it written in the next day or so.   Tomorrow, it's back to the hiking trails. 

As always, thanks for reading!

By The Time We Got To Woodstock......

Pastoral Vermont countryside on Scenic Route 100 between Burlington and Woodstock.

May 23, 2012

No, we weren't "half a million strong."  There were still only two of us and it wasn't THAT Woodstock, but we were happy to be there anyway! Wednesday morning, after retrieving a newly repaired Kia from Girlington Garage in Burlington, Vermont, we left our rustic cabin with this view........................

...................and approximately 120 miles of beautiful Vermont driving later, traded it in for this view which we will enjoy for 10 days.

View from our living room in Woodstock, Vermont.

I cannot leave the subject of our Kia misfortune without thanking Girlington Garage.  When we realized something was very wrong with the car, I immediately researched the area for AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities.   AAA was one of my clients during my days in CorporateWorld and I know for a fact, that the stringent criteria for obtaining and keeping this designation is TOUGH!  A facility has worked hard for it and must continue to work hard to KEEP it.  Girlington was the only garage listed in the Burlington area with the AAA Approved designation.  What fun to read EVERY WORD of their website and learn that the garage is female-owned.   But who cares who owns it with reviews like it has?   And I cannot use enough superlatives to adequately describe our experience with them from start to finish.  Yes, it cost us a lot of money we were not anxious to spend, but not once did we feel taken advantage of because we were a long way from home.  In fact, Demeny (owner) made every effort to explain to us ways in which she felt we MIGHT be able to make it home, but it was going to involve careful monitoring and daily steps to take.  We felt so good about the garage, we authorized the repairs and even let them go ahead and take care of a couple of things that should've been done during our pre-trip maintenance check prior to leaving.  There was NOTHING the garage or anyone we dealt with that wasn't done courteously, promptly and at no time, were we ever not kept involved in the process.  People, this is customer service!   Since it isn't likely I'll be able to use their services again, I truly hope by giving them a shout-out here, someone else might benefit down the road.  We wish Demeny and her staff the very best and have no doubt Girlington Garage will continue to prosper.  

Leaving Burlington, we chose our usual method of travel, avoiding interstates in favor of scenic driving through the countryside.   Our route took us down Vermont State highway 116, through Green Mountain National Forest via highway 125, down scenic 100, often listed as a top 10 scenic drive in the US and east on highway 4 into Woodstock.   Along the way, we took a break at the country store in Rochester, VT where Bill declared that his Maine Black Bear Ice Cream was the best he'd ever eaten!!  This time, I did not get a picture as I was too busy inhaling my Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt.  (Unfortunately, there was just enough sugar in this that I suffered for about 24 hours afterwards so jury is still out as to whether or not it was worth it!)  

Again, I cannot leave the subject of this day's journey without mentioning the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene on this specific area of Vermont.  Last August, Irene came through and I encourage you to take a moment to follow the link in order to see the extreme devastation.  These things seem so distant to us southerners, much as our April, 2011 tornados and flooding most likely seem distant to these folks in Vermont.  But we are human - the pain and devastation feels the same no matter where it happens.  Just as we in Tennessee are, these are resilient folks and the progress made is amazing.  But one only need to take a walk anywhere along water to see the remants.  What hurts us most is to see these wonderful old covered bridges either missing completely, half torn away or full of obvious new boards to replace the ones which were damaged.  

 

We arrived in Woodstock to our home for the next ten days and Bill declared it the best yet.  I've come to understand that he declares this EVERY time we arrive at a new place!  Since I'm the one that does all the trip planning and preparation, his affirmation is always appreciated.  But he's right about this one.  It is beautiful, perfectly located and will be a great place to hang out over the busy Memorial Day weekend.  We make it a point to have a comfortable place in a convenient location during the holiday weekend so that traveling in the car isn't necessarry.  We are 2 blocks off the main road in this perfect New England Village of approximately 1,000, situated on a hillside where we have a constant breeze and an unobstructed view of Mt. Tom.  The picture above is the exact view taken from our living room pictured here................. (enlarge any pic by clicking on it)

 

 I've taken up residence on the sofa while Bill enjoys the chair in the foreground.

 I saw Bill's eyes light up and the chef hat go on the minute he walked into this kitchen!

Home in Woodstock, Vermont!

Yes, those are tulips seen from any window in the picture just above!  Color me happy!

 Downtown Woodstock, 2 blocks from our house!

Where the parade will be on Saturday - small town America!  Can't wait!

 Woodstock, VT Village Green

Downtown Woodstock covered bridge - seems it might have escaped Hurricane Irene!

The one in Quechee Village just down the road, not so lucky!  It's half missing.

 View from the covered bridge!

At the corner of the street that leads 2 blocks up to our house!

The ten days here was strategically planned.  It will include the halfway point of our trip and although we have much to do while here, it will also involve lots of resting, both physically and mentally.  The focus changes from biking to hiking.  Woodstock has 30 miles of trail, most of which can be accessed directly from our house.  We plan to hike most, if not all, of those 30 miles.  Two long daytrips are planned while here, one to Vermont's capital, Montpelier and the other to Boston. 

 

I'm writing this early Friday afternoon and will readily admit that we haven't done much except rest since arriving on Wednesday.  There have been leisurely strolls through the area which BTW, closes up promptly at 6 p.m. every night.  It's never noisy, but after 6 p.m., it's silent!  Yesterday afternoon, we drove into Lebanon, NH for groceries.  It's about 15 miles and the closest town with a full size grocery store.  It was time to stock up and once Bill saw the large, well equipped kitchen and understood that the word of the day while here was slow pace, his mind started working and based on the grocery store run yesterday, I'm anticipating some nice dinners over the next few days. 

Last evening, it began raining and we've had some brief rain showers this morning although the sun is predicted to peek through the clouds shortly. Once it does, we'll put on the hiking boots (yippee!) and head for the summit of either Mt. Peg (directly behind the house) or Mt. Tom (directly in front of the house).  Daytime highs expected to be in the low to mid 70's with lows in the low 50's throughout our time here.  I suspect there might be some front porch rocking and lots more reading.   

Speaking of reading, thanks so much for following along!  Your comments and feedback really do make us feel not quite so removed from home!