Back to NH & ME

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Dear Family & Friends in Warmer Places,
There is frost on the pumpkin and ice on the rain puddles. We were camped in Brookline, NH for 3 nights which was very nice & on a pond and beyond, a lake. We explored many old towns like Merrimac, Amherst, Nashua, etc. which all were founded 1680, 1730, 1803 etc. Being a native CA gal; that's old. We have really loved NH and were delighted to be back Do you know what the road sign says when you are coming into a populated area? "THICKLY SETTLED" It reminds me of some of those quaint phrases in England "LOOSE CHIPPINGS". They had to turn off the water to the campground here, too, but we can still take a hot shower. Clear days with a high 48, low 26...burrrr. We meandered on many scenic roads like 113, 16, and 302 with still some color, but not many leaves. And, we pass by so many lakes, ponds, rivers and yet they say their rain is far below normal. We crossed into Maine to arrive at Naples; one of the very few open campgrounds, no water, but electricity. A lot of these campgrounds state"limited facilities in winter". Lots of people will use them when the snow hits the ground for snowmobiling & skiing. We will be here for 3 nights before going to the coast at Portland, ME with the Svihuses. I thought this would be a good time to reflect on New England. We love the architecture of these colonial dwellings: sturdy, no frills, 2 story, small windows, and lots of lawn with no fences. A metal Amish-style star adorns many houses & barns for good luck. Seasonal flags are flying from homes & stores and all are decorated for autumn. When a store is open, a red, white, and blue flag declares OPEN for all passerbyes to see (and hopefully stop). You never see a Starbucks, but Dunkin'Donuts are everywhere. People are very friendly & helpful. The pace seems slower on these backroads. Everyone is still wearing their REDS stuff, with a lot of PATS thrown in. Gas is cheaper, $2.85, NH has no sales tax, food is somewhat less, sliced turkey is $3.95-$4.95, wine is less, and bananas are $.59. What I can't comment on is how much it costs to heat your house; we have seen many oil trucks delivering to basements. Everyone is out raking leaves, but no recycle. It's hard for the Queen of Recycling to throw those landfill "forevers" away. The only place we saw active recycling has been at nat'l or state parks. If you can have an early primary, why can't you have recycling? Oh, I almost forget our educational tour yesterday...Anheuser-Busch's Merrimac plant; it was huge. Not exactly my cup of tea, but the process was very interesting. 50% of beer sales in the USA are from their 12 plants. We watched Bud being processed, but now BudLite is #1 in sales. And, yes there was a tasting room. Dave sampled Bare Knuckle Stout & a special draft premium; I had 180 Energy Drink Blueberry...very sweet. But, the Clydesdales were really beautiful, all matching, and all huge...18+ hands high & 2500 lbs. They live in very posh stables. We enjoyed our tour. love, DWT

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