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Published: June 27th 2012
China Garden
Best Chineese food ever! The building is new, but the food is as good as ever. Lunch plate was $8 and included entree, egg roll, and rice.We were leaving Meredith and heading to Franklin, where the class reunion would be held on Saturday. Laconia hosts Motorcycle Week for the bike races at Loudon every June and when we looked at campsites, many were filled long in advance and they had all upped the prices by 2-3 times for the weekend. We couldn't stay where we were (not at those prices!) so I went on Facebook and asked if anyone knew a better spot. A former student, Debbie (Cross) Chamberlain, worked to get us permission to stay with a sister-in-law. But then, when they learned the size of the RV, feared we would not get under the electric lines into their place. But wait...they had a friend who had a campground that was "decommissioned" and he would let us stay there. So a friend of a relative of a former student said "sure, stay here." New Hampshire folks are so wonderful; no wonder we missed them.
But first stop was Ralph Sanborn's to get the RV wheel looked at. Ralph's son Scotty (just a little shaver in elementary school when we knew him) is now in his 40's and working in the garage. He took the RV
Barbecued spareribs
Trish ordered these to see if they were as good as we remembered. Ah-ya, they were. Really awesome, thick, tasty and lots of meat. and said he'd make sure it was OK. But unfortunately, a car was still in the bay and needed to be finished. So we drove off to see the sights. First stop was lunch at China Garden. This was a little purple and orange dive in the 70's with great food. Now it was totally rebuilt with more parking, and more seating. BUT, the food was awesome...still. We ordered lunch plates and added the house fried rice. Still the best fried rice ever and the egg roll was fresh and crisp. Trish ordered ribs and they were big, meaty, and sweet. We used to take Josh here when he was little and he'd be fussy. So one of us would grab a rib, quickly eat the meat, then give to him to suck on. It kept him busy (and quiet) until the dinner came. Yep, ribs as tasty as ever and no Josh to share with. We had leftovers and then bought a large container of Duck Sauce that was homemade and again, better than any we have ever had. Wow! Great memories and food. Off then to see more. One big change is the mall at the foot of
Sanbornton Square
This is the Congergational Church and Meeting Hall in Sanbornton. Dick Crooks was minister when we attended, which is why we wanted to see Marylou when we went to Burlington. It hasn't changed except to improve in 35 years. Lake Winnisquam; they have added a number of stores and cut down on the parking lot. But you used to be able to sit there and look up the lake and even, on a clear day, see the tip of Mt. Washington 70+ miles to the north. Now the trees have all grown and you can't even see the lake. It was a beautiful view before and now is gone. Then on to Steele Hill and a look from that vantage point. It used to be a small, New England type inn with ski slope (rope tow), sledding hill and several dozen rooms. Like something out of
White Christmas. Now it is huge with condos, rec centers, golf course, and lots of out of state cars. More like
Miami Vice now. Oh, were glad the business is bringing in taxes and revenue for the state, but the ambiance is gone. So too is the rope tow and sledding hill; to tame for today's crowd. Then on to Sanbornton and revisiting the town square where the church, library and meeting hall stand. We had attended the church there and been to town hall meetings and voted in the NH Primary there.
Belknap Mountains from Steele Hill
We both worked at the old Steele Hill Inn and also went sledding and skiing on the slopes. I practiced my Telemark on XC skis here. Beautiful New England center piece that has been maintained and still looks beautiful. Finally, back to Ralph's where Scotty had worked on the wheel, greased bearings, checked brakes and declared the car safe to drive. Dad came over to make sure and when we left, it was with the confidence that we had been well taken care of. Nice to know some things don't change; Ralph still provides excellent service at reasonable price and always with a smile.
We drove to Franklin to find the campground and what a great spot! The owner's had a 27 site campground and gave us the first spot in with water, electric and sewer and right next to the bath house, which they continue to maintain. Seems the state got uppity with them and wanted them to spend a lot of money on upgrading sewers through the whole park. They had a dump station that was upgraded, but couldn't afford the others. When other issues like that came up, they decided to close the campground to the public (effectively blocking the state from taking action) and keep it for friends and friends of friends. We had picked up some wine at a NY
Domino
Domino felt very comfortable at the campground in Franklin. He could lie in the grass and flowers and watch the world go by. He has become an accomplished traveler. winery and offered them that as payment. It is a shame that this is not a public campground as it is one of the nicest we have ever been to. We understand the folks are planning to sell it, so maybe in the future it will reopen.
Next day we drove to the Outlet Mall near the interstate. They had an Eddie Bauer outlet and Trish also needed to go to the Dress Barn for a specific outfit for our daughter's wedding next year. Driving back to Franklin, we noticed that the two small towns of Tilton and Franklin are still looking good. The river that runs through them has been used to create parks in both communities and the main street has plenty of stores open and a variety of shops. Some old places were gone or changed, but there seemed to be an air of hope and determination in the towns that is good.
The reunion was scheduled from 3-11. We got cleaned up and drove to the hall and found folks already there. A number were standing out front as we walked in and a few looked familiar, but I had trouble putting a name
Train yard of cabosses
Could not find out why these are all parked here. Trish was intrigued and walked around taking pictures. We'll send some to Drew and see if he likes them. to a face. Inside we found Nancy and Cheryl, the two organizers and hugged and exchanged greetings. Then in came one of the kids from outside: wrong! It was Margaret Edgecomb, a fellow teacher from Franklin. Others came in and we saw Debbie Cross who had arranged our campsite and thanked her for all her efforts. Debbie had been in Drama Club and a number of shows when we were there; I'd stayed in touch with her through Classmates.com and then Facebook. She had come from Las Vegas for the reunion. Soon Sally Lewis came up. She had also been in shows and quickly recounted her favorite memory; when we were doing an show and Trish yelled at me in front of everyone. sigh Kids remember the darnedest things. One huge surprise for everyone was that I no longer had a beard.
No, I had stopped wearing a beard back in 1990 when we lived in Japan and it got really hot.
You were in Japan? Wow, how cool? What were you doing there?
I worked for the government...Department of Defense. I was a business analyst for the Marine Corps.
Pause.....They LET you work for the
Great summer camp
This is taken through a window of a caboose. What a great summer camp this would make! And with the wood/coal stove, you could even use it in winter. government??!!! Did they know you were a radical? Really??
That was sort of how the evening went. We had fun talking with Margaret and her husband, bunches of kids. and watching them have fun. Nancy and Cheryl had done a great job of organizing the event and we know how much work it took. There was food, drink, and a DJ with karaoke. Nobody sang (at first) except the DJ, but several did get up and dance. Sally Lewis and Jim Perrault looked great on the floor and if I had known they were
that good, I'd have found a good show to use their talents to highlight them. Well, guess some folks are just late bloomers.
We finally said good night and had to leave. It was so gratifying to see what wonderful adults and parents these kids have become. Some have moved far away; others remained in NH. But you could tell that of those who came, there is still a strong connection to the area and a sense of values that is healthy and good. I hope they have another reunion in the future; it was great fun and extremely rewarding.
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Nancy Burdick
non-member comment
Cabooses.
John and Trish, Bob and I still live in Franklin. I was looking threw your blog, and saw that you were wondering about the cabooses. They ARE homes to some and vacation homes to others. The old station is used for wedding receptions and gatherings now. Really enjoyed reading about your trip.