Camp Winaukee on Lake Winnipesaukee

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Two for one today. In my journey across Vermont and New Hampshire the last two days, I have seen picturesque New England countryside, seen wonderful friends, and had another great walk down memory lane.

Thursday I had Bonnie take me across Vermont and New Hampshire on blue highways, and she took me on some real backroads, even packed gravel (I had the same experience leaving Cooperstown the previous day). But it allowed me to see thngs like this one-lane bridge. The trees are amazing; imagining them in a month or so was mind-blowing.

I did go to one oddity; to add to the VW on the smokestack in Amsterdam NY, here is a giant concrete gorilla holding up a VW in Leicester, Vermont.







I spent Thursday evening with "Aunt" Jane Vincent McIlwaine (and Duncan, the lab). She was my mother's college roommate and godmother to my sisters. I thought she was my godmother, and consequently she always will be! She lives in gorgeous Sugar Hill, NH, in the White Mountains. Thursday night we went to an event at the lovely Sunset Hill House, a dinner/art show that featured pastoral scenes of the area, and raised money for the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust.

Beer report: Red Rack Ale from New Hamshire's Woodstock Inn Brewery. Good stuff.

Jane and I had breakfast at Polly's Pancake Parlor. We had a chance to catch upon our families, and I will be seeing a couple of her kids on my travels. We figured out that we last saw each other when I was a counselor at Camp Winaukee here in New Hampshire (summers of '79-'82). We will try not to wait so long going forward!

Speaking of which, I could not resist going by that camp, Camp Winaukee on beautiful Lake Winnipisaukee. While I did not see anyone from back in my day, I got lots of helpful info. Amazingly, with the exception of a few fewer trees, the place is virtually the same. I searched for my name in the great hall, but the oldest ones are now 1992. Great walk down memory lane.

Before going to Camp Winaukee, I came through Franconia Notch, NH, in the White Mountains, and stopped to see the remains of the Old Man in the Mountain. It was the symbol of the state, it is on the state quarter, and is used in all the state highway signs. The Man fell naturally in 2003, a great tragedy here. They have a cool memorial planned. I got a gorgoeous nature walk down to the site.

Backroading in New Hamphire brought me to this produce stand. See anything you like?

I also pulled up next to a Hummer in Meredith, New Hampshire.

I spent last night with the family of Mike Frankhouser Hutchings. We overlapped at Davidson, and taught together at Woodward Academy in Atlanta. Mike has been homschooling her kids and we love to swap education stories. I have been corresponding with her daughter Emily since she was 9 (she is now at Gordon College), sending her the Denver mint state quarters for years.

Today I am off to Cape Cod. Cousins Round IV tomorrow.