More NH Trip Highlights

I'm back in western Washington but I still have some NH pics to post.  

I had the opportunity to have some great visits with some of my close friends.  I've been friends with Kristin since high school and she recently had a little baby boy!  It was great to catch up.

Isn't he cute??  I also got to see another Cristyn (yup, they spell their names very differently)in Massachusetts. We had a blast catching up and hanging out with her little cutie (who reminds me of Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) with her curls.  Since it was a gorgeous day, we drove to a local orchard/farm.  I attempted to take some nice photos of Cristyn and her little one while we were there.  What do you think?

The weather was perfect.  This is one of my favorite pictures from that day.

Check out this pig, aptly named Big Boy, who weighs around 1000 pounds! 

Apparently, he'll eat anything.

This chicken cracked us up.  You can't help but smile when a chicken has feather feet.

We didn't pick apples, especially since there were numerous kindergarten groups (which left me feeling nostalgic) who were clamoring to get their own bag.

I couldn't remember when I had last been here (this orchard is located near my college) but Noa reminded me that we got pumpkins from here years ago when we were newlyweds.

I never get enough time with Cristyn, but it's always a happy, memorable visit when I do get to see her.

Back in NH, it got chilly, which means dad had to fire up the wood stove.  

Oh, and I haven't mentioned the Bragdons' favorite furry friend, Bailey.  I think he got annoyed with me and my bright camera flash.  But, even if he's a bit moody, he's a good looking cat and I can't visit without some photos of him.

You might be wondering what he's looking at out the window.  My guess is that he's looking for the wild turkeys that frequent the neighborhood.  Mom grabbed my camera one early morning when she spotted them outside in our yard.

A few brave ones even ventured onto the porch!

Hopefully, there will be another visit out east again soon.

Why I {Heart} New Hampshire

I'm spending a little time in NH to see family and friends.  Unfortunately, Noa had work commitments and couldn't make this trip, so I'm here solo.  Every time I come back to the east coast, I fall in love with this part of the country all over again.  New England is sometimes viewed as a rough part of the country with it's cold winters and strange accent, but I delight in the eccentricities of this area.  To me, it is a beautiful, vibrant place.

One thing that appeals to me is the fact that New England offers variety: ocean, city, mountains....they've got it all.  This time of year is the most spectacular in terms of scenery.  The hills just light up with color!

The colors of nature make it easy to celebrate fall and the harvest season around here.  I always enjoy stopping at local farm stands that are just bursting with pumpkins.

Spending time with family is always a priority when I visit.  So far, I've been able to do some fun things in just a short time here, like taking a ride with my dad on his Gold Wing.  We ventured up to Mount Uncanoonuc (which is a Native American word for "breast" given that there are two mountains side-by-side...ha ha).  It was a beautiful scenic drive through the back roads of NH.  At the top of Mt. Uncanoonuc, we could see Manchester and Boston through the reds and yellows of the leaves.  And we got to meet some nice folks from Massachusetts who had their two boxers with them.  It's always a good day in my book when you get to see foliage and dogs.

I just couldn't resist doing my robot imitation before leaving.  The padding inside the motorcycle jacket makes you feel like Iron Man or C3PO.

See ya!

That's Manchester, NH right behind us.

We had a family-style breakfast with Papa.  At 82, he's constantly cooking or baking up a storm at his house.  He brought over some tasty apple cake.  You gotta love a guy who knows his way around a kitchen!

The family hiked Pack Monadnock on Saturday and we had the most beautiful weather!  The trails were busy, but it didn't take away from the beauty of the hike and the four of us cracking jokes along the way.

Love this photo of mom and dad.

Did I mention that we cracked jokes? Yeah, Anoli and I had way too much fun acting like a bunch of nuts.  Ah, just like the good ol'days.

It was a bit windy at the top.  Pardon the crazy hair.

I try to fit in visits with close friends, even if those visits are short.  Scott and Kerry have known me since my awkward days as a preteen.  The fact that they still choose to visit with me after all those perms and middle school girl drama amazes me.

The Cummings family are pretty much an extension of our own family.  They've known us for so long, I don't remember life without them.  We had an early Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday since we have so much to be thankful for recently.  Aaron couldn't even look at the camera, he was so enamored by his little cutie.

So, there's a glimpse for you of just SOME of the reasons I love NH.  My visits are never long enough!  More to come!

Celebrating My Better Half

Yesterday I got to celebrate my better half for his birthday.  It was a regular working day for Noa, but I tried to sprinkle gifts throughout the day to make it special.  As you can see, the dogs were helpful in keeping it festive.

For a celebratory dinner, we headed north to a town called Poulsbo.  Poulsbo is a quaint little town that is considered "little Norway" as it has a strong Norwegian influence and history.  The downtown is simply adorable with it's small, street side shops and restaurants, flower pots and Norwegian flags.

It was a beautiful evening.  Perfect for a walk in the park along the water.

We had dinner at one of the downtown restaurants called Mor Mor.  We had been there once for lunch with our realtor and wanted to try it out for dinner. 

We were not disappointed.  For an appetizer, we started out with the tart flambee.  Basically, they take flatbread and toast it with creme fraiche, bacon, and caramelized onions on top.  Mmmm...delish!

For dinner, Noa had the salmon and I had the beef tenderloins.  Again....delicious!

For dessert we shared a piece of German chocolate cake (Noa's fav) at the "hometel" from a local bakery.  

Probably the best gift of the day (for both of us) was that a recent offer on a house in Poulsbo was accepted by the seller!  So, we've already started the official home buying process.  If all goes well, we should be closing in about a month!  Keep your fingers crossed for us!  I'm excited to finally settle down.

To Noa:  I love you more each an every day and am so thankful you are in my life.   I look forward to many more adventures together with you, my best friend.   Happy birthday!

 

Through the Woods

I decided to check out some trails here on base with the dogs.  I figured it would be a short outing, since the trails are located near a recreation area with fields, a playground, picnic tables, etc.  My thoughts were that the trails were most likely geared towards families and were probably not very long or arduous so that kids could hike on them.  And that was the case with the first trail.  It was short (maybe only a 1/4 of a mile), but very lush and green.  There were even little signs that identified the plant life.  After turning around and making it back to the starting point, I decided to try the other trail.  After walking this trail for a few minutes, I realized that I was wrong about the trails.  The trail was not only lush, but winding and took us all over the dense forest.  There was mature growth, lots of moss, squirrels, bird, and other critters, and lots of paths to choose from.  Who knew there was such a great hiking area right in our "backyard"?!

Since I didn't expect much initially, I left my camera at home, but luckily I had brought my phone.  So, excuse the poor photo quality, but I couldn't help but share this find.  I let the dogs "lead" the way since the trail was pretty skinny.

Sadie on a log.  The dogs loved sniffing EVERYTHING.

So beautiful!  I loved the sun streaming through the trees.  If only I had my real camera....this picture doesn't quite capture the vibrant colors of the forest.

Can you see the silhouette of the little squirrel on the tree?  This little guy was not happy that we were intruding on his turf.  He was literally yelling at us.  It probably didn't help that I just kept standing there with my two sighthounds (who were at the ready to chase him), trying to take his picture.

We saw lots of cool, sciency things, like decomposing mushrooms.

I tried to get the dogs to look cute on a fallen log.  They begrudgingly obliged.

All that traipsing through the forest leads to some tired puppies on the short ride home. 

Washington {Hearts} Coffee

New England has Dunkin Donuts every few blocks.

The South has a Waffle House at each highway exit.

In Okinawa you can get a drink from a vending machine whenever you are thirsty since they are located on every corner.

We all know that Seattle is the coffee capital since Starbucks originated there, but what I didn't know is that the entire state is serious about coffee.  Picture this: you are driving around, running errands, and need a pick-me-up.  Simply pull into the nearest strip mall and you're sure to find one of these babies in the parking lot:

This, my friends, is a coffee shack (also known as a coffee stand or coffee shed).  These drive through/ walk up coffee shops serve your latte or mochaccino any way you like.  They are all over the place - usually found in a parking lot.  Here are just a few from two different streets nearby.

Apparently the competition can be so cut-throat that owners have resorted to opening naughty coffee shacks, (we don't frequent those).  So far the only problem I've encountered is that these are all independently owned so my soy vanilla lattes have varied in taste from one shack to another.  My new task is to determine which one is my favorite.

And you can bet I'll take you there when you come visit.  :)