Franconia, New Hampshire, USA

This is my final post from the trip to Franconia:

Rush hour traffic approaching Franconia Notch.

I didn't know they could read but, like all New Englanders, moose are very smart.

The end of a great trip in a beautiful location with nice friendly people.

Longest Candy Counter, Littleton, New Hampshire, USA

Certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, Chutter General Store in Littleton (ten miles north of Franconia) has the longest candy counter in the world at 111 feet 11 inches. Quite a claim to fame for candy lovers everywhere. Littleton is also the midway point between Boston, Massachusetts and Montreal, Canada.

They also sold some other rather odd stuff.......

......and why someone would want this I have no idea.

The Ammonoosuc River flows through the downtown.....

.... and is spanned by a covered footbridge.

A nearby delivery truck mirror helped me with this self-portrait.

Home Away from Home, Franconia, New Hampshire, USA

Sometimes we go somewhere special with other folks and rent a big house together for a few days.  Such was the case in Franconia, New Hampshire recently where we went to see the Lupine Festival in the Sugar Hill, New Hampshire area.  We found this home on Homeaway.com and that's where we stayed for a few days.

It gives new meaning to the definition of a log cabin.  This 7900 square foot spectacular home was built by a company in British Columbia using Douglas fir, then disassembled, trucked across the continent, and then reassembled on its permanent site in Franconia. It is a beautiful home, lovingly furnished, quiet, and remote and only a short drive to all the nearby activities in the White Mountain region. A great place to stay!

And what a view from the living room!  Cannon Mountain ski resort is in the center of the photo.

And here's a great creative way to find a new life for skis that are no longer useful - a refurbished Adirondack chair!

Lupine Festival, Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, USA

  

Annually, in June, in valleys  nestled between the White and Green Mountains, the fields of Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, are alive with lupine flowers. Dramatically set against a background of brilliant greens and the surrounding mountains, folks come from far and wide to enjoy one of nature's beautiful shows.  Sugar Hill is a small town - for example, for the year of 2011, there were three births, two deaths, and one marriage among the 500 or so folks. I expect everybody knows everybody else in this town.

Although it was a cloudy, cool, damp, rainy day, we drove the two hours north of Boston to see nature's show.

It seemed as if this white horse was either: 1) under contract to graze in the field as a backdrop to the lupine colors, or 2) it was a fake horse and two people would suddenly pop out from inside the horse suit and walk away muttering in British accents. I would not normally think of a fake horse but, I was reminded of an old Monty Python sketch with the line, "your lupines or your life," and my imagination got away from me.

   

On this early June day, mostly just the purples were in bloom with a scattering of whites and pinks.

The lupines were not the only source of bright colors in the fields.

Photographers were swarming the lupine fields like ants at a barbecue.

Some even kneeling in the muddy lanes to get "the shot." Well, actually only one of them did that.........and some of you can guess who.

After the chill of the day, a warm blazing fire was most welcome. A nice place to spend time even in the damp weather.

A Covered Bridge, Conway, New Hampshire, USA

The Swift River Covered Bridge in Conway, NH,  was constructed in 1869.  Why are bridges covered you might ask? It seems it was to protect the main wooden structural supports from moisture and rot. It was not to keep the weight of snow off the roadway as some suggest. In fact, the bridge tender was required to keep snow on the bridge so the horse drawn sleigh runners could slide freely.

Much like the strength of the curve of an eggshell, the bridge arch is unusually strong in supporting the weight of the bridge itself and the traffic thereon.  Imagine for a moment, how does one build a bridge like this without modern cranes and steel beams, etc.?  They were some pretty resourceful people back in those days.

The Kancamagus Highway, White Mountains, New Hampshire, USA

Nature's palette on display along the Kancamagus Highway.  This approximately 30-mile two-lane highway winds through an extraordinarily beautiful forested landscape connecting the towns of Lincoln, NH on the western end and Conway, NH on the eastern end. And to answer the question, "What does it look like to drive on that highway?  Here's the answer:

Two lanes, not much shoulder, mostly a 40 mph speed limit.

The highway is named for Native American Chief Kancamagus who lived in the area during the late 1600's

.

For most of the route either the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River or the Swift River are immediately parallel to the roadway.

The "Kanc" is not just a tunnel of asphalt through the trees.  There are scenic overlooks, hiking trails, thundering waterfalls, raging rivers, campgrounds, a covered bridge, and in the summer - swimming holes. During "leaf-peeper" season however, beware the recreational vehicles with the white or blue hairs behind the wheel.  They are prone to very reduced speeds. (And yes, I know - my hair is mostly white - but I don't have an RV).

Autumn in New England, White Mountains, New Hampshire, USA

There are a limited number of special events around the world when nature reveals its breathtaking beauty. One of those events is Autumn in New England. The annual falling of the leaves and the associated explosion of colors is renowned worldwide and, some suggest, unrivaled as a natural spectacle. The peak of color occurs in a steady march from north to south in September and October.

New England is particularly beautiful because the variety of trees, the climate, and the dramatic mountainous terrain combine in such a special way. The leaves show their fiery reds, bright oranges, sunny yellows and deep browns, all punctuated with the contrasting green pines.  And if you are lucky enough to have a clear day with bright blue skies, the entire palette of nature spreads before your eyes in dazzling display - we were not so lucky - it rained like crazy for two straight days.

Why do the leaves change color? In fifteen words or less:  Because as the days get shorter the photosynthesis process can't make enough green chlorophyll.  Other factors like glucose levels in the leaves and the temperature play a part but I'm way over my fifteen words........

On this weekend in the beginning of October, the colors were at peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Even through the four inches of falling rain, the resulting rushing rivers and streams, and no visible sunshine, the beauty still shines through. For all our faults as a species, it bodes well that many thousands of people visit the woods this time of year for no reason other than to marvel at the sheer beauty of our world.

But at night it is time to go indoors.  I had joined a group of twelve photographers for the weekend visit to the White Mountains. We stayed in a big house with an intermittent internet connection. (OMG, how could we survive!). So we did what people used to do a generation ago - played a game together. That game is called “Taboo.”  It is a card game wherein a player working against the clock must make his/her team guess a word by giving clues about the word except certain obvious clue words can’t be used – they are taboo. For example, describe “milk” without using the words "drink, white, cow, dairy or calcium."  Challenging, yes - but I know from experience that saying, “bovine liquid” will help your team (or at least make them laugh).

The incessant rain on Sunday encouraged us to have a leisurely lunch at the stately and elegant Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods. This 110-year old grand hotel harkens back to another era. This very hotel was the site of the July 1944, United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference. Hundreds of delegates from Allied nations participated to reach a common plan, commonly called the Bretton Woods Accords, to regulate the international monetary and financial order after the conclusion of World War II.


You don't see porches like this on hotels built today.........

Nor do you see bas-relief crown moulding like this. This detail view is in the actual room where the Accords were signed in 1944.

Much like the Postal Service, neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night shall keep the photographers from their appointed rounds.

And the rain doesn't bother a hungry moose either. What do you suppose this young moose is thinking about with her vacant cow-like stare?

She's probably thinking that, "if I weren’t a plant-eater I bet those kids would be mighty tasty – and they are close enough to munch!"

Not deterred by the rain, this hiker seemed a bit out of place with an an umbrella instead of a raincoat. Time was a manly man could be mocked for such a choice……

But finally, the sun returned .......

Sand Sculpting, Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, USA

 

The 11th Annual Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Competition is happening this week.  A dozen or so  renowned sand sculptors from New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Ohio, Texas, Massachusetts, Ontario, Quebec, and the Netherlands competed for cash and fun.  Each competitor is provided 10 tons of sand (trucked in to ensure it has the correct balance of sand and silt). The competition is a timed event and each person has 21 hours over three days to complete his/her sculpture.

On a cold, cloudy, showery, New England Summer day, fascinated beach-goers and fans were spellbound by the artistry evident in these creations.

The sculptor finishing the base.

Fixing last minute details. The logos are local business sponsors of the event.

The mottling on top of the sleeping baby was caused by a torrential downpour from a thunderstorm that went through a few hours ago. (Yes - he slept right through it.)

Extraordinary detail is visible in this nature scene as the sculptor makes final touches.

There was a old woman who lived in a shoe.............