The Sherwood Glen Beavers

This is what the tree looked like two weeks ago. Since then, it has yielded to the gnawing of our giant Sherwood rodents, who have since moved on to another tree. You can visit a slide show of their work over time that is being updated every few days at MySherwoodglen.com.


If you want to find out more about the lives of beavers as they prepare for winter, you can check out the David Attenborough video below.

A Night at the Nutcracker

The three car caravan headed west to Manchester to spend an afternoon of culture at the Nutcracker and a friendly dinner at Johnson's.

I'll leave it to someone who has been to more than a few ballets under their belt to critique the show. Personally, I enjoyed it and would do it again, but let's not rush it.

After the show, the 12 of us headed to Johnson's for good food and fun conversation. Here's a ten second peek and reminder of the day.

Live Free or Die!

We just got in from a 6 hour trek from South Jersey and Raymond. After we unpacked and unwound a bit, I checked my email and Facebook where I found the video below.

I wish I had it when we were in NJ. Everyone we met would ask us how we liked it. After saying we love it, the conversation usually flowed to the reasons. Of course, out grandson toped the list, but right up there near the top are the people, the pace, and the general life style. This would be great to show!

The video is of Blue Color comedian, Juston McKenny. He was born in Portsmouth, NH and moved across the river to Maine when he was in 5th grade. That fact is portrayed hilariously in this routine. If you live in the area, a thinking of living in the area, or have ever heard of New Hampshire, you should watch and laugh!

My First Sticker Shock in NH

Since moving up here from NJ, we've been tickled that pretty much everything is cheaper here than in NJ. Before we moved, people warned us that NH had high property taxes, but as it turned out, they were just about what we were paying in NJ, but NO ONE warned us about automobile registration.

We bought a new car in April and were shocked when we had to pay $150 even after an $80 discount for transferring registration from our other car, but that's only 1/3 of the story.

Two days ago, I got pulled over by the Raymond police. They said I had an expired registration. How could that be? I just bought the car in April? I found out that registration is due at the end of the month of your birthday, which as August and there is notification or online registration. You have to remember and do it in person.

The office was very polite, friendly, and understanding. He told me that they take non-registration seriously and that he is supposed to give me a $103 ticket and tow the car immediately, but he didn't. He told me not to drive and to get it registered in the morning.

I just got back from registration and I'm still in shock! That $150 after the $80 discount only covered the period from April to August. The bill for a 1-year registration was $567!!! The same registration in NJ is only $84.

If you are from NH and have been paying that kind of fee regularly, the fee probably seemed normal, but now that you know the NH registration is seven times more than NJ, you might think differently.

Amazing Things in Framingham

One of the best kept musical secrets in Massachusetts is hiding in Framingham. It's the Amazing Things Arts Center. Mike Moran and his staff of volunteers manage to attract some great talent. Thanks to their efforts and contributions from local businesses, they bring high class talent at bargain prices.

On September 10, they organized a concert for the opening of the Bowditch Field Athletic and Cultural Complex, with Arlo Guthrie as the headliner.

I've seen Arlo about four or five times over the years. I feel a deep connection to him and his music for a number of reasons including being a fan of Woodie Guthrie, having my own Alice's Restaurant story, and having survived the 60's. His music is as fresh today as it was back then and every time I hear him, his stories are new.

This was the first stop on his new "Journey On" tour. There was a great mix of old standards, some tributes to great musicians like Lead Belly, and a new song that gave the tour its name.

One of the most amazing things was that the tickets were only $10, which is a tribute to the fund raising efforts of Mike Moran and his staff. We got there at 12:00 thinking that Arlo was going to be on at 2:00, but I didn't do my research very well. When we arrived there were about a half dozen other people parked on the grass in front of the stage.

One look at the program and we knew we were in for a long wait, but the time went by quickly as we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, some good food, and local talent including the Amazing Hooligans, Marian High School 'Mainstagers', Framingham High School Musical Review, Rust Never Sleeps - a Neil Young Tribute Band, Eguie Castrillo and his 18 piece Latin band, and HELP! with Mark Poulan and Roy Orbison.

I took a lot of stills and captured a few sounds on the video below. No artists were harmed in the making of this video, because all sounds are presented under Fair Use Guidelines, without violating any copyrights.

You may have missed this great concert, but keep visit the the Amazing Things Arts Center and check out the lineup for the rest of the year!

Ray Free Senior Center

Last winter, shortly after moving to Raymond, NH, Jill and I had breakfast at the Long Branch Restaurant. Across the street was the Ray Free Senior Center. We decided to stop in and see what was happening. What we found was a VERY active group of "youngsters" from their 50's on up to through their 90's.

They club sponsored trips, held Tai Chi lessons, and line dancing lessons. There was a walking group, exercise group, cribbage, bingo, knitting, crocheting, quilting and more! As we talked, we mentioned that we had just come from the Long Branch, and John, the club president said, "Oh, if you are a member here, you get a 10% discount."

When we asked what the cost of membership was, he told us it was $10. I said, "Considering Jill and I want to join the walking group, I want to take Tai Chi, and we'll probably save $10 a month just on breakfasts, sign us up."

Imagine our surprise when we found out that it as $10 a YEAR! You just don't get bargains like that any more.

When we stopped in today for our walking group, there was a group of women busily crocheting red, white, and blue stockings. When I asked what they were for, I was told they are for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The stockings would be stuffed with toiletries and other essentials and send over seas to the troops.

I'll let Yvonne, the project organizer tell you about it in the short video. After watching it, why not come on down to 64 Main Street, sign up, and take advantage of activities and the friendly folks. If it doesn't make you feel 10 years younger, it will at least get you 10% off your breakfast!

Peace Day at Raymond Commons

September 25th is International Peace Day, but today Molly Schlangen, a yoga instructor from Epping organized modest commemoration on the Commons in Raymond I wasn’t able to get there for the earlier part of the day, but I did luckily arrive about a half hour early.

Mike O’Donnell was getting his guitar and harmonica ready to entertain us with a variety of songs, many of which had me singing along as I remembered days at the Philadelphia Folk Festival back in the 70’s. We'd soaked up music all day and then headed back to the tents for our 70’s version are karaoke with six strings and three chords.

We sang along with him on the Universal Soldier, Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream, The City of New Orleans and others, but Mike also offered some of his original works which carry similar themes in today’s world.

Mike writes about the working man, society, and the human condition. I didn’t have time to talk to his about his music, but to me it sounds as if he is writing from life experiences and the world he sees around him. His Homeland Security Blues pokes fun at the paranoia generated by the war on terror and Thin on Top, the song featured in the video below, talks about growing old, something with which this aging hippy can all to easily identify.

Mike is a transplant from Oregon and has been in NH for about 7 years. He plays at the Loaf and Ladle in Exeter on Sunday mornings, the Lazy Lion in Deerfield on Thursday night, and at the Yankee Market in Raymond on Friday nights.

His voice isn’t going to win him a million dollars on America’s Got Talent, but his voice is honest and he sings from the heart. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him on the commons and I’m going to make it a point to check him out one of these nights.

Ice Cream and Donuts

Jill and I both love soft serve ice cream. For the first few trips, the closest place we could find was the Brick House in Hooksett, but then Jill read about Applehurst Farms. They are a former dairy farm in Epping on Old Red Oak Rd.

Aside from vegetables, meats, and a "junk" shop, they have 9 different flavors of Edy's soft serve ice cream. Everything is on the honor system. You serve yourself and put the money in a fire hydrant.

On Saturday during the summer and Saturday and Sunday during the Winter and Spring, they make fresh donuts that are fabulous. They come in plain, apple, or either one with cinnamon sugar. YUM!

The Pittsfield Balloon Festival

The first thing you see when you arrive at the Pittsfield Ballon Festival is a lot of helicopter activity from the three or four copters that were giving fair goers a spin around the lake at tree top level. It was an impressive beginning and I was glad that we arrived early enough to explore the grounds before the launch time.

There were dozens of food vendors, enough to overjoy an over-sized carnivore with a sweet tooth. I had a cheese steak and a Coke. Jill had chicken fingers, fries, a Coke and later, some cotton candy. All of that amounted to a $20 bill. The price wasn't a bad, especially considering the size of the portions. They were tastier and much more substantial than I would have expected. I would have happily paid that amount at a local eatery.



After eating, we headed to the launch field and set up our folding chairs. We had at least a half hour to kill. While Jill sat with our stuff and watched the activity (or lack of) on the launch field, I strolled over to the bandstand, where RockUs, a local band was bringing back memories with a set of oldies. I hung out for a few songs and headed back to Jill.

It was now past launch time and it looked like it might be a repeat of the Hillsborough non-launch. At 5 AM they successfully launched 20 balloons. However we were attending the 5 PM launch, and things weren't going as smoothly. The wind was in the wrong direction. For some reason, the pilots didn't like the prospect of landing in the mountains.



One balloon, the Irish Rover, did launch. I assume the pilot was either D.B. Cooper or on a more sensible on a short flight in mind, that would land long before they were counting pine needles.

After that, the ReMax balloon flamed up and faux-flew, tethered hovering above the fairgrounds. It was still 20 minutes before the launch window would close and they would cancel. Knowing that the chances of a launch were slim to none, we decided to head back to the car and beat the traffic.

The festival was about 25 mile from home, but the top down ride on Route 107, was so relaxing that it was as much of a pleasure as the rest of the day. We didn't get to see a full launch, but we had a great time and will have the 2011 festival on our calendars.

The Hillsborough Balloon Festival

We rolled into the village of Hillsborough at about 5:00 and the balloons were scheduled to launch at 6:00. Jill was hungry. So rather than settle for typically over priced festival food, we pulled into the Hillsborough Diner, which sat directly in front of the festival field.

I ordered a 6 oz. burger and Jill had a roast beef, both of which came with chips and didn't look very impressive. Jill's bread was stale, but my burger was a complete surprise. I like my burgers rare, but ever since the mad cow disease scare, finding a place that will give you anything less than medium is next to impossible. I ordered medium rare, hoping to find at least a tiny bit if pink. When it arrived, it was definitely at least a 1/2 pound and not only was there pink, it was rare and tasty. Live free or die! A real winner!

We walked outside and the owner of the diner was charging cars $5 each to park for the festival, but because we ate at the diner, we parked for free. Things were working out pretty well.

It was almost 6:00 as we walked to the festival grounds. When we got there, it was obvious that the launch was going to be delayed. None of the balloon were prepped and this one was the only on that had any action at all. So we strolled around the grounds visiting the carnival and concessions.

At 6:30 we headed back to the field to see if thing were further along, but they weren't. The word was that the winds were between 10-12 mph, which might be great for kite flying, but hot air balloons was 4-6 max.

At about 7:15 we saw the first balloon go up, but it wasn't anything to write home about. It was just this tethered helium balloon to test the wind strength and direction. At 7:30 they announced that the launch was being canceled, but at dusk they would do a moonlight tethered light up of the balloons.

Two more hours in the grass would have wreaked havoc with our backs, so we decided to call it a day. We were disappointed, but the drive was beautiful and for me, the hamburger was worth the trip.

We'll probably give it a try again next year, but I know now that the real launch time, even if the weather is perfect, will probably be around 7:00. I already know where I'm parking and I'm going to have for dinner.

Tall Ships - Portsmouth, NH 2010

Today Jill and I headed out early to beat the crowds to see the tall ships that came into the commercial fishing pier at Portsmouth yesterday. The tours started at 10 and we arrived around 9:45. There was plenty of parking at that hour, but it was to fill up quickly!

The H.M.S. Bounty, which was made for Mutiny on the Bounty, was the main attraction, but I was more impressed with the Lynx, the "American Privateer". It's 2001 replica of a the 1812 square top sail schooner that operated under "letters of marque" preying on the enemy during the war of 1812.

I took a few shots and headed over to Animoto to create this slide show.