Every few years Linda gets the urge to experience an actual
Autumn, which we Texans cannot do, and remain in Texas.
So, this past October we headed to New England.
We flew to Boston and rented a car. The plan was to meander around the area,
and take in some beauty. But on the way out of Boston, we saw this sight, and it reminded us of an earlier trip with Corey and RB. Yep, it's Two Dunkin Donuts, on the same traffic circle!
I guess it's true, America runs on Dunkins.
First evening we headed to Maine, where the motto is "the way Life oughta be".
We stayed at a real nice country house called the Oakwood Inn,
and dined at the Back Street Grill.
Made me wish I had a briar of tobacco, and a bowl of Clam Chowda!
We found this great breakfast spot called The Third Alarm diner. It's owned by a fireman
(hence the name) and it was great. Then we drove northeast to Bethel.
Along the way, we stopped for lunch at Cindy's Lakeside restaurant.
Great views of the water, and please remembers Cindy's (in Maine)
for something coming a little later....hmmm..wait for it...
Next stop, the Sudbury Inn, in Bethel, Maine. It's a charming B&B, that features
the Sudz Pub in the basement. Guests of the Inn can just take the stairs down,
while locals enter the Pub from a street entrance around back.
And that's our room, second floor, corner room!
Back in Texas, this would be a joke. But not in Maine!
Monday we headed across New Hampshire
This was the most picturesque little village in New England. The town is built around
the village green, and you can take a post card picture in any direction!
Maple syrup is made from real maple sap, and nothing else.
It takes about 40 buckets of sap to make one bucket of syrup.
The little Chapel at Sugarbush, where they still perform weddings!
This is just one sample of many covered bridges in the area!
Then we discovered they had mooses all over the place.
Watch those antlers, bub.
Not sure about their advertising strategy, but they keep
this van parked beside the place.
I believe this swimming hole belongs to the Clampetts, of Beverly Hills.
Then we crossed over into upstate New York, and drove south
through the Catskill Mountains
We stopped for lunch in Woodstock, NY. Now this was the Woodstock
of Festival fame. "Three days of Peace, Love, and Understanding."
Some actually came for the concert, and never went home.
Even though it's been over 40 years now, it's surprising
how much Hippie influence remains. Lots of head shops and counter culture joints.
Our waitress snapped this one for us. She said her name was Joplin...?
We motored down the mountain, into Saugerties for the night.
Quaint little town, with lots of shopping and dining. Places like Love Bites,
Tango Cafe, Miss Lucy's Kitchen, and Dallas Hot Wieners.
So we ate at this place Linda found. I would give you the name,
but their sign was just a picture of a Pig.
Naturally, our first stop was the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the setting for
Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".
This bridge was where Ichabod met the Headless Horseman!
Who nowadays names their kid "Ichabod"?
Final resting place of the author Washington Irving.
it was the setting for the TV show and the movie, "Dark Shadows".
The estate covers 66.6 acres (666?), and as of our visit, they were displaying over
400 scarecrows that were made by area businesses and school groups!
Lyndhurst!
Just to prove she was here!
And one final look as we bid farewell.
Hey! Was that Barnabas Collins?
After all that "ghostbusting" we stopped back in town for a little R&R.
We discovered we had arrived (quite by accident) on the 3rd friday of the month,
which means 3rd Friday Festival day. The main crossroads are closed down at 5pm
for a street festival, with shops open late, and street vendors and live music!
We just had to try the Ichabod Ale. It's a local brew that makes you ask
"Wait, where's my head?" (get it? Headless Hor...oh, nevermind)
After the festivities, we had dinner at Lefteris, a popular Greek restaurant.
The next morning we took the scenic route east to Danbury, Connecticut.
We did a lot of "antiquing" through
Connecticut, or as I like to say, if we
owned an antique business, we could
charge this whole trip off
as a business expense!
Anyway, it was beautiful this time of year,
and we actually visited our third
"Woodstock" of the trip.
We spent the night in Wethersfield, "Ye Oldest Towne in Connecticut"
and went to worship next morning at the Wethersfield First Church of Christ.
This picture really does not do the building justice, it was gorgeous.
And this is where General George Washington went to church, when he was in town.
After services, we drove around this section, called Old Wethersfield.
These guys really get into Halloween!
OK, who would win... Gandalf the wizard, or the Wolfman?
Then we spent the day shopping across northwest Connecticut.
First stop, Litchfield.
We enjoyed some food and music, and then we took off again!
This was Sunday early evening, so it was very quiet indeed!
`
From there, it was on through Pawtucket,
Woonsocket, and Slatersville. I just like saying those names!
When we got back into Mass, we spent the night in Marbrough, and explored the area.
Next morning, we drove over to Salem, but first we stopped for breakfast
at Ye Olde Cottage restaurant, in Weston, Ma, and that's where we met Dawn, the owner.
During breakfast she
(a) tried to sell me one of the Tiffany lamps in the front window,
(b) tried to sell us the entire cafe.
(c) tried to make me cook my own breakfast,
(d) refused to let me use their restroom, claiming they didn't have one.
The correct answer is "All of the Above".
At least she gave us directions to the restroom inside the grocery store across the street.
Even so, I'd go back there. 403 Boston Post Rd, Weston Ma.
When we got to Salem, we started at the House of Seven Gables.
Within the last few years, Salem has rededicated
several downtown blocks to their earlier heritage, that of being
the witching capitol of New England. They've restored the cobbled streets,
and certainly make it a place for tourists to experience the spookiness!
I wouldn't make this one angry, if I were you.
I wish she looked at me like that...
When we first stepped into this park, we thought the tombstones were
more of the commercialism trading on their past. But a young local lad
told us that this was actually a real cemetery, the third oldest in America!
On our way back to Marbrough, for our last night, we stopped for lunch.
This is called the "Thanksgiving Sandwich".
Yep, turkey and dressing and even cranberry sauce!
and take in some beauty. But on the way out of Boston, we saw this sight, and it reminded us of an earlier trip with Corey and RB. Yep, it's Two Dunkin Donuts, on the same traffic circle!
I guess it's true, America runs on Dunkins.
First evening we headed to Maine, where the motto is "the way Life oughta be".
We stayed at a real nice country house called the Oakwood Inn,
and dined at the Back Street Grill.
(hence the name) and it was great. Then we drove northeast to Bethel.
Along the way, we stopped for lunch at Cindy's Lakeside restaurant.
for something coming a little later....hmmm..wait for it...
the Sudz Pub in the basement. Guests of the Inn can just take the stairs down,
while locals enter the Pub from a street entrance around back.
Sunday night in the Sudz Pub. We didn't know these drunks,
but they had a great looking pizza, so we ordered one too. De-lish!
The Patriots game was on all the flatscreens, and everyone was like,
"Tom-my! Tom-my! Tom-my!"
It seems like everyone in New England is BFFs with Tom Brady.
Great night, and Brady did not disappoint the home fans.
Next morning in the dining room...
Not sure what the story is on these rock borders, but we saw a bunch of them!
We needed a little driving break when we spotted this grand resort
out in the middle of nowhere, so we pulled in.
We cased the joint for future reference.
Hey Eppie, how 'bout this veranda?
The hotel was conducting a guided tour of the grounds, so naturally
Linda merged in with the hotel guests for the free ride.
Man, I love that dame!
She found out about this Sandwich Fair that was
going on in the New Hampshire countryside, so we headed there!
They've been celebrating since 1722. Wow, that's older than the US of A!
And you're probably thinking like me...a SANDWICH Fair! Oboy Oboy!
But no.
It's a county fair just outside the town of Sandwich, NH. Say what?
Even though it wasn't about sandwiches, still it was a blast!
We listened to this band Mellow Yellow play some tunes, while we ate:
a burger, mac and cheese, clam chowder, maple apple pie...
and this Pulled Pork Sundae!
It's layers of pulled pork, and mashed potatoes, over and over,
with a cherry (tomato) on top!
I got stopped by a ton of people wanting to know what it was,
and where I got it. One guy said he was a chef, and wanted to take a picture of it,
so he could make it at his place, Cindy's Lakeside Restaurant!!
I said, "Dude! we ate there yesterday!!"
Some of the events at the Fair were the Oxen Pull,
Dogs & Owners square dancing, and for the ladies, the Skillet Throw!
Later that afternoon at an antique shop, we actually met a past winner of the Skillet Throw!
What a Hoot!
Stayed that night in a little berg called Weir's Beach, at the motel Lake Winnipesaukee.
I know it sounds like a place from Rocky and Bullwinkle, but it was WINNipesaukee. Get it?
We had a late dinner at Hart's Turkey Farm, where they can make anything out of turkey.
I mean turkey meatloaf, turkey lasagna, turkey chili, spaghetti, turkey pot pie, turkey croquettes
even turkey chowder,....plus a real nice turkey sandwich!
Now on to Vermont. We had breakfast at this little diner,
and this was our view across the street!
One of Linda's new friends.
Some of the prettiest foliage was in Vermont.
This could be my most favorite kind of driving!
We drove north, up into Robert Frost country, and through
Mount Pelier, the state capitol. We had lunch at Uncle Mike's.
No kids, not that Uncle Mike.
After that we headed back south to Woodstock, Vt.
Not the Woodstock of concert fame. That's in NY.
the village green, and you can take a post card picture in any direction!
As some of you may know, Paul Revere did have a day job!
We spent the afternoon just strolling around and enjoying the autumn air.
Hey! Up in that bell tower-it's a Revere!
Linda, checking it out before checking-in.
And here she is telling the village children about the carrot-top guy she met this morning!
Next morning we decided to explore some of the countryside.
"Good fences make good neighbors." R Frost
Sorry, I didn't catch the name. Did you say "Chip" or "Dale"?
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...
Some of our very best travels are by accident. We came upon the Sugarbush Farm
in this way, and spent the morning learning how to make maple syrup!
Just a couple of happy reindeer. Reindeer?
The farmhouse was built circa 1865. That's Civil War time!
It takes about 40 buckets of sap to make one bucket of syrup.
After Woodstock, we headed to Arlington Vt. the home of Norman Rockwell!
We spent the night in Bennington, Vt.
When I asked, "What's with the moose and cow?"
they said, "we're just browsing."
Watch those antlers, bub.
We ate that night at the Rattlesnake Cafe. You can tell
from the first glance, yeah, we're going in. They seated us in
that big picture window in front - hey, it pays to travel with a looker!
this van parked beside the place.
A little something for everyone; how about a pumpkin,
or a cow statue? Or a gnome, perhaps?
through the Catskill Mountains
of Festival fame. "Three days of Peace, Love, and Understanding."
how much Hippie influence remains. Lots of head shops and counter culture joints.
Quaint little town, with lots of shopping and dining. Places like Love Bites,
Tango Cafe, Miss Lucy's Kitchen, and Dallas Hot Wieners.
So we ate at this place Linda found. I would give you the name,
but their sign was just a picture of a Pig.
After dinner, we strolled the shopping district before turning in.
Next morning, we drove down the Hudson river valley to Sleepy Hollow.
Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".
By then it was lunchtime, so we stopped at Tubins and Links. If you don't know
what's a tubin, I would recommend a trip to NY to find out.
After that, we made our way to Lyndhurst Manor. Not only is it famous in it's own right, it was the setting for the TV show and the movie, "Dark Shadows".
The estate covers 66.6 acres (666?), and as of our visit, they were displaying over
400 scarecrows that were made by area businesses and school groups!
From the grounds behind the house; notice the large windows in back.
That's because the land runs all the way to the Hudson river, and this gives them a view!
Hey! Was that Barnabas Collins?
We discovered we had arrived (quite by accident) on the 3rd friday of the month,
which means 3rd Friday Festival day. The main crossroads are closed down at 5pm
for a street festival, with shops open late, and street vendors and live music!
"Wait, where's my head?" (get it? Headless Hor...oh, nevermind)
The next morning we took the scenic route east to Danbury, Connecticut.
We did a lot of "antiquing" through
Connecticut, or as I like to say, if we
owned an antique business, we could
charge this whole trip off
as a business expense!
Anyway, it was beautiful this time of year,
and we actually visited our third
"Woodstock" of the trip.
We spent the night in Wethersfield, "Ye Oldest Towne in Connecticut"
and went to worship next morning at the Wethersfield First Church of Christ.
This picture really does not do the building justice, it was gorgeous.
And this is where General George Washington went to church, when he was in town.
After services, we drove around this section, called Old Wethersfield.
These guys really get into Halloween!
First stop, Litchfield.
It's another beautiful town, and here they have a
Farmers' Market each weekend.
We shopped in Plymouth, Storrs, Ashford, Pomfret, all the meccas.
Somewhere along the way we had lunch at the Lakeside Diner.
After a little more shopping, we stopped for the night at Putnam Ct,
"the Heart of Connecticut's Quiet Corner"
I'm sorry, did you say something?
Monday morning we headed out again,
to Providence Rhode Island.
Right in the downtown area we saw Brown University. The area around
this Ivy League institution reminded us of Georgetown in DC.
`From there, it was on through Pawtucket,
Woonsocket, and Slatersville. I just like saying those names!
When we got back into Mass, we spent the night in Marbrough, and explored the area.
Next morning, we drove over to Salem, but first we stopped for breakfast
at Ye Olde Cottage restaurant, in Weston, Ma, and that's where we met Dawn, the owner.
(a) tried to sell me one of the Tiffany lamps in the front window,
(b) tried to sell us the entire cafe.
(c) tried to make me cook my own breakfast,
(d) refused to let me use their restroom, claiming they didn't have one.
The correct answer is "All of the Above".
At least she gave us directions to the restroom inside the grocery store across the street.
When we got to Salem, we started at the House of Seven Gables.
several downtown blocks to their earlier heritage, that of being
the witching capitol of New England. They've restored the cobbled streets,
and certainly make it a place for tourists to experience the spookiness!
more of the commercialism trading on their past. But a young local lad
told us that this was actually a real cemetery, the third oldest in America!
On our way back to Marbrough, for our last night, we stopped for lunch.
This is called the "Thanksgiving Sandwich".
Yep, turkey and dressing and even cranberry sauce!
We flew home the next morning. What a great trip!
Thanks Jamey, for the ride from the airport.