Vacation: Part two

We got to see a lot of things and visit new places, too many to show. A lot of the views were on the ride and a lot of places have no place to stop for photos, so I just enjoyed the ride and the mountains in the distance. Lots of river ways and lakes are in the area. 

The bad thing in NH is most lakes and ponds are private, but we did find one that was free. Surry lake is a large lake with a boat launch and beach and it is free to the public. We stopped and let Bean get out for a walk but it was a little cooler and windy that day, so I wasn't in the mood to swim.

We started that day with a ride up the river to Bellows Falls. It is a historic town on the Vermont side. I wanted to see the old mill and get a photo. I was surprised at how beautiful the area was and also a lot of industry with the dam and fish ladder.

What I loved was the paintings on the buildings. This one depicts the town in a time, gone by.

At the mill area, I spotted a lot of paintings along the walls.

The mill museum.

As we walked by the building, I noticed a road and pathways along the river. They had a park in the back with gardens and viewing areas. This town is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. The only thing I regret is, I found out I missed something. When I got back on Facebook that evening, a link popped up for the area. There are petroglyphs on the rocks below the dam area, I wish I had been able to see them.

After that, we headed inland to check out another place I found on the map. It is called Vilas Pool Park. They were getting ready to open next month, but we were allowed to walk around. It is another free place to picnic and swim, but they do have a donation box.

It has a small parking area and you walk across the falls, on a bridge.

The surprise was a bell tower up on the hill. They opened it up for us and the girls rang the bell. I asked, shouldn't it play a song, there are multiple bells. I guess the girls were new and when I walked inside, I saw the mini piano. So, I played a bit of the first noel, which was fun. As we walked back to the car, I heard the bells ringing and playing different songs. Now that the girls learned it could play songs from the charts they had, they were trying them out, lol.

I pick an area I want to visit and look for things along the way. The last day we took it easy and drove to the Connecticut river and found a nice path along the river. When we got back I rested, since I was still a bit sick. Then I hopped in my kayak and took a leisurely ride up river. I always feel better on the water and I got a nice surprise. I spotted a young Green Heron, fishing on the shore. 

On the way home we took the scenic route. I wanted to take a midway break at the Quabbin reservoir in Massachusetts. We took the wrong way in and got confused on which was to go for a parking lot and there was no reception in the park, so we had to turn around to get out, not easy to maneuver a trailer on park roads. I did enjoy a few views and plan on going back. We can camp closer to the area and visit all the towers and viewpoints at the park. Sadly, no dogs are allowed, so car watching is all we can do.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the beautiful places we visited. Enjoy the rest of your week and hopefully I will have my project I started, finished by Friday. I have been busy cleaning up and getting ready for the fourth. 

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on my painting and got more done, but I also drop my brush so much that I make a mess and have to fix the blobs of paint that I drop, lol. I decided to take a break and give my arm a rest, so I worked on a new stitchery. Yes, I agree, I do not know how to rest, but a brain break to think about my next steps on the painting.

The new stitchery is done with a design by Kathy Schmitz for the One Stitch Club. I do love pieces with inspirational words and this was a fun one to make. I colored the bee but the new colored pens seem to bleed more than the ones I get in the craft store, I don't think they are the same quality. So, a bit of black went into the yellow but I can live with that.

I like making pillows, something I can sell or gift and most people have room for a little pillow, more than a wall hanging.

I also got to spend last Saturday with the boys. The kids dropped them off so we took them to the island. We started with the diving beach, since most people are boating or diving from that spot, so there were only a couple of people on the beach. The boys loved playing in the water, even though it was cold.

After the beach, we drove over to the picnic area and found a nice big spot to park the rig. The boys loved having all that space to run around in and a picnic lunch in the trailer.

After lunch we went for a walk to the old forts. The boys loved exploring the forts and seeing all the graffiti, luckily Nick noticed the drawings more than what some said, lol. It was nice to spend the day with them and Nick told me he had a good day, which makes my day. I hope everyone is doing well and save from the fires, illness and able to spend time with your families.

Weekend Wanderings!

We had some decent weather this weekend, not warm but not cold, not sunny, but the rain was on and off, so we took a few drives and got out when the rain stopped. It was nice getting out, even if we couldn't go for any long walks.

One fun place to go is the coast, we can stop at the shop and hunt for bargains and use their bathroom, then hit the beach. It was cooler so we just got out to enjoy some fresh air and watch the ferry come in.

While we were there, the seagulls were watching the tide for food, hoping something got washed in. I think they are all getting lazy since people are always throwing food to them from the take out they eat on the beach.

This guy was getting back up on his perch after an unsuccessful attempt at something he saw.

One bad thing was, the winds this month, knocked down the wind turbine. I really hate it, it is ugly and noisy, but they are putting a new one up.

Sunday was another overcast day so we went to the forts on the island. Of course it started raining the  minute we left. Luckily it was on and off and we got to walk around the forts. This time Bean got to come and he was thrilled.

It is a nice place to walk and enjoy views, but it is also getting older and crumbling and the kids have decided it is a great place to display graffiti.

We walked along the top of the forts, but there is also a middle level and a lower level. I cannot imagine what it was like to have to live in there, but you can see the kids still get in, even with the fences.

Since it was starting to rain, we drove to the other spots to just sit and enjoy the views, but we got a break and no one was on the beach, so it was a good time to let Bean get some fun time without a leash. The rest of the day we drove around the other side and to the lighthouse, but just for the drive and views. It was nice to get out, even in the rain.

And to end the weekend, the kids came over. My son was working on his plumbing and blew a pipe, so they all needed showers, lol. But it was nice to see them and the kids.

Alex and my son, hard to get a photo of them, they don't get posing;)

Nick knows where I keep his flute, this was my first and he always wants me to play mine while he plays, gets a bit noisy, but fun. Someday his fingers will reach the holes and I can teach him songs. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.