Autumn Fair in Deerfield, NH

On October 5, 2016October 5, 2016 By careofmonIn Lifestyle, TripsLeave a comment

I love autumn in New England. A tradition that I have never been able to pass up is a fall harvest fair! I love the animals, the food, the crafts, and all the competitions for biggest pumpkin, best photo, best floral arrangement, prize jersey cow, etc. I grew up in MA going to the Topsfield Fair every year, then in college out in Worcester I learned about the amazing Big E in Springfield. This year with my move to NH, we stayed local and headed to the Deerfield Fair.

The fair has been running for 140 years, it is the oldest running fair in New England. We went on Saturday morning and the crowds were small due to the subpar weather. It was a little rainy/windy but I was ok in my Sperry rain boots and Barbour jacket.

So first up, the food!!! I had apple crisp, hot apple cider, and apple cider donuts. There were mini apple cider donuts and normal sized ones. I also had some ice cream thanks to the Granite State Dairy Promotion folks!

The animals are awesome at the fair. There are oxen, dairy & beef cows, sheep, pigs, draft horses, and show horses. There is also a little petting zoo with goats, alpacas, and a camel! The oxen participate in an oxen pulling competition. They work together as a pair and are trained from a young age- conditioning, strength, and obedience to their trainer. It was really cool to watch. I read articles accusing this event of being cruel to the oxen, but I saw a lot of love between the handlers and their animals and really amazing training shining through this Herculean task. There is a pretty constant flow of horse events going on throughout the day from huntseat to saddlebred pleasure to lead line classes.

The agricultural exhibits and competitions are awesome. The state record was set for the giant pumpkin with 2066 lbs!!!! I loved all the farm displays. My favorite depicted a scene from The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It was perfect. I also loved trying all the free samples- from cheese at the Yankee Cheeseman to maple roasted cashews at the Maple House thanks to the NH Maple Producers Association.

We got some chicken tenders from Krisi’s Chicken Tenders and some french fries made right there with fresh potatoes for lunch. Everything was so good and fresh. I think its safe to say I definitely ate too much, but I left full and happy.

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Dartmouth College Outing Clubhouse Wedding

On September 19, 2016 By careofmonIn Trips2 Comments

This past weekend, my husband, Jon, and I attended a wedding for one of his cousins at the Dartmouth Outing Clubhouse in Hanover NH. The Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) was established in 1909 “to stimulate interest in out-of-door winter sports”. In 1929, the clubhouse was built. The “club” actually encompasses a dozen or so member organizations all having to do with some outdoor pursuit. The clubhouse is a beautiful building on Occom Pond with stone pillars and ivy crawling up the sides. It is right across the street from another beautiful Dartmouth property, the Hanover Country Club.

Front of the clubhouse

Pondside of the clubhouse

Hanover Country Club

The upstairs of the clubhouse has a large main room with fireplaces on either side of the room. There are historic photos on all the walls which I loved. Dartmouth runs the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge as the base of Mt. Moosilauke and owns the Second College Grant which has trails and many rental cabins. I wrote about the lodge on Moosilauke here. Seeing photos from Moosilauke and some of the cabins from the 1940s, 50s, and so on was really amazing. The Dartmouth Outing Club has done so much historically for the White Mountains. It was men from Harvard and Dartmouth that were some of the earliest hikers up many of my favorite peaks. There are a couple rooms off of the main room as well as a kitchen.

Main Room

Photos in a side room

The man in the portrait is Sherman Adams, ’20. He accomplished a lot in his life including being a part of the founding of Cabin and Trail as a senior, which was the central club for the DOC and gifting land on Moosilauke for a cabin used for wilderness skiing. He had quite a political career as a congressman, governor of NH, and finally chief of staff for Dwight D. Eisenhower. Off the main room there is also a beautiful balcony that overlooks Occom Pond.

Downstairs is the rental center for outdoor gear like cross country skis. There is a terrace that goes out to the pond and that’s where the ceremony was held. The terrace was the gift of the class of 1944.

Pondside of the clubhouse & terrace

Hanover NH was an adorable town that I definitely would like to spend more time in. Its sort of a funny town up there practically in Vermont, very secluded. You have to wonder if everyone in the town is somehow associated with the college and its various associates.

Occom Pond, the leaves are just starting to turn!

I love weddings and this was my only one this fall! It was great seeing a lot of Jon’s family and celebrating his cousin’s big day. Being a hiker and lover of New Hampshire/New England it was amazing getting to spend some time in the DOC House.

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Lazy Days at Lake Winnipesaukee

On August 23, 2016August 23, 2016 By careofmonIn Lifestyle, TripsLeave a comment

Good afternoon! I just went back to work yesterday after a lovely summer off. As part of my move to NH, I am also teaching biology and chemistry at a new school up here. We are in the midst of orientation which has been really fun. The other new teachers I have met are awesome and I am really liking my new school district! Last week, I was invited up to my friends’s house on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire for a few days which was a perfect getaway before going back to work!

We had zero plans, which was awesome because we really got to relax. We had a couple floats that we took out to hang out in the water, and we took out my friends’s boat. There was wake boarding, swimming, and stops to get some delicious food.

The view from the house is beautiful. I love the views of the mountains in the Belknap Range and the wooded areas around the lake.

We had great weather to be out on the lake. The water is really warm right now, and it was perfect because we were warm when the boat stopped but once you picked up again the breeze was so refreshing.

So here is the Naswa Beach Bar & Grill. Honestly, I am not a huge fan of the food here, but the atmosphere is fun so its a great place to dock for a drink and an app to hang out. It feels a little more Floridian/Caribbean I guess with the be achy outdoor seating. The colorful painted buildings are so pretty too.

The Town Docks in Meredith NH is actually our favorite place for food on the lake. The sky looks a little scary here huh? There is a lot of space on the docks for everyone to come on in, but be aware, the line for seating at the restaurant can be long. They have seafood, grilled stuff, salads, drinks, and bonus….they have really good ice cream! Chocolate frappe and lobster roll with fries? Check and check.

As I get ready for the next school year, I always try to remember that we still have nice weather for a while- summer isn’t over just yet thankfully. Speaking of the end of summer, how’d everyone do with the Lilly After Party Sale?? I couldn’t shop until the afternoon and I snagged a few tops in some nice prints! I got this one, two, and three. Usually I go for dresses during the sale, but I found that what I actually needed were some casual tshirts, and I just loved the three prints. Who else got some good deals!?

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Vermont Brewers Festival on Lake Champlain

On July 18, 2016July 18, 2016 By careofmonIn TripsLeave a comment

Happy Monday!!! I just spent a lovely weekend up in Burlington VT with a great group of friends. This past weekend was the annual Vermont Brewers Festival at Waterfront Park right on Lake Champlain. We dropped the pup off Friday morning and headed up with a couple stops along the way. We stopped at Cabot Creamery in Cabot, VT for a tour and some free cheese. The tour was great, just $3. I love how the Cabot Creamery works- its a coop, owned by the dairy farmers that supply the milk. Over 1 million pounds of milk arrive at the creamery from farms across New England and New York. Favorite cheese? Definitely the alpine cheddar- it was so good, had to get a block to take with us.

From there we stopped at the Ben and Jerry’s in Waterbury. Oh man, it was so packed. There were so many people, we walked around but didn’t stay…..I did get some Ben and Jerry’s at the scoop shop in Burlington though 🙂 Last stop before the campground was Prohibition Pig, also in Waterbury. They had some great beers of their own on tap, and then an awesome selection of local beers- some from Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Hill Farmstead, and Alchemist that are tough to find!

Ben and Jerry’s! So much sugar, milk, and cream! Look at those mountains in the distance 🙂

All the flavors that have been retired over the years- RIP

I would totally camp in this instead of my tent!

Scoop shop in Burlinton! The line was much better here. I am usually a phish food kinda gal, but gave chocolate therapy a chance- so good!

We stayed at North Beach Campground for the weekend, 4 couples, 4 tents, 2 sites. We put all the tents on one site and used the other site for the fire pit, picnic tables, and set up the screened in EZ-up. We were close to the bathrooms, and they had battery operated hot showers, which are great amenities at a campground. It’s not my favorite campground that I have stayed at, but the location was perfect. It was just a short walk to the lake, and just a little longer walk to the park where the beer fest location. The beer fest on Saturday was great. It was hot, but they had plenty of free water thankfully. We pooled our tickets to try as many beers as possible, attacking each brewery with a divide and conquer strategy. Thankfully we are all close friends, because there were a lot of passed beers! In all, I think we tried around 75 different beers!!! Not bad! We made really great food for the weekend- marinated steak tips, turkey burgers, rotisserie chicken salad with dried cherries and walnuts, and of course, s’mores. We had a camp fire and played cards for hours…it just seems like time doesn’t exist when you are camping.

I was trying to get a picture with this lovely light house but my friend was being such a goof ball I couldn’t stop laughing. Dress is from Mahi Gold 🙂

I love lake views with mountains as the backdrop- do you see Champy out there? That’s Lake Champlain’s version of the Loch Ness monster!

North Beach- we think those are NY mountains over there!

Sunday we got up, packed up the sites, and explored Burlington a bit. I loved Outdoor Gear Exchange, had to hold myself back from LLBean, and grabbed a couple chocolates at Lake Champlain Chocolates. We did lunch at Farmhouse Tap and Grill and I got the best BLT I have had ever. Everyone loved their meals and beers, definitely recommend it!

Very last stop for the weekend was the Magic Hat‘s brewery which is called the artifactory. It’s a very cool brewery….the building itself looks like a plain, industrial warehouse, but they have really done a lot inside to make it feel like a different planet. It’s dark, neon, and kinda psychedelic- lots to look at. You can try beers there and get growlers. I really liked the Single Chair Golden Ale, dedicated to the single chair lift at Mad River Glen, and Stealin Time which is a wheat ale with ginger.

Artsy-industrial tower outside the brewery. They definitely know how to dress up the factory.

Very cool poster for Magic Hat #9, an elixir that is not quite a pale ale

Fitting for my ski bum to take a pic with the Single Chair frame!

We had such a fun weekend. I loved Burlington and Lake Champlain and think we will be returning next year. It was definitely tough getting up this morning to row at 5:30. Oh yes, I am in a learn to scull program this month, what a throwback. I have loved every second of it, but man is it early. I will write a post about it soon! Anyone else been to Burlington? Where did you go? What were your favorite spots?

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Sites in Historic Concord, MA

On July 8, 2016 By careofmonIn Lifestyle, Trips

This past weekend, my husband and I spent the day in Concord MA checking out some of the historic sites and houses. We went to The Old Manse, North Bridge, The Orchard House, The Wayside, the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and finally the Colonial Inn. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, two books that I actually read and loved in high school. He was born in Salem and then lived in The Old Manse in Concord, moved to the Berkshires, and then came back to The Wayside in Concord. Rev. William Emerson was the first inhabitant of The Old Manse, and Ralph Waldo Emerson lived there for a time too with his grandmother. Hawthorne lived there in his first three years of marriage with his wife, Sophia Peabody.

The Old Manse from the front

The Old Manse from the riverside

The boathouse overlooking the river

Looking out to the North Bridge

We walked from The Old Manse over the North Bridge and checked out the grounds there. The original North Bridge is no longer there. I think its actually been rebuilt a couple times. April 19, 1775 was the big day, the shot heard round the world, the battle of Lexington and Concord. A few ancestors on my mother’s side, Phillip Robbins and his son Jeremiah Robbins, Sr., were there that day. Minute Man park is really beautiful, its really hard to picture the battle that actual happened there.

From here, we went to The Orchard House and The Wayside. I have read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott probably a dozen times. It is such a good story, and at this point because I have read it so many times through my life, it feels like it has become part of my story. Alcott set and wrote Little Women living in The Orchard House (1858-1877), but many scenes were inspired by earlier times living at The Wayside (called The Hillside when they lived there). The Alcott family lived at The Wayside from 1844-1848 and then rented it out until they sold it to Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1852.

The Country Barn

The Orchard House

The Orchard House was cool because of the book, but I definitely fell for The Wayside .

The gorgeous piazza was added by the Lothrop family who lived there in 1887. The tower in the center of the home was added in the time that the Hawthornes lived there. Harriet Lothrop wrote the children’s book series Five Little Peppers under the pen name Margaret Sidney. The photo of the window above is actually the loft above the little barn where Louisa May Alcott and her sisters staged the plays that inspired parts of Little Women.
From here we went to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. A section of the cemetery is referred to as The Author’s Ridge and thats where Emerson, Hawthorne, Alcott, and Thoreau are buried. A founder of WPI, George Frisbie Hoar is buried nearby, and his gravestone brought me to tears.

Thoreau Family Plot

Henry David Thoreau’s Grave

Alcott Family Plot

Louisa May Alcott’s Grave

Harriet Lothrop’s Grave

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Grave

Hawthorne Family Plot, Nathaniel is in the back left corner I believe

Here is the George Frisbie Hoar Grave.

Finally, after lots of walking it was time for a snack at The Colonial Inn. The actual building has been there since 1716 and it served as a storehouse and a hospital during the American Revolution. Room 24 was the operating room, and Room 27 was the morgue! Eek! Post-war, the hotel was a store and boarding house. Henry David Thoreau lived there from 1835-1837 while he was attending Harvard. It started operating as a hotel in the mid-19th century.

We sat outside, Jon got a 1716 Colonial Inn Ale which is made by Sam Adams for the inn, and I got a shirley temple. We had dinner plans so just grabbed a spinach artichoke dip. There are all different rooms inside the hotel for small gatherings/meeting, and multiple areas to eat. A cool spot was the Village Forge Tavern- it was dark, earthy, lots of equestrian/farrier stuff for decor….you can almost picture militia having a tankard of beer in there. It was such a beautiful day we had to be outside. Historic Concord is an amazing place to visit because while there are many sites related to the American Revolution, there are just as many sites related to the transcendental literary revolution. Next year we want to try and make it for the reenactment they do for Patriot’s Day!

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The Grand Mt. Washington Hotel

On July 5, 2016April 22, 2017 By careofmonIn Trips1 Comment

Before the automobile, there were many grand hotels and boarding houses in the White Mountains, called the Great North Woods back then, where people from the cities in Massachusetts would stay for a month or two in the summer for some fresh air and recreation. The Mt. Washington wasn’t open in the winter until 2000. They would arrive by trains and ‘tallyhos’ which were horse drawn carriages. It took so long to get anywhere, you would stay longer. The Mt. Washington Hotel broke ground in 1900 and opened for guests in 1902. It was built by Joseph Stickney, who also owned the Mt. Pleasant Hotel (which is now where the Lodges at Bretton Woods are) across the street.

It is breathtaking, the largest wooden structure in New England, all white exterior with that bright popping red roof against the most beautiful backdrop- the Presidential Mountain Range. I have driven by the hotel many times in my hiking adventures, and looked down upon it from many peaks in the area. Last week was the first time I actually stayed there, and honestly I could have moved in. We stayed Wednesday night and Thursday night, and it was really great being there midweek. It was a lot less crowded from what I have heard. There was rain on Wednesday, but Thursday and Friday were gorgeous. Wednesday night we sat out on the veranda overlooking our beloved mountains. They sat tucked under a blanket of clouds until the sun set and the alpine glow set in. We went to dinner that night at Stickney’s, a restaurant in the lower level of the hotel that used to be the men’s billiard room back in the day. After, we had a couple drinks in The Cave, a space that was originally squash courts that became a speakeasy during Prohibition years. They drank from tea cups and had a view out the window to the driveway to see if any officials were coming up.

The beautiful mountains under the clouds

Red clay tennis courts, new from when the conference center/spa addition took up space where the old courts were.

The carriage house that is now the stables/equestrian center

The alpine glow at around 8PM. From left to right, the peaks are Jefferson, Clay, Washington, Monroe, Franklin, and you can just see the slope of Eisenhower.

Out on the roof of the newer section of the hotel which houses a conference center/spa

Thursday we hiked Zealand Mountain which was fantastic because it was only 15 minutes from the hotel. I will write up the hike in a separate post 🙂 Thursday night we did a little fly fishing in the trout pond out front before eating out on the veranda. After, we got a couple glasses of champagne, a book titled A Self Guided Historic Tour, and meandered around the hotel.

No trout caught unfortunately, we just caught some creek chubs

A place is always set for Carolyn Stickney, the wife of the original owner of the hotel. He died just a year after the great hotel had been built, and Carolyn remarried French nobility and used to summer at the hotel. The main dining room was built as a circle so that no table was inferior off in the corner, but the table just to the right of the entrance is always ready for the Princess.

All the different place setting patterns over the years

When Carolyn was summering at the hotel, she would watch all the dining guests make their way to the dining room and she would change if anyone was dressed more finely than her.

The great hall aka the lobby of the hotel.

The moose head above the grand fireplace in the lobby

Ornate ceiling and chandelier where Carolyn would have private dinners. Now it is used as a lounge area, nice for getting a drink before dinner

The veranda above, and Stickney’s dining below.

Friday we had breakfast and took a last lap around before heading out on a couple more adventures. We went to the Gale River right by the trailhead to hike Galehead and I happily read my new book, Kaysen’s Cambridge, while my husband caught around 5 brook trouts. From there we went to the Bretton Woods ski area and took the free ski lift up to the Latitude 44 restaurant. Bretton Woods is a part of the Omni Mt. Washington Resort as is the hotel. The view from the restaurant looking across to the hotel and the mountains was beautiful. What a great ending to our trip.

It was an amazing place to stay. So many families and couples there were taking the cog railway up Mt. Washington, or driving up during their vacation. I heard excited children talking about their upcoming journey, parents telling them about the wind, or the pizza at the top! I have hiked all the Presidentials, and I will never forget hiking up Mt. Washington. A day in March when the world up there was still snow-covered and barren. The pizza wasn’t open, and there was no wind. It’s a beautiful place no doubt, but looking up from the plush cushions on whitewashed veranda wicker furniture to see mountains that you regard as familiar friends as opposed to awesome strangers is truly a gift.

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Stroll around historic Portsmouth NH

On June 13, 2016June 13, 2016 By careofmonIn Lifestyle, Trips4 Comments

This past weekend we were up in NH for a cookout Saturday. It was in honor of two of the cutest kids in the world, a little boy who turns six this coming Saturday, and his little sister who turned three in May. My husband’s friends in NH are friends that he has had since high school. They are a really tight knit crew and its always fun getting everyone together for something. It poured on Saturday but Sunday was all sun! We decided to walk around Portsmouth a little bit on Sunday to just enjoy the sunshine and give Mizpah some exercise. We walked down by the Strawberry Banke which is one of my favorite areas of Portsmouth and walked around Market Square. Portsmouth is on the Piscataqua River that separates New Hampshire and Maine and empties out into the Atlantic. Portsmouth isn’t actually on the ocean, Rye and New Castle NH to it’s east have that coastal privilege. I snapped some pics of some of my favorite historic houses and a little bit of the lovely Piscataqua!

The Governor John Langdon House, a Georgian mansion built in 1784…the portico, the balustrades, the dormers, I don’t even know what I love the most.

The Oracle House, built around 1702 it is one of the oldest houses in New England. It was the home of the first daily newspaper in New Hampshire, The Oracle of the Day, in the 18th century

The Goodwin House, built in 1811 and owned by Ichabod Goodwin, the governor of NH during the Civil War. This house is right near the Strawberry Banke museum.

Adorable tea setting in the gardens of the Goodwin House.

The Treadwell Jenness House, 1818. I love the eagle above the front door.

The Liberty Pole, standing tall right near Prescott Park in Portsmouth. Again, the gold eagle that sits atop the pole is perfect.

Nice little spot to see the Piscataqua near Old Ferry Landing. Mizpah got a lot of love from kids and adults hangin out here!

My anchor tshirt is an oldie from J Crew Factory, jean shorts are from American Eagle, Sperry Topsiders, and my very first KJP bracelet!

The Jacob Wendell House, 1789, he was a merchant ship owner and insurance agent. The carving above the door is a whale oil lamp. I love the gabled dormers.

So this house may not have a plaque announcing its historical significance, but I just love it! It has a cute little backyard/garden and the size is a little understated but the Georgian door! I don’t know, its a favorite for me 🙂

Portsmouth is a really dog friendly city. There is an awesome dog park, Pierce Island has an off leash area, and dogs are allowed in many of the outdoor seating areas for restaurants/cafes. Dogs are not allowed in Prescott Park which is a really pretty park on the Piscataqua, and I don’t think they are allowed in the Strawberry Banke historic area. There are so many beautiful old houses in Portsmouth, it was a perfect day to walk with my husband and pup. Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

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Memorial Day on Lake Winnipesaukee

On June 2, 2016June 2, 2016 By careofmonIn TripsLeave a comment

Jon, Mizpah, and I spent Memorial Day this year on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Memorial Day started out rainy and dreary, but by noon, the weather cleared up and we were in for a gorgeous day! A couple of our friends just recently got a boat, so we headed to Alton Bay to meet them. We grabbed some Richardson’s ice cream at Stillwells and hung out in the sun before heading to the boat.

The old grandstand, not used anymore, in Alton Bay

Hangin out on the docks with some mocha chip and the Mizpah

Their boat was at a friend’s house in Gilford right on the lake. Lake Winnepesaukee is the third-largest lake in New England, behind Lake Champlain in Vermont and Moosehead Lake in Maine. There are many towns on the lake including Wolfeboro (which I love), Meredith, Moultonboro, Center Harbor, Tuftonboro, Gilford, and Laconia. Weirs Beach is a very popular spot on the lake in Laconia, also the home of Bike Week.

My most patiotic KJP bracelet for Memorial Day!

Sleepy little boat derg. My skirt is an oldie from J. Crew and the shirt was an impulse buy from Walmart for $9! My silver Jacks come out a lot in the summer. They are my classy beach/boating footwear.

Welcome to Governor’s Island, Gilford, NH. That home is probably used for maybe 2 weeks out of the year hahaha

So beautiful. I love the New England coastline, but there is something about the lake surrounded by hills and mountains.

It was such a fun day catching up and motoring around. We did hop off the boat and do a little swimming, but the lake is definitely still a little cold!! It was a perfect relaxing day after our hike on Sunday. Mizpah was so well behaved and calm on the boat, I was really proud of her. This week is a really exciting week full of activities for the seniors at my school. The prom was last night, and their big awards night is tonight. We are in the homestretch with the last day of school on June 24th, summer is almost here!

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Barbour Clearance Center, Milford NH

On May 11, 2016May 11, 2016 By careofmonIn Fashion, Trips6 Comments

So my celebratory-finished my MS-shopping weekend (see my other shopping victories here) continued and brought me north into New Hampshire. I have been searching for deals on a hood for my Barbour Argon jacket and for a jacket for my pup, Mizpah. There is a new Barbour outlet in the Merrimack Outlets, but I was surprised to see a location in Milford, NH. Milford NH? Yep, that’s right, the US headquarters for Barbour is in a warehouse/tech park in Milford ha. Everything that is sold in the US goes through this facility, and repairs/reproofing are done here too.

This is the real deal factory/warehouse outlet!

This gorgeous image hangs above the cashier area, one of the few pieces of decor in the store

I was checking these out because I would really love a navy quilted jacket someday!

The outlet attached was awesome. The sales associates were really sweet and helpful- they had to go out back to find me a hood- it was the only one left! Lets go over the deals here though….

-All items have some sort of markdown. They sell out fast of any classics that come in, as well as any dog stuff sadly.

-Buy 3 or more items and you get 20% off! One of the sales associates told me that they are getting in some accessories like socks soon which will make this easier on the wallet!

-They do sample sales- size 6 in women’s and large in men’s. Sometimes the discount doesn’t seem huge on an item in the sample sale, but its the best of the best stuff usually. So if you are those sizes, you could get some cool stuff.

-Red tag sales- any item that has been deemed imperfect is on sale for huge discounts. Sometimes the item might just be missing a snap, which they will fix for you!

I am now on the email list for the sample and red tag sales- pretty exciting stuff. I am still on the hunt for a jacket for the pup, but I love my hood. The hood is typically $49, but at the outlet it was $29.

We did hit up the Merrimack Outlets too, and just an FYI, I liked the Milford outlet way better. I got a great deal on a staple Polo Ralph Lauren oxford- $30. I am a perfect medium in the custom fit. Oxfords can be tough- finding a shirt that fits your shoulders, bust, and arms that isn’t too boxy feels a little like winning a contest haha.

If you want to see more pictures and get more info, Salt Water New England has a great post on the Barbour headquarters in Milford. The only thing to remember though is that the outlet is only open Thursday- Saturday 10-6, and Sunday 11-5. After our shopping adventure, we grabbed dinner with my inlaws for Mother’s Day at the Common Man in Concord, NH. Definitely my favorite chain of restaurants in NH, so lucky my mother-in-law loves it too! If you are ever traveling through NH, stop at the Mt. Washington Hotel, the white mountains, and check out Lake Winnipesaukee….but if something from Barbour sounds like a good souvenir, swing by this out of the way location in Milford!!

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Marathon Monday & North Shore Beach/Food Adventure!

On April 18, 2016April 19, 2016 By careofmonIn Lifestyle, Trips2 Comments

Good morning!! Happy Patriot’s Day & Happy Marathon Monday!!!! Growing up in New England always meant waking up on Patriot’s Day, which is the first day of April vacation here, and immediately tuning into the marathon coverage. Since I became a teacher just a year out of college, I have continued this tradition! I went to watch the marathon for quite a few years. One of my friends from college ran in it, and we would get a group together to watch and then meet up at a bar later. I was there in 2013. I was at mile 25 with a group watching for our friend. After she passed us, we walked down to the finish line, met up with our friend at Copley Square, and headed to a bar. She finished in 3:02. Less than an hour later, we heard someone come into the bar and say that there had been an explosion at the finish line. People thought it was a man hole cover or a pipe bursting, nobody could have even imagined that the explosions were bombs. It had to be something uncontrollable, some sort of unintentional disaster. There was no urgency at that time, but we decided we should finish our drinks and get going because the T would be packed with so many people leaving at once. None of our cell phones worked, it was so weird- did the explosion take out a cell phone tower? It didn’t make sense. I hopped on the commuter rail to head back to my car parked in Acton, and then I looked at my phone and oh my goodness, I had soooo many text messages & missed calls. When I got home and turned on the news, I saw why everyone was trying to get a hold of me!! What a week that was, the love and compassion shown in the city of Boston and all over the world for the victims and their families was incredible. I haven’t been back since, not because of the bombings though. I was away in Atlanta in 2014, and then the weather last year was terrible. Today I am happily watching at home curled up with the pup, relaxing after our hike yesterday.

Saturday, Jon and I celebrated our first week of marriage by heading to Gloucester with our dog, Mizpah. It was an even day, so Good Harbor Beach was the off leash beach. We ran around the beach for a while, and then hit up a few of my favorite North Shore spots.

LLBean Sweater // Barbour ‘Argon’ Jacket (old) // LLBean Scarf // LLBean booties // KJP bracelet (old) // Harding Lane hat

First up was Woodman’s in Essex. This was one of the traditional stops on the way home from the beach for my family. Lawrence “Chubby” Woodman is credited with the invention of the fried clam, believe it or not. They have amazing fried seafood, fries, onion rings, and chicken fingers. The one thing that’s tough is they have the milk broth clam chowder, not the thick chowder New England is known for. Woodman’s was featured in the Adam Sandler movie Grownups too! In the summer, they have an ice cream window and a little nautical gift shop; they sell KJP there! Jon had never been, so we grabbed some fried clam strips and french fries 🙂

Then we drove by the farm where I used to ride in Essex. The new owners have really done a lot of work on the paddocks and barns. I met one of the owners a coupe years ago when she was still doing a lot of renovations, she had jumpers. It looked like a lot of her boarders were probably also jumpers- big horses, sheets in warm weather, small paddocks, haha.

From there we hit up our last stop, Richardson’s in Middleton. Richardson’s homemade ice cream was sold at Orchard Hill Ice Cream, the big ice cream spot in my hometown. They have the most amazing ice cream. I love their mocha chip with big chocolate chunks, the Tollhouse cookie, and oreo cookie. I got a chocolate frappe, and then we picked up a half gallon of oreo cookie. They have their cows right there on the premises, but Mizpah was a little freaked by them. The picture I snapped her was near the donkeys, which she was a little calmer around, but honestly, she just looks so pathetic. There’s mini golf right next door, so you can really make a day of it there.

Yesterday we hiked Mt. Moosilauke, so I will post about our hike tomorrow. I love how you can spend one day at the beach, and then the next in the mountains here in New England. It’s so nice out today, I hope this warm weather is here to stay, happy Monday!

Signature 2

New England Classic Beauty

Category: Trips

Autumn Fair in Deerfield, NH

Dartmouth College Outing Clubhouse Wedding

Lazy Days at Lake Winnipesaukee

Vermont Brewers Festival on Lake Champlain

Sites in Historic Concord, MA

The Grand Mt. Washington Hotel

Stroll around historic Portsmouth NH

Memorial Day on Lake Winnipesaukee

Barbour Clearance Center, Milford NH

Marathon Monday & North Shore Beach/Food Adventure!

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