SUGAR, SUGAR, You Are My Candy Girl!

SERIOUS SUGAR OVERLOAD! That is the best description for my Tuesday in Vermont. It started with getting dressed and quick pic of my outfit. Then on the road again...

I had a GORGEOUS drive through the White Mountain Forest to my first stop in St. Johnsbury, VT. Maple Grove Farms one of the oldest Maple Farms in Vermont, almost 100 years old, also the largest maple syrup packer in the U.S.

Here is a maple candy mold, I thought it was cute.

After tasting maple candies, maple syrup and spreads I headed to Waterbury, VT for apple cider!

Such a cute building.

Live cider press and I got to taste the freshest cider ever, straight from the press. It was DELICIOUS, seriously I'm craving it right now!

At Cold Hollow Cider Mill, they have apple EVERYTHING, cider, spreads, jams, butters to taste and buy. They also have a million other types of jams and spreads to try. It was a good thing too, because I didn't have breakfast so all I had eaten thus far were samples. Along with a few other things I purchased, I bought apple cider donuts. YUM!!!

I drove 3 miles down the road and stopped at this little place...

When they started up, to gain nation wide recognition they drove a van like this all over the country.

...follow the giant ice-cream...

Look Ma! I'm on the Ben&Jerry's container!

These are the most bought flavors, they said they rarely change.

 The tour was really fun and they made a lot of cow jokes, like moooove over and ones much more hilarious. They gave huge samples at the end of the tour. Then I went to the little on-site ice-cream shop and got a few more samples - Late Night Snack with Jimmy Falon and Schweddy Balls, both were much better than I was expecting. And both were HUGE spoonfuls, it took me a couple minutes to finish before I could give my order. I had the Americone Dream and Coconut Seven Layer Bar.

 So excited...

 ...mmmmmm, scrumptious!

I was CRAZY stuffed when I left there, no room for anything healthy. So on to the capitol of Vermont - Montpelier. By population, it is the smallest state capitol in the U.S. But it still had a very elegant capitol building for a teeny tiny town.

I was grateful I had picked up brochures at the motels along the way because in the Vermont one, I found Joseph Smith's birthplace listed. Joseph Smith was a prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (of which I am a proud member.)

 This is one solid piece of granite 38.5 feet long, one for each year of his life. It is the largest solid piece of granite in the world. Many miracles helped to get this monument built in 1905, one including a river freezing solid, which hasn't frozen since.

Below, the gray rock hearth of the fireplace is exactly where it was when Joseph's birth home stood, it was uncovered after the church had purchased the property.

 Visitor Center where Joseph's home stood and look how beautiful Vermont is, the rolling hills filled with trees.

I learned quite a bit about Joseph's parents, their stolen business profits, the entire family contracting typhoid, the constant crop failures-  the Lord really shoved them to New York.
My final Vermont stop was a cheese place way in backwoods, dirt roads Vermont. It was dark by the time I got there and just a little farmhouse, so I didn't take any pictures. I did sample a lot of great cheeses, including a couple different white cheddars. I also sampled more jams and spreads. Then I headed south to Albany, New York. Weather thus far, had been AMAZING high 50s/ low 60s and sunny. About an hour out of Albany it started raining and rained the entire night. I checked into my motel and it was not even 8pm! I was starving and there was a Thai place right next door so I went there for dinner.  Water House Blue Spice, it was such a pretty restaurant, it included floor and table seating. The decor was simple but elegant. The service was fast and my egg soup was delish and my yellow thai had great flavor. My only complaint was that the potatoes were under cooked. But I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and would definitely go back.

I Put a Spell On You...

Monday morning, November 21, 2011 I woke up and took a short drive to Salem, MA. My first stop was the Witch Dungeon Museum.

It is on the site of the original Salem prison, but of course the original was torn down many, many years ago. But they had this stage where for an audience of one (me) they acted out part of the trials and then we moved downstairs where they had a replica of the prison cells. One man refused to say anything, so they couldn't convict and hang him. They then decided to put heavy rocks on him to force him to talk, he only said "more" and eventually he died from the rocks. CRAZY!

Click on the below pic to make it bigger and look carefully, its a woman in a cell barely wide enough for her and not even 5 feet tall! They also had to pay for their cell, food, and clothing so if they didn't have family support they starved or froze to death - a few, including a baby did.

Here's a painting of Gallows Hill, where 19 innocent hung.

All of this nonsense because of some stupid girls. In the Puritan faith, children weren't allowed to play and they got caught dancing and acting out the stories from their African maid in the woods. Witches were the perfect excuse to get to act out and get all the attention they hadn't been receiving. Stupid girls, yes I said it.

This was just a super funny set-up, again click on the picture to make it bigger and notice the blood spewing from the guy just punched. So funny looking! This represents when the girls described some tall guy all in black and everyone thought it was this guy (in chains) and townspeople went to pick him up.

This is right on main street, I thought it was hilarious! In case you didn't know its from the old tv show Bewitched.

The entire epidemic lasted for 16 months, what finally ended it was the fact that the governor's wife was accused of being a witch. The governor looked at the trials and found all the people had been convicted on spectral evidence - evidence that only the girls could see, feel, hear and not physical evidence. Spectral evidence was disallowed and the remaining people were let go. Below is part of the memorial for all those innocent people who died, in a such a sad, tragic hysteria.

On the water's edge is The House of the Seven Gables, the namesake of Nathaniel Hawthorne's book of the same name.

I then left Salem and headed to Concord, NH - the capitol. It was fairly small in comparison to others I've seen, but it was still elegant. And personal side note: I don't think capitols should be as crazy huge as they are, save some money.

This note was in the Senate guest balcony, I found it quite humorous.

 Here is the Senate Chamber. I also saw the House Chamber but it was pretty plain and there I actually cut across the room to try and get a picture. It had a sign and rope that said not to, but nobody was around and I wanted to get on the other side of the building without having to go downstairs and around. I felt quite adventurous unhooking the rope and crossing and nobody saw me :)

 After that quick stop, it was onto Cape Elizabeth, ME. If you've read my other posts or just even the title you probably realized I'm quite in love with my name. And I really wanted to see a lighthouse and I found a great one in a little old place called Cape Elizabeth, how perfect!

I got there right before the park closed and with still a little bit of light. How quaint and beautiful. I think I want to move into this lighthouse.

 The shore and the light was so peaceful, especially since the place was practically empty.

 Lighthouses are just pretty.

 After the very peaceful and happy moment and watching the stars come out over the ocean, I headed to find somewhere to have some good seafood. I was in Portland, Maine for goodness sake. I used the Yelp App on my phone and went into south Portland, only to find the restaurant closed on Mondays, what the heck! Then I found another one back in Cape Elizabeth that also had rave reviews, so I drove out there just to find it completely shut down. I headed to a third place in downtown Portland, this time it was a store, not a restaurant and closed for the night. But there was a place down the street that looked cute and had a lobster dinner special. Gilbert's Chowder Shop, one great find!
I love clam chowder and it having chowder in the name, I had to have some and OH MY GOODNESS!!! DELISH!!!

 This restaurant was right on a wharf and all sea decor-ed, it was really cute.

I love this sailor!

 My lobster, cole slaw, and fries. ALL of it YUUUUMMMY!!! The fries were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and perfectly seasoned. The cole slaw had a great zesty flavor and wasn't just cabbage and mayonaise. And the lobster, fresh and delicious. I finished it all and was sooo stuffed.

I had one more stop before headed to my motel - Augusta, ME, just a short drive from Portland and the capitol of Maine.

 It was only around 7:30 but it was sooo dark, a thicker darkness than I'm used to. And the streets were EMPTY, nobody was out, it felt so strange to me. PS I love the windows in the dome.

Then I drove to the Royalty Inn in Gorham, NH right at the top of the White Mountain National Forest. I totally recommend this place, its a great location, a lot around. Indoor and outdoor pool, arcade, spa and great rooms. There is an amusement park not far away and little antique places and hiking and waterfalls. I didn't actually go do any of these because I didn't have the time. But I would if I ever go back. As for me, I was just happy to be climbing into bed.

I Can Sleep When I Die

Saturday I was up by 8am, crazy tired but when traveling I seem to have a constant mantra in my head of "this will probably be my only time here, I don't have time to waste, I can sleep when I get home." It just seems to run through my head when I start feeling tired, I just can't stop, I have to do it all. One of my coworkers, Matt, always tells me, "you can sleep when you die." I think its a valid point, I can rest when I die, but with all the traveling this year and with getting a bit older, it is more and more difficult for me to literally keep going without sleep. This trip though, I just kept going despite the more than a few VERY late nights. I can sleep when I die!

So this motel provided a great breakfast, not just donuts and coffee, it had EVERYTHING. So I ate a HUGE breakfast and took an apple for the road, not knowing when I would eat next. If you have seen 2 Fast 2 Furious, remember Tyrese's character and how he ate a TON because he never knew when he'd get his next meal.

He's looking pretty hungry here :) My point, well that is ABSOLUTELY how I felt on this trip - I truly never knew when my next meal would be. Eating was kind of like sleep, if it fit in ok, but if it didn't, it didn't.
Well enough with the commentary. So after breakfast, I got on the road to Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut. Whats there you ask? A pottery place.  Of course it was way back in the woods and I lost my gps signal and when I finally got a signal to call, I found out they weren't making pottery that day and just the store was opened. I didn't feel like driving another half an hour just for a store so I headed south to Hartford, CT.
The drive though was BEAUTIFUL! The trees, hills, running streams and a little waterfall. I'm completely under-selling this drive, it was seriously breathtaking. And no, I did not get pictures because it was mostly a two-lane, windy road without a shoulder so I didn't feel comfortable stopping suddenly. Just trust me, it would make an incredible Sunday drive.
Next stop, Hartford, the capitol of Connecticut and also the home to Samuel Clemens and family for several years. If you're unsure of who Samuel Clemens is, think Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, yep the author known as Mark Twain! So as I was getting close to Hartford I saw signs for Harriet Beecher Stowe's home also! Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain were neighbors, so it was nice to be able to park and walk between two historical sites and not have to drive as much.
This is the back of the house, the view from the parking lot.

 This is the other side of the house, you can see where the carriages would pull up. It was an INCREDIBLE house. The entryway alone had all this etching right into the wood that took more than two years to do. Of course no photos were allowed inside. I also learned Samuel had trouble focusing on his writing. His first office on the second floor had a big window bench with cushions that he kept napping on. Then he moved up to the third floor billiards room but he kept playing pool. So finally he put a little desk in the corner of that room so he faced the wall and that was much more successful for him.

In the museum down the hill from the house was this lego statue of Twain, I thought it was awesome!

 Here is Harriet's house. It was where she lived for the longest amount of her life. It was one of the first manufactured homes in Hartford. Much smaller than Twain's home but still a good size. She loved plants and even made her own little indoor greenhouse.

 The capitol, very regal looking building.

Also as I was heading to the freeway to leave Hartford, I saw Occupy Hartford. On this trip I happened to see Occupy X in almost every city. What idiots.

On to New Haven, CT - home of Yale University. It was a very pretty campus and when I got there the Harvard Yale football game had just ended so the streets were swarmed with people and cars.

All the old brick buildings were charming. Random fact: Yale was started by Cotton Mather because Harvard would not take him as president of their school. This was due to Cotton's involvement in the Salem Witch Trials and his weird research of the supernatural (he dug up bodies of some of those killed in the witch trials.)

Yes, they too had Occupy New Haven in a park right on the edge of campus but there were some cops there kicking people out. So I continued to drive. On to Narragansett, RI to see a lighthouse. But by the time I got there it was too dark and the lighthouse park was closed so I couldn't see it. I drove into Providence to see the capitol and get some seafood. The Capitol was gorgeous, especially at night.

So I used the the yelp app on my phone to find a good seafood place in Providence. It gave me Horton's as one of the oldest and most liked places.

 I had clam cakes (dark brown, back center), fried shrimp, fried scallops and a baked potato. The shrimp was great, I didn't love the fried scallops or clam cakes. But it was fun to try it all.

After my very fatty dinner, I headed to the motel in Massachusetts. I was in my room by 9:30pm, SHOCKER! But I had to plan out my next day and I wasn't asleep until after midnight, just to get up at 7am to get on the road again. Sleep deprived and with a wet head, I still think I looked okay.

I drove into Cambridge and went to sacrament at the Harvard singles ward. It was the tiniest single's ward and chapel I have ever seen! And the first speaker was totally weird and didn't even have a testimony, she stated so multiple times. The second speaker was much better. The building was very quaint though.

Then I walked around Harvard. It has some very pretty buildings and I felt smarter just being there.

I also took this very cute pic of myself.

Then I drove a little ways down the road and saw this...

 Beautiful!

 It is now one of my favorite temples and I LOVED how on the freeway it stands out, strong and majestic.

From this peaceful spot I drove a little further northwest to Lexington, the birthplace of American Liberty.
Below is the Battle Green where the first shots of the American Revolution took place.

The Old Belfry, where the alarm was sounded.

See this big, leaf covered hill and in the top center is the Belfry, well I just hiked up this trying not to slip and fall (with my no traction boots). It was quite difficult to get up to the Belfry.

Then once I got up to the Belfry and started walking around I see this, yep, I'm an idiot. I walked right passed these stone steps and didn't see them. Thankfully the way down was much easier.

This is the Paul Revere capture site in the Minute Man National Park with a little wall representing the wall Prescott jumped to get away from the British patrol and went on to sound the alarm in Concord.

From here I headed a few miles west to Concord. A little town just as full of history. I saw the Wayside House, home to Nathaniel Hawthorne and the childhood home of Louisa May Alcott, also part of the Underground Railroad.

Just a few houses down was the later home of Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women). Interesting facts: She never married, had the same birthday as her dad, and died the day after her dad did. Definitely a daddy's girl :) She also taught herself to be ambidextrous because she would often write for 14 hours at a time.

In the picture above to the left of the Orchard House was this building. Louisa's dad ran a school in it. It reminded me of the house in that cartoon movie Up.

A quarter mile away was the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I just kept thinking what a time that would have been to live in Concord with all these great authors.

Because the Alcott house had a gas leak scare they postponed the tours, so I went into the Concord Museum  while waiting. Here is exactly how Ralph Waldo Emerson's study looked, it is mostly all his furniture and a few replicas.

 I love the wall of books. Someday I want a study with all four walls floor to ceiling books (think Professor Higgins' study in my Fair Lady.)

 Here is one of the lantern's hung in the Belfry on that fateful night.

 Also Henry Thoreau's green desk.

I then drove a couple miles to the North Bridge where the first battle of the Revolutionary War took place, April 19, 1775.

 After seeing the bridge, I then went back and took the tour at the Alcott house where I learned all those interesting facts. One more about Louisa's younger sister May, who like her character in Little Women Amy, was an artist and lived most of her life in Europe. May recognized the talent and supported the young artist Daniel Chester French. He sculpted the Minute Man Statue in Lexington and then went onto sculpt an even more famous monument in D.C. - The Lincoln Memorial! French along with Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott, Hawthorne, and their families are all buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

 I've said before how I like cemeteries, and it was awesome getting to visit this legendary cemetery. It was really cool to wander through. I didn't have much time though because I had to race to Boston.

In a brochure I had picked up, the last walking tour of Boston started at 5pm, so I sped to Boston and parked illegally and sprinted across the park to the visitor center. As I tried to catch my breathe, I managed to get something out about a walking tour. I was informed that was summer hours and the last tour had been at 3:30pm. I was pretty dang bummed. They did sell me a walking tour map and brochure so I could walk it myself. I went back to my rental to find a better parking spot, I ended up driving around the city for almost an hour and paying $15 for parking across the river. This building below was built right on the site of the Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770.

 Here is the marker on the sidewalk right in front of the building.

The Massachusetts capital.

 Across the river is a VERY famous pastry shop for Bostonians.

 As you get about 10 blocks away in any direction you start seeing these boxes being carried by what seems like everyone.

 I wish I could have gotten a picture of the inside of the bakery, it was so pretty, straight out of my dreams. Any and every kind of pastry you could imagine. There was a TON of people though so I couldn't get a good shot. I got an eclair and of course a cannoli (on the right.) They are most known for their cannolis and they sell over a dozen types, I got the florentine cannoli. Both were delicious!

Paul Revere's home.

I loved seeing all the Christmas lights on this trip!

 I looked for a restaurant people had recommended but their was a long line and after the pastries I wasn't really hungry and was extremely tired from the long day, so I headed to my motel. As I pulled off the freeway and headed to the light I had to stop suddenly, a guy two cars up gets out in the middle of the street and walks to the car in front of me and yells at the women for awhile and then gets back in his car and drives off. It was crazy! I was a bit worried he was going to pull out a gun. I didn't see any damage to the vehicles, so I don't know what happened, some people are just ridiculous. But after the long day, I was just so happy to get to my room, shower and fall into bed. Next up Salem and witches...