Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Up and Running ~



My internet is back up.  I'm happy for that, but what a nightmare it has been.  I don’t do well on my phone, so I am thankful it is finally on.  So funny.  I think we spoke with ”John” in India.  He said the service tech would be here between 8am and noon.  Then he proceeded to say that it could be as late as 2:45pm.  Why didn’t he just say between 8am and 2:45pm???  So the phone guy gets the line hooked back up and I have him wait to be sure I can get online on my desktop.  Whoopee!  I'm on.  But . . .  later I discover no WiFi.  DSO spends at least an hour and a half on the phone trying to get it resolved.  $79.99 later there is a resolution.  Next problem discovered . . . I can't access my email on my iPhone.  A half hour more on the phone and that's fixed.  Then today I can't receive email on my desktop.  ARGH!!!  I am about ready to scream and nothing I've tried has worked.  I need to make a call but just don't have the time.  Now I see my font has been changed on my blog and the font I like is not an option in the toolbar shown.  I've searched around and can't find what I am looking for and don't have the time to continue searching.  Can you say frustrated?

Anyway . . . back to the trip.  Our first stop was Shelburne, Vermont.  That will be a post in itself.  I LOVED Shelburne.  We had planned to spend just one day there.  Thankfully the admission ticket is good for two days because we spent another half day there, but really could have used the entire day.  

From Shelburne, we headed to Barre, VT to the Rock of Ages granite quarry.  The quarry is know for its “Barre gray” granite.  At the rate they are mining the granite, it is predicted they can mine for the next 4,500 years.  We went in the factory and saw them working on gravestones.  Some of them were massive.


 
Next stop was Hope Cemetery in Barre.  The weather was really not cooperating at that point, so we drove through and only got out a couple times.  It would have been a peaceful place to walk around, admiring the headstones.  Currently, any headstone placed in the cemetery must be made from "Barre gray" granite.






The next day was spent at Mt. Washington.  At 6,288 feet, it is the highest point in the east.  Noted for horrible weather, the summit until recently held the record for the highest recorded wind velocity at 231 mph on April 12, 1934.  From the base of the mountain, you could not see the top.  Heck, you could hardly see anything it was so foggy. 





We had pre-purchased tickets for the cog railway up the mountain, but I held little hope that we would be able to see anything once we reached the summit.  Ironically, when at the summit, we encountered the best weather of the entire trip.  Sunny, warmish and little wind.  We were above the clouds and the views were spectacular.

Cairns guide hikers to the summit.


DSO scaring the bejesus out of me!




A highlight of the trip was heading to Holderness to meet up with Cathy of Acorn Hollow and her dear hubby.  From the moment we hugged hello, it was like we had just seen each other yesterday.  What a sweetie ~ hubby, too.  We were so busy talking, we never even took one picture   She delighted me with a bag full of New Hampshire goodies.  Thank you, Cathy.  Oh, and her home is just beautiful.  Built by her hubby 30 years ago, I could just move in. 


On our last day, we headed to Quechee Gorge, the Grand Canyon of the east.  Thankfully the rains had subsided that morning and we got to go on an off-road Segway tour.  I do love a Segway.  So easy to maneuver.  Our guide was great, giving us much history of the area.  I was so happy he took us off beginner mode so at times we were able to cruise at 10 MPH.





After Quechee, we went to the iconic New England town of Woodstock.  There the rains returned, but we walked around in the rain. 



Hydrangeas must love the climate.
They were gorgeous.





Just outside of town, I walked around this old cemetery (while DSO made a reservation for the night).  The stones were very weathered and most were hard to read.  Deaths ranged from the very early 1800’s to a few in the mid 1900’s.







All in all, it was a great trip.  Fall color was running a bit late this year, so we missed out on most of that.  There were a few areas that would have been gorgeous had the sun been shining, but it wasn’t meant to be . . . sigh.  1600+ miles in 6 days.  A whirlwind trip for sure.




Tomorrow and Thursday I am taking a class with Caroline Twigg of Eagles Nest Woolens.  Friday and Saturday will be spent at Sauder Village for a hooking retreat.  I have to leave there a bit early to get home to attend my first masquerade ball (put on by the historical society we belong to) and then Sunday is a historic homes tour in a nearby town.  WHEW!  I'm tired just thinking about it and hopefully will have time for a quick post.
 
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

14 comments:

Jacqueline said...

I am so jealous of your trip. Thank you for sharing the pictures. I can't get over the size of some of those headstones. The one of the couple sort of freaked me out.

Enjoy your fun filled week.

marly said...

Really enjoyed your post and the photos. Just beautiful views. So interesting to walk around cemeteries and see the very old and the very ornate markers.

acorn hollow said...

I am glad you enjoyed your trip to our area. and so sorry the rain just would not quit.
have fun at the ball and the house tour!
Cathy
ps we loved our visit too!

Julia said...

Lauren, you sure live an exciting and full life. No rocking chair and thumb twiddling for you. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
I feel bad that the weather was not cooperating.

How frustrating about all the trouble you're having with your internet and email etc. I hope you can return back to normal. One of my blogger friends got hacked really bad so it makes me a bit nervous. Evil people can just destroy someone's life just sitting at home through their computers.

Have fun with your class and retreat at Sauder.
Hugs, Julia


Saundra said...

I share your sentiments on the frustration of electronic devices and things that don't work when you want them. Trip sounded lovely and am looking forward to your Twigg posts.

village folk art said...

Boy, did you bring back a few memories. We lived in Manchester for a couple of years. It was like being on vacation all that time. We had hoped to move there until Hubs had Open heart surgery and I found out I had Bladder cancer. All this was too far from our children so we returned to SoCal. That was 18 years ago and we are both still kickin'.
It is a beautiful, scenically, state. The happier version of this comment is you had a fabulous trip and are back home safe and sound.

Margaret T. Zenk said...

Lauren, so excited to see your post. We have a home in Quechee and I was just there Friday-Monday for a nice getaway, where I hooked in quiet solitude and also antiqued till I dropped. I'll have to go further north to Barre one day. Also never been to Shelburne. Trying to get our moneys' worth from the house I guess doesn't leave much opportunity to venture any further. Nice photos!

Prims By The Water said...

Youzers you have a busy schedule. Hope you have fun! Your trip sounded amazing! I have been to Vermont and NH. We went just to check out all of the covered bridges. It was fun! So glad you were able to meet Cathy. Love old tombstones too! Janice

Lori from Notforgotten Farm said...

Thank you for the beautiful photos and allowing us to 'be' on your trip with you Lauren!
Although the weather seemed not to cooperate at times, that is New England for ya ;) I am an avid segway-rider too ~ just love them! {brother in law used to own a company in CT & FL} the cemetery photos are beautiful, love them and miss mine in CT ~ have a great time at Sauder and happy to know you can post about your fun times again :)
Lori

Kimberly said...

Segway looks tricky never been on one :) Beautiful photos, thank you for sharing:) Have a great day & happy hooking!

woolwoman said...

Im sorry about all your connectivity or NO connectivity challenges. Your trip looked just fantastic. Loved seeing and hearing about it. I've been to NY, VT, CT, DE, MA but somehow missed NH. I would love to hit Maine and NH sometime. Sorry the weather was so crummy but you didn't look too deterred. WOW - what a fantastic few events you have coming up. I will say it again - I'm amazed at all the hooking opportunities you have. Enjoy it all - Mel

Farm Girl said...

What a wonderful trip. I loved seeing your pictures. I do hope you get everything worked out with your service. My two youngest sons are IT techs, I wish they could come and fix everything for you.

Have a fun weekend. It sounds like an action packed weekend.

Margaret said...

So glad you got your internet back. It's amazing how we miss it when we don't have it! Glad you had a good trip too. Too bad it rained the whole time, but it looks like you had a great time anyway. Hope you got all the various issues fixed now that the basic internet is back. I hate having those issues too.

cocoya said...

Please let me know if you're looking for a author for your site. You have some really great posts and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd really like to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an email if interested. Thanks!
slot online