Tourista's

I love that our family likes to partake in good ol' fashioned fun.  Living in NH we have many opportunities to go explore and play tourists for a day.

Today was a visit to the Lost River Gorge in North Woodstock.  

 Lemon Squeezer   --  Bear Crawl  to name a few

We let the youngsters have at it and watched them maneuver through some of tight spots. 

Loving their sense of fun...

...enjoying time with our flock.

enjoy,

k

Maine... Shipbuilders to Lobster Boat Races to Granite

July in Maine.  Doesn't get much better...

A visit to historic Bath.  A quaint city steeped in shipbuilding.

A visit to the museum with a boat tour aboard the Merrymeeting on the Kennebec River.  

 

We were able to see up close the making of these amazing ships at the Bath Iron Works and learn of the history and process building and launching them.  

A city picnic and then it's time to cross another bridge...

Next stop for a few days is Little Deer Isle.  

As soon as you cross over the bridge and breathe in the salt air you know you've landed somewhere special.

Sand Beach was a favorite stop after exploring the Deer Island and Stonington for a refreshing swim. 

We've known about the weekly Lobster Boat races along the coast of Maine.  But this is the first time we

were able to sit and watch.  These folks work hard all week long lobstering and you can see come Sunday it's all "fun day"....

Barred Island is a little treasure of a place to go exploring.  The rugged beauty of the Maine coast always surprises me in delightful ways.  

Settlement Quarry is one of the many quarries we've visited during our Maine travels.  It's great when a history lesson is thrown in to our travels now and again.  The techniques used to cut and transport these beasts of granite is hard to comprehend and amazing to learn about.  Granite from this particular quarry was used throughout NY and Boston.  Her last shipments went out in the late 60's.   

One of my favorite places to stop is Camden.  We found The Drift Oceanside Inn a few years back and stay frequently as our overnight at the beginning or ending of our trip.  It's a 3 1/2 hr drive to or from home and makes for a relaxing drive.  Cabins and motel rooms directly on the water lovingly restored by a young family.  

This photo was taken from our balcony - literally a stones throw to the ocean.  I saw a couple heading to the "hot tub" but if you've spent any time in Maine you know that it probably is not "hot"

enjoy, 

k

Recoup Time

Knee replacement surgery for Jim had us slowing down in our adventures. 

Certainly didn't mean we couldn't find some fun adventures~!

A trip up the Cog Railway - for me a first.  We've hiked and skied there but the Cog was a good choice for this trip.  

Could not have asked for a better day...

Another day trip was to Barre, Vermont for a visit to the Rock of Ages Quarry.  Learning how in their day they were the Granite Capital of the World bringing in many European immigrants along with their centuries old techniques.  
 

The industries peak has since passed.  If kept alive they could have pulled granite out of Barre for years to come  

enjoy,

k

Off to Nantucket

My sister in law Joanie and I set out for a weekend on Nantucket.  We took the ferry over from Hyannis and spent a few days exploring the island.   

We opted to rent mopeds to get ourselves around...

... it proved to be a perfect option.  Springtime Nantucket the breezes were warm with a tinge of coolness

and the crowds were thin. 

                                                                                                    Perfect in my book!

Our hotel was located within walking distance from the ferry dock.  The Regatta Inn on Centre St was cozy with a lovely courtyard outside for afternoon relaxing as well as a screened porch for breakfast and puzzle making during our late night entertainment.  Party animals that we are - woohoo!

We ventured out toward the beaches and explored on our mopeds.  

The more miles we drove the more fun we had! 

After we turned in our mopeds we took a stroll through the historic district on her cobblestone streets.  It was like a journey back in time seeing the rich history and charm that is Nantucket.  

enjoy,

k

Botanical Gardens Aglow in Boothbay Harbor Maine

 In December the Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, ME come alive with colorful lights during the Gardens Aglow.  Made it into a family weekend and had a de "light" fun time together. 

                                                                Slim Jimmy 

Pizza then fireworks in the harbor to top off a fun night together.

enjoy,

k

Bourbon Tour - Kentucky

Free flight vouchers presented themselves to us.  So my job was to find somewhere to go.... I got it!

    Our anniversary was coming up and we do enjoy a good bourbon.  So off we go to Louisville, KY for a Bourbon Tour.   

One of our first visits was to Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles.  

They've been making Kentucky Straight Bourbon here since 1812.  It was a little learnin' a little tastin' 

And I'd say we can vouch for the fact that they are great at what they do! 

This one we happened to stumble upon (figuratively not literally) - Castle and Key in Frankfort, KY.  They've restored the historic Taylor Distillery dating back to the early 1900's.  Including an elaborate sunken garden and a botanical walking trail.  Great spot to visit if you're in the neighborhood.  If you need a bite to eat before imbibing head down the road to The Stave on the bank of Glenn's Creek for some good ol' Kentucky inspired dishes.  You know you're in Kentucky when every restaurant has a 4 page Bourbon list on their menu!  

Old Friends Equine was a delightful stop.  Located in Georgetown, KY this non profit farm takes in retired racehorses and allows them to live out their days in green pastures surrounded by loving friends.  

Yes, some were Kentucky Derby winners but others were there without such dynamic merits to their names.  All were treated with kindness and grace.  A place that feels good to your soul.

Barrels, barrels everywhere... a few other stops on our little tour were Buffalo Trace and Jim Beam.

At both places we were able to take a behind the scenes tour  

learning how bourbon is made, stored and

...tasted.  Got to be sure it's good to go!

We did nothing wrong - at least that's our story and we're sticking to it.  Our last couple of nights were staying at the Old Jailers Inn in Bardstown, KY  Got a tour of the old jail that housed prisoners until 1987.  

The back jail dates to 1874 and is completely surrounded by a stone wall.  It made for a lovely outside breakfast area - but back in the day would have felt a little differently.  

enjoy,

k

Searsport Maine to Machias to Cutler

 A lovely stay and visit to Captain John P Nichols' mansion...

dating back to 1860's with charm and character from the days of old.  Reminding us of the seafaring heritage brought over with the English sailors.

The Homeport Inn and Tavern is a treasure beautifully restored along with the English Pub located in the basement entertaining us a with her convivial atmosphere. 

From Searsport we drove up to Bucksport and made a stop to visit Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge.

A 19th century granite fort with tunnels that need to be explored.

Further up the coast to Cutler - known as the Bold Coast of Maine.  

So many well maintained trails to go exploring.  The further up the coast we went...

the fewer people we saw.  

We've come to appreciate the less "people-y" places on our adventures.  

enjoy,

k