To The Nature!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: New Hampshire is SOOOOOOOOO pretty! I really just enjoyed driving around because, again, there are forests everywhere, beautiful lakes off the side of the road, and cute towns around each curve of the road. Clearly it's a great place to go if you want to get outside and enjoy the nature. The White Mountain National Forest is a few hours north of Wolfeboro and easy to get to. When I arrived, I stopped by the ranger station and the nicest lady showed me the "must sees" that would give me a great overview in just one afternoon of what the park has to offer. She was not mistaken. Here are some of the things I saw:
Hey There Boston!
Next stop, Boston. As a lover of all things history, I was excited to walk the Freedom Trail...again. I did it for the first time on a family vacation after 8th grade, when we had just learned about things like the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre and the Battle for Bunker Hill. I remember thinking it was SO COOL that I could walk around beantown and see the actual locations where all these things I had just learned about took place, and I was excited to re-live that journey as an adult. (Actually, I had spent the summer feeling the thrill of visiting historically significant sites as I made my way across the US). I was also excited because the freedom trail loops through a good chunk of Boston, so I knew it would also be a good way to see the city.
Walking around Boston, I was amazed at how much I remembered from my first tour of the Freedom Trail. Admittedly, I have been to Boston many times over the years, so I have by default seen many of the locations again as a tourist, but I was still pretty proud that I remembered most of the big historical details. Walking through the museums was like reading a good story over again, but I also noticed new things that I hadn't picked up on as a kid. And of course, your frame of reference changes as you grow up and have a better understanding of how the world works. All in all, I walked the 2.5 mile loop around town and enjoyed the history, great weather, shops, people and food (hello North End pasta and dessert!). Such a great day. I also took a TON of pics, but I'm only posting a few of them here :)
Witch Hunting in Salem
A long long time ago, there were witches. In Salem. Or were there? Actually, a long long time ago (but not quite as long ago as the witch epidemic), my family and I stopped in Salem to see the House of the Seven Gables (made famous by the connection to Nathaniel Hawthorne) but it was night time, rainy, and closed. (That's what I remember. Except I think the gift shop was open so we bought some books). Since my first trip to Salem was a bust, I thought I'd go and do it right. After researching things to do, I realized there were in fact, a LOT of things to do and see in Salem (including a jazz and blues fest, which I decided to check out while in town!!!! I love me some jazz and blues!). AND, Mary decided to come with me, so I also had some excellent company!
The history around the Salem Witch Trials is fascinating and I couldn't get enough. Admittedly, many of the museums cover the same information, but it was all very interesting and I loved it all. For those of you who don't know, the witch trials began in 1692 and the craze lasted for about 13 months. During that time, 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and were imprisoned, 19 men and women were hung, one man was crushed to death, seven died in prison and two dogs were killed (those sneaky witchy dogs). This whole craze was essentially started by bored, puritan-raised girls who listened to the fantastical tales of a Carribbean slave named Tituba. That combined with a poor economy, illness and lots of property disputes and personal vendettas, not to mention the use of "spectral evidence" created the total chaos that was the witch hunt. Do yourself a favor and go to Salem to check it all out for yourself! (I personally think I'll have to go back for Halloween one year, as the town goes all out for that holiday!)
After much walking around (including a trip to the Pirate museum, because yes, Salem had witches and pirates!!!!!!!!), Mary and I decided to skip the House of the Seven Gables (after all that?!?!) to hit up the Jazz and Blues Festival. We got there just in time to catch the last band, but had a jolly good time scoping out the music and drinking the beer :)
Hanging with the Pirates!!
To the Top of Mt. Major!
While I did get to enjoy the White Mountain National Forest, I didn't get to do quite as much hiking as I had hoped, so I was very excited when the Sprinces did the local Mt. Major hike with me on weekend morning! It was the perfect hike: not ridiculously long, but also steep/challenging enough that you got a good workout, and very pretty! The kiddos made the trek with us, with Tyler stopping to climb the big big rocks, and Morgan holding her own on the whole hike! Amazing!!
Finally, my time in Wolfeboro was coming to an end. After working my final shift at the Corner Store (tears!), I headed over to Julie's house where she was cooking up some delicious ribs for a farewell bbq for yours truly. I had so much fun catching up with all my cousins, chatting, laughing and eating. And what Hansell family gathering would be complete without games? None! (duh!). Two rounds of kid-friendly apples to apples followed by a fun game of poker made for a memorable night. (And I got to drink some (okay, almost the whole bottle of) amazing homemade apple vodka which was sooooooo yummy!) Earlier in the night Morgan got a hold of my camera and took some great pics....
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