There is something mystical about buying and trying a new meat smoker; a new device to smoke meat, a new technique to improve cooking results. What do you suppose was the genesis of slow cooking? Do you suppose cavemen (cavewomen, cavepeople?) sat around the fire and said, “Hey, let’s smoke this brontosaurus leg low and… Read More New Smoker Ooh-ee-Ooh – June 2020
OK, we weren’t really in Atlanta and we didn’t really go to Boston. But you get the idea – we headed north. In our never-ending search for the perfect climate, we have departed the Atlanta area and have headed north to New England. Nothing says leave Atlanta better than 90+ degree temperatures. Our first stop… Read More ATL to BOS – June 2020
“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! (Hamlet) I have told my wife and kids that the next time I move out of this house there will… Read More Honey, I’m Home! – Aug 2019
And so castles made of sand fall in the sea eventually Jimi Hendrix Technically, they will be removed by a bulldozer. But not just yet. And I guess technically they are not sandcastles. Alright, have your way. Check out these sculptures from this year’s Hampton Beach (NH) Master Sand Sculpting Classic! We continue our Northeast… Read More Castles Made of Sand – June 2019
We hoisted one yesterday for a guy named Bob. Maybe we all know someone named Bob. The Bob I’m talking about was special in that, in many ways – he wasn’t special. He was unassuming, quick to share a story or two from growing up in Maine, quicker with a smile, and under any scenario, would… Read More This Guy Named Bob – June 2019
Many people are not aware New Hampshire has a seacoast. I mean, let’s face it – on a map some people would be as challenged to point out New Hampshire as they would the Sudan. It’s kind of like me and Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska… it always takes me a little orientation to figure out… Read More New Hampshire Seacoast – May 2019
For those of you who have wasted the last four years as a result of reading this blog, you know that I previously went under the knife and had shoulder surgery. I am doing it again in a week. I’m doing it with a real doctor this time – no more hair stylist interns performing surgery on… Read More Shoulder Surgery, Again! – Feb 2019
What comes to mind when you hear Hampton Beach (New Hampshire)? If you are familiar with Hampton Beach, you’ll probably say the beach, the boardwalk, casinos, bars, night clubs, food stands, miniature golf, water slides, concerts, and maybe a roller coaster. If you don’t know Hampton Beach, then maybe you think… ahhh… I don’t know, a beach,… Read More Hampton Beach – Jan 2019
We took a road trip (20 minutes for us) to Portsmouth, NH earlier today. Portsmouth is a port city, one of about a half dozen sea coastal towns on the less than 20 miles of New Hampshire’s Atlantic seacoast, and we had a blast!. This is just a taste of Portsmouth – our couple of hours… Read More Taste of Portsmouth – Jan 2019
I am home alone – time to get into mischief. Karen, with a whiff of good judgment, left me. Before she breezed out of here, she said something about an airline ticket, Bermuda, a bathing suit, and the fact that there was enough food in the freezer to last a month. I didn’t catch it… Read More Home Alone – Dec 2018
Sadly, I must report a short pause in this year’s ski season. Let me tell you my latest real-life experience. As I think I may have mentioned previously, if you are a resident of New Hampshire and are older than dirt, you can ski for free at Cannon Mountain during the week. That, my friends,… Read More Slight Pause in Ski Season – Dec 2018
Not a lot to say – just a few pictures from this weekend in and around the salt marshes in Hampton Falls (NH)… hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
More accurately, this post could have been labeled “Everything Within 5 Miles of our House”. OK, so we haven’t done a lot of traveling in the last few months. Well, except for moving 1,200 miles north. So this post is really more about our November. The Airstream is winterized and tucked away in our yard for… Read More November in New England – Nov 2018
I know, I know, we have been remiss posting for a while. Sometimes life gets in the way of reporting on life. This will be a short post, but just wanted everyone to know we are alive and well! We successfully closed on our new house in New Hampshire several weeks ago, and we are… Read More New Digs – Oct 2018
No, not the awesome Indie rock group. We are talking about Florence (the hurricane/tropical storm) and the Machine (my truck). Timing can work for you… and sometimes not so much. With tight schedules, we needed to get our truck and utility trailer up to New Hampshire ahead of our closings, and it so happened that… Read More Florence and the Machine – Sept 2018
Four years ago I posted about our stay in Hampton, NH, but this time we have a little more of a story to tell. If you remember, only a few weeks ago we were in Bend, OR where we got an invitation to a cookout on the bay in Dover, NH with friends, and decided,… Read More Big Move in Our Future – Aug 2018
Almost to the day for me, it has been 3 years since I (we) retired. Oh, how I miss those days of quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly forecasts… And who doesn’t love a well-placed flaming email distributed to the world. After retirement, one is forced to forego the joys and luxury of business travel: cramped… Read More 3 Years Post Retirement – Mar 2017
I fully realize looking at someone else’s photos might be close to torture, but none-the-less I put together some of my favorites from our travels in 2016. For me the criteria for choosing these photos was simple: does the photo stir an emotion, trigger a cool memory, or just put a smile on my face.… Read More Favorite 2016 Photos
When you are retired every day is Saturday, and this is no exception. I am sitting in our camper up in the White Mountains enjoying a thunderous and continuous rain over a cup of coffee, staring at my new found friend. Unlike our tenting neighbors, we are dry. And unlike our trip to Vermont, where… Read More New Hampshire – Aug 2016
Tuckerman’s Ravine is epic. Whether you hike up there for spring skiing, on your way to the summit of Mount Washington, or whatever else may be your goal, it is clearly a stunning area. Some in our group made it to Ho Jo’s, some to the summit (6,288 feet elevation), me to the base of… Read More Tuckerman’s Ravine – August 2014
We had a visitor to our Dolly Copp SP campsite in Pinkham Notch the other night – a Barred owl. The thing was the size of a small dog, and it was eyeing our dog. It really had almost a prehistoric look, kind of dark and brooding, but really cool. Plenty of high-end finishes to… Read More Pinkham Notch (NH) – August 2014
In my youth I was disappointed with people who took the easy route and drove up Mount Washington, after I had climbed up 4 miles and 4,000+/- feet elevation gain. Today, I am a little more forgiving. Mount Washington is one of the most remarkable places on earth, whether it is visited via foot, bike,… Read More This Car Climbed Mt Washington (NH) – Aug 2014
Close to our campground (Crawford Notch SP), we traveled a very short distance to hike up to Arethusa Falls, and make it into a loop trail by taking the Frankenstein Trail back – all in all about a 4 mile hike that takes you under a train trestle. Really great views of the falls –… Read More Arethusa Falls (NH) – Aug 2014
Life in the White Mountains is full of unexpected visitors. And best $10 spent for a good hiking map of the White Mountains.
We enjoyed a beautiful day on gorgeous Russell Pond, deep in the White Mountains. We saw a loon and an eagle while tooling around the pond in our kayaks after a nice hike at Lincoln Woods. Temperatures have been running in the 60’s.
We day hiked Mount Osceola in the White Mountains, one of the 48 4,000 footers (4,340 feet); just beautiful. While the climb is popular and described as one of the easier climbs (validated by 20 Girl Scouts climbing down as we were going up), this is not what I would have described as an easy… Read More Mount Osceola (NH) – August 2014
We decided to hike some trails near Waterville Valley in the White Mountains, and found some great hiking/cross country ski trails. We hiked for about 3 miles but I am pretty sure Rosie just about doubled our distance. Gorgeous day, cool temps (low 70’s), lunch by the river…
We camped at the Pemi River Campground in Thornton, NH, which is a private campground. While we generally try to avoid private campgrounds, this campground was great – a retro look and feel with lots of families with young kids – just really nice, and the people who own the campground have been fabulous and… Read More Pemigewasset River (NH) – August 2014
On our trip north towards the White Mountains, we stopped in Belmont and visited my childhood cottage on Lake Winnisquam (Ephraim’s Cove). While clearly there had been some development over the last (45-50!?!) years, the old “Lewis and Larry” camp looked close to what it did 50 years ago, sans shuffleboard. The smaller section of… Read More Belmont (NH) – August 2014
Think Cousin Eddie. We camped outside our friends’ house in Hampton, NH. We ate, drank, laughed, laughed some more, swam in the pool, and just enjoyed meeting up again with friends. It was interesting in the back yard: there were humming birds but there was also a humming moth (term may not be precise) that… Read More Hampton, NH – August 2014