Trip in Detail--Day 1 and 2

Thursday, October 1st we landed in Manchester around 4pm. We got our rental car (a mini van by default) and began our hour drive to our first destination. The Stonewall Farm in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. This is the drive on the freeway through the windshield. I was SO excited about the color!

I had a packet full of maps to all the places we would go, it was pretty easy. This first spot was in the middle of nowhere, so quiet, so serene. The hostess was to meet us, but no one was there. We walked in around 6pm and it was a little eery. I wondered if there was a burgler in the closet holding her mouth closed while we walked around looking for her (what is wrong with me, right?). We were so hungry, we just headed back out to eat at Nonni's (which I found ahead of time, thankfully) for dinner. We got back around 8:30 and Meg was there waiting for us and said she had just run to the store to get breakfast stuff and hadn't been gone very long. She showed us our accomodations, and we headed to bed. Each place we stayed had a pack and play portable crib waiting for us. That was very nice.

I woke up in the morning to this beautiful scene. I ran outside on my own and snapped some shots with the bright morning light.

Michael stayed up in the room with Cali and I got to chat with Meg a bit. She told me the house was built in the 1700's and proceeded to tell me all about the originally family that owned it. Fascinating. She had done so much family history on them, I thought it was so cool. Antiques all over the place. She also told me of her husband Skips downward spiral from Alzheimer's. That was a bit sad.

Our room had many artifacts and pictures. This is a family and at the front is not a horse, but a moose. Weird, huh?

Our room, the Sarah Bickford Room. An esteemed musician (who had to pretend she was a boy to be recognized as a musician at first) in her time.

The delectable breakfast--we ate it all! Even the flower:) Each place we stayed did a double take when we told them we don't drink coffee or tea.
This couple was who we chatted with at breakfast. Living in Georgia but in town for a wedding. The guy was from the small town, Littleton, where we were booked to stay our 3rd night. It was funny, they told us that in the morning hours when I was out photographing, they heard squeaks and squeels and thought it was either the floor creeking or a baby. When they saw Cali they realized it was her.
One of the many diaries from the original home owners. I wished I had time to pour through them.

We left the Stonewall farm around 10 and headed out for our first days adventure. About half way, passenger #3 got a little sad, so we had a pitt stop in a random town and took a stroll.

Hmm, out of order, but I did spend a lot of time hanging out the window shooting as we drove.
Here we are at the farm...a nice renovation worker set down his cigarette to take this pic of us.
Ok, back to the stroll. Calming Cali.


This was set on a tree stump and I ran....love the blanket of leaves

Cali enjoyed the leaves, too....
Yum, yum....
Mmmmm

Ok, poked in the eye...

Rescued

Michael next to a large leaf. I should add here that before the trip, he gave me a once in a lifetime opportunity--I got to pick his clothes for the trip. He told me the night before so I didn't have time to go shopping, but I had just recently bought him this Captain America shirt. I like it, the boys did, too.

Our first covered bridge we saw also happens to be the longest one to date.

The 2nd one became my favorite. Probably because it was secluded and we didn't see others and I got to take lots of fun shots in and around it...






We headed to Vermont to the Quichee Gorge. I had seen it in my searches online and knew Michael would like the hiking/walk through nature aspect. Can you spot Michael in the image below? This was at the bottom after a little hike down.


This was us strolling...there were quite a few people there (this was one free) but I managed to take this without others. I love Cali all bundled here. Michael kept holding her in, even though she was strapped on with the Bjorn. Cute little feet poking out.






Hmmm, these are a little out of order, but oh well. Looking up at the bridge above.
Michael wanted to immitate our Puerto Rico Pier shot with this below.

He loved how this tree grew through the fence. Cali was pretty impressed, too.

We drove through the Quichee Village and onto our 2nd stop which was Woodstock, Vermont. This town was really fun and quaint and hoppin. Our B&B was called The Lincoln Inn at Covered Bridge. I was hooked when I found out there was a covered bridge on the land! It was pretty rainy most of the time we were there, but I still got a few shots. Inn at the right, bridge at the left below.

The grass was SO green, and nicely manicured (Michael mentioned). Who mows this lawn, anyway? I was interested to find out about this house after the rich history from before, but the owner didn't know. That was disappointing. The owner was a woman my age with kids my kids ages, who lived in a home behind the inn. That was interesting.
Though this place had a chef on site, I was disappointed with the egg breakfast. I'm sure it was good, but I was too busy pulling out the onions for the omlette that I didn't even get asked how I liked it served.





Woodstock had a cool covered bridge near the restaraunt we ate at.



I like the pedestrain walkway on the side.


Bridge by B&B--rainy and hazy.

Downtown Woodstock
We then had to head back towards Quichee and went the backway. It was very quiet, and serene.





All of a sudden, we came upon a RED covered bridge--I was waiting for this.



Then another....right near the blass glowing place. The waterfall actually powers the kilns where the glass is made. It was VERY expensive. Have you heard of Simon Pierce? I hadn't. $500 glass bowls.


Michael requested a shot of this Mozerotti (not even going to look up that spelling).


Then we went to the one place I had actually heard of--Sharon Vermont. The birthplace of Joseph Smith. It was tucked way on 300 acres and was SO beautiful. I should have known, the church takes great care to keep up the places they own.
It was so beautiful there.

I liked this...LDS Lane.


There were speakers outside playing hymns--it was so awesome to hear the music "singing from the trees." We got to listen to one talk from General Conference and had a tour of the grounds.
This monument was erected in 1905, the centennial celebration of the birth of Joseph Smith. The solid granite piece is 38 and a half feet tall, symbolizing the age Joseph was when he was martyred. The hauled that granite for many many miles (back before cars and good machinery). Cool story about the town he was born. The home he was born in actually sat on the dividing line between Sharon and South Royalton. It was his mother that verified what room he was born in, and that was on the Sharon side.





Replica of the home he was born in....