Yes, I have actually moved — and am still moving because in seven years in Barton I have accumulated a lot of stuff. I am now in central New Hampshire in a small town in the Lakes Region. Today was officially my first day of residence here, even though I have been blogging from here for months now. The cats moved down here today, so now this truly is home. I am keeping the Vermont house for now but its future is uncertain. The kids are using it and caring for it without me. The kids have kept George and Mousie Cats, so I only have six cats here.
I have left a home in Vermont that I thought was my dream home, that I thought I would never leave. But I learned this year that life can change quickly in a positive direction. I am with my love in New Hampshire and will be here as long as we live. In future posts I will relate the story of how we met.
I don't like the mosquitoes here! John says, as they say in Maine, that they are the state bird of New Hampshire. I'm beginning to believe him! And there is poison ivy on the roadsides. John meticulously eradicates it on the land we live on. (As you can see, John can handle poison ivy with his bare hands without ever getting a rash.) But winters are shorter and there are more professional and social opportunities here. I'm finding it a wonderful place to live.
Potter Place Train Station
Vintage Luggage Display
Newly Acquired Hand Car
Caboose
J.C. Emons Store
Potter Place Train Station
The graves of Richard & Sally Potter
Cellar hole of the Potter home_/\_/\_
What's the story - Wilmot Civil War memorial
Author(s): MARGOT SANGER-KATZ
Date: December 18, 2006
Page: B01 / Section: Local/State
WALKERS IN WILMOT Flat may notice an unusual Civil War memorial. Alongside the former Chase Farm lies a plaque dedicated to an equine veteran of that war. Billy Buskin, a horse who lived to the unusual age of 30, was buried here by his owner.
Capt. Francis Chase, who rode Billy Buskin throughout the war, was a wagon master of an ammunition train during the war, according to Florence Langley's history of Wilmot, Glimpse of the Past.
Chase originally asked for special permission to bury his companion with the Chase family in the town's Pine Hill Cemetery, said Barbara Sanborn, a town historical society member and a member of the bicentennial committee that created the monument. The cemetery said no, so Chase buried Buskin near his home.
Descendents of Chase donated the plot to the town in 1973, along with the nearby plot where Chase's dog, Captain, rests.
MARGOT SANGER-KATZ
Copyright 2005 Concord Monitor
_/\_/\_
Friday was my birthday. And I'm not going to tell which one it was! I usually never talk about it at all. But this was an especially wonderful and loving birthday.
, a reading lamp for when we lose power, a scallop dinner at the Weathervane in Lebanon, New Hampshire, cards, phone calls, e-mails, Facebook messages, donations to Northwoods from England (thank you, Ruth!), Connecticut (thank you, Anna!), Washington, DC (thank you, Dan!), and California (thank you, Marj!), an iTunes certificate . . . what a day! To make it more special, John came up from New Hampshire on Thursday and we drove back to his place on Friday afternoon (see the next post for the reasons why). These loving remembrances make a woman feel needed, loved and not forgotten._/\_/\_
Fox fur
John points out a young deer track.
Glacial erratic with rock tripe and the natural amphitheater behind.
Rock tripe & American Rock ShieldRock tripe is an edible lichen found in eastern parts of the US that is commonly found on rock faces and cliffs. It is very sensitive to air pollution, so when you see it growing abundantly, chances are good that the air around you is unpolluted. . . . . rock tripe was used by the American Indians as a food source, but only after extensive soaking to remove its tannins. It was also purportedly eaten by George Washington’s soldiers in Valley Forge to prevent starvation. Nutritionally, rock tripe has one third more calories per weight than honey or corn flakes. In Japan, it is considered a delicacy and is called "iwa-take" for rock mushroom and is often served in salads or deep fried.
Rock Tripe. The most wonderful of all is probably the greenish-black rock tripe, found on the bleakest, highest rocks in the northern parts of this continent. There is a wonderful display of it on the cliffs about Mohonk Lake, in the Catskills. Richardson and Franklin, the great northern explorers, lived on it for months. It must be very carefully cooked or it produces cramps. First gather and wash it as clear as possible of sand and grit, washing it again and again, snipping off the gritty parts of the roots where it held onto the mother rock. Then roast it slowly in a pan till dry and crisp. Next boil it for one hour and serve it either hot or cold. It looks like thick gumbo soup with short, thick pieces of black and green leaves in it. It tastes a little like tapioca with a slight flavoring of licorice. On some it acts as a purge.
American Rock Shield
Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia (American Rock Shield) - The thallus is greenish yellow, forming orbicular colonies 3-12 cm broad, the central part tending to become densely lobulate (provided with numerous lobules) with age. Apothecia are common. The lower surface is tan and moderately rhizinate. Hale (1979) considers it common on exposed rocks.
Red bud_/\_/\_
Amethyst is a purple form of quartz. I became fascinated with the structure of the crystals after zooming in on this photograph of an amethyst geode that I took a week ago in New Hampshire at Gemstar Gemstones in Enfield. I saw the individual crystals in the photos below. This was the first time I ever saw a hexagonal prism in "real life." I have read that the crystals have a tetrahedral structure. Tetrahedrals are one of the five Platonic Solids (regular polyhedra). I also read that amethyst crystals are trigonal, meaning they have three-fold symmetry. An excellent discussion of trigonal crystals appears here.
Here, I zoomed in on the first photo. You can see the six-sided prisms here.
Here I zoomed in even further and clearly saw the hexagonal prism.
Gemstar Gemstones Set
John and I went to Gemstone Gems and I learned about jasper for the first time:Jasper is an opaque,[1] impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow or brown in color. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for snuff boxes. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded jasper. Jaspilite is a banded iron formation rock that often has distinctive bands of jasper. Jasper is basically chert which owes its red color to iron(III) inclusions. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9.[2]Jasper. (2009, March 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:23, March 22, 2009, from en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jasper&oldid=27512...
I was in New Hampshire this past weekend and we drove by the birthplace of Daniel Webster in Webster (of course), New Hampshire. For those of you outside the U.S., I quote the highway marker for the house:Daniel Webster was born here January 18, 1782. Statesman and lawyer, he served as U.S. Congressman from New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Senator from Massachusetts and Secretary of State under Presidents Harrison, Tyler and Fillmore. A noted orator, he achieved national recognition in the landmark Dartmouth College case. He died in Marshfield, Massachusetts October 24, 1852 and is buried there. He was one of the first men elected to the U.S. Senate Hall of Fame in 1957.
Thank you for stopping by!
ABC Wednesday
Friday, at Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, I stopped at a "wildlife viewing area." I thought this meant the animals would be happily waiting for us to take their photos. (Yes, I'm joking!) This viewing area was right next to the road (and New Hampshire drivers are very fast and noisy), so I couldn't figure out what animal would be nuts enough to hang out here. I then ran across this sign. I have to post this photo because it states facts that are so obvious that you wonder why New Hampshire used a tree to make the sign:Technorati tags: moose Dixville+Notch New+HampshireAre You Too Close For Comfort?Always allow animals to carry out their normal behavior and activities. They will give you clues to let you know when you are too close. Pay attention to these clues and you will have a safe and responsible wildlife viewing experience.
Look for clues.YOU ARE TOO CLOSE IF:
- The animal turns its back toward you, stops eating, changes direction of travel, or stands when resting.
- An animal flees into the woods.
- The animal you are looking at has its head up and ears pointed toward you.
- The animals are nervous or jumpy whenever you move or make a noise.
- A moose's ears are at a 45° angle and the hair on the bak of the neck is standing up.
- An animal begins to charge you. Be afraid for your life.
Dixville Notch, New Hampshire
Here lies buried the first and only settlers of Dixville until 1865, John Whittemore and his wife Betsey. Dixville had been granted to Colonel Timothy Dix in 1805 on the condition that thirty settlers be established here within five years. Colonel Dix died in the War of 1812. The town was taken over by Daniel Webster, a sponsor of Colonel Dix.
After the Whittemore's (sic) arrived in 1812 they endured extreme privations for three years. A road through the notch was opened, but not broken out in the winter, causing them to be isolated. In December, 1815 Betsey died. Her husband was obliged to keep her body frozen all winter before he could bury it. Following her death John moved to Colebrook where he lived until his death in 1846. He was laid to rest here by his wife's side.New Hampshire State Parks
BETSEY, Wife of JOHN WHITTEMORE, DIED Dec. 15, 1815. AE. 36 y's.7m's.21 dys.
Google Earth view. To download the .kmz file so that you may view in your Google Earth, click here.
New Hampshire has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primaries since 1920. With the first presidential "beauty contest" in 1952, our citizens have personally met the candidates and by popular ballot have declared their preference for their party's nominee. Since 1960, Dixville has been the first community in the state and country to cast its handful of votes in national elections. On election eve 100% of the eligible voters gather in the Ballot Room of The BALSAMS. At midnight polls open and a few minutes later promptly close. The results are broadcast around the world.
The Balsams
Dixville Notch as seen from The Balsams.
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