in new hampshire

cont'd: July 20

We picked up Jeremy to join us on our travels
(and I let him drive Scout occasionally - because Scout is so much fun to drive, and she is kind enough to oblige him)

First of course we drove through Vermont.
The Green Mountains are pretty nice, I guess...

Then we went to New Hampshire, straight to the town of Hanover. We were very excited to arrive. We went drove through town to the home of Jeremy's friends and popped out of the car. Jeremy's friends greeted us like they had seen him just the other day and known us all our lives. Turns out it was Mrs. Park*r's birthday.

The Park*rs, who extend their home to all like no one I've ever seen before, invited us to dinner, but we had other plans. Jeremy and Courtney had picked out a restaurant for a birthday dinner. They gave me cards from my friends throughout dinner. Angie's card made me smile a lot. She made me a book of pictures.

Here I am, like the birdy.
(he he - it still makes me chuckle)

The next morning we got a tour of Dartmouth.

Where Jeremy liked to study.

I was very disappointed that we couldn't have tea in the library.
But we played frisbee on the lawn. And visited Robert Frost.
(we had stopped and visited his gravesite too in a little town in Vermont) (check out the weather vane)

We then rented a canoe and went out on the Connecticut River. We first paddled downstream past a dock with a few sunbathers and swimmers. Then past a rope swing with kids lined up to jump off. We saw two guys fall out of a canoe.

And then we stopped at a little island with a tiny beach. The sun was nice and warm: the water was freezing. I wasn't sure I really needed to get in the water. And certainly I needed to warm up first.

But I would be a fool to think I wouldn't be getting wet...and of course eventually I did. We made several attempts to get a picture of us all in the freezing river.

First I (quite willingly) got out of the water to set up the camera on the the picnic table. But I was not deep enough for Jeremy's content. so we went further out while he set the self-timer on...only he didn't make it all the way back to us before the shutter released... More shenanigans involved Jeremy paddling away leaving us stranded on this island...

Naturally he came back for us, and then we had the rigorous battle upstream against the wind. That afternoon we had tea, did a grocery run, and then hung out at the Park*rs. We made our dinner of corn and hot dogs. And then actually slept there, leaving our tents lonely at the camp site a quarter mile away. (ridonculous. but we did have a nice time hanging out at the Park*rs. and two of us were glad to shower. i'll leave it to your imagination which two of us. i'll give you a hint. i wasn't one of them.)

We drove to Vermont the next day to go to church in Woodstock, where the pastor preached the gospel with a boldness and directness I have never seen before.


That afternoon we went tubing down the White River. The Park*rs and friends were going out, and it was awfully nice of them to let us join them for some good times. We piled in a couple of vehicles, one which held our tubes. Then one car was left at a bridge where we'd end.

The river was freezing but the black tube was so nice and warm. We floated along calmly, but I would be lying to say there wasn't some shenanigans too. And we came across some rapid-y places too - more rapid-like than anything I've ever done in a tube. It was exciting (if you've only ever been tubing in the Chattahoochee as far as you can remember). When we arrived at the bridge, Mr. Park*r, Garrett and some others went bridge jumping, which is a regular hobby of theirs. does one call it a hobby? It's a regular activity. Courtney, Jeremy and I watched.

On Sunday afternoon we drove up into the White Mountains to eat at Moosilake, which is apparently tradition for Dartmouthians. (?) We had a family-style dinner there, all quite good, and wandered around a bit. At our table were a few others who, as it turns out, have a mom living in Acadia, our next destination.
he he...i like setting up the camera to take self-timer photos. We were very glad, however, when some friends came along to take the above one, which I think is a nice picture. Courtney wouldn't want her camera to fall off the ledge into the creek.


















On Monday we drove into Vermont to see Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory. Took the tour and got our sample at the end. And of course, in keeping with our trip's motif, we had to visit the cemetery..

I made them pose. Jeremy doesn't look too obliging.
and Courtney wasn't feeling that well.

maybe we were just feeling sad about leaving.

here they rally their spirits tolerably.

It was on the rafting trip, while waiting for several bridge jumpers, that I found a pet. It was a teeny tiny black thing which wiggled in the water like a tadpole. I might add that several of us thought they might turn into tadpoles. We put some of the White River inside an old water bottle we found and scooped up a few of the leettle creatures. And the pet joined us on our journeys through Maine.