MS Mount Washington Cruise

On September 18, 2017September 22, 2017 By careofmonIn Lifestyle, TripsLeave a comment

One sort of touristy thing that I have wanted to do since we moved to New Hampshire is take a cruise on the MS Mount Washington around Lake Winnepesaukee. Their website with the schedule and event info is here. Since I have had to be careful out on friends’s smaller boats with the pregnancy, this summer seemed like the perfect time to head out on the nice large and stable MS Mount Washington!

We went out on a Sunday, so the boat left from Alton Bay and motored to Weirs Beach in Laconia, and then came back. They had a brunch buffet on board but we brought a picnic of our own to save some dollars! It was a beautiful day and we got to try out our new camera. We have been wanting to get a nice camera for a while now, but definitely the impending arrival of our son who will surely be our favorite subject made us finally get one. We got a Nikon D3300 and so far so good. These are some of my favorite snaps from the day!

This is Kimball Castle! Built in the 1890s by Benjamin Kimball, who was president of the Boston, Montreal, and Concord Railways. Interesting article of when it had fallen into disarray and was for sale for just 799,000 in 2013 can be seen here.

Up on top of Brickyard Mountain in Weirs Beach is a structure that looks like a light house, but its actually fake! It’s actually a water tower and cell phone tower for the area.

It was windy the day we were out, probably perfect for sailing!!

One of the very large houses on luxurious Governor’s Island in Gilford. Looked like this one had a for sale sign out on the water, want to guess how many millions of dollars this beauty is going for?

Pulling back into Alton Bay, this lovely home on this cute little island was just begging to be photographed.

Lake Winnepesaukee is beautiful, and a cruise on the MS Mount Washington is a great way to see it! On other days, the boat goes to Wolfeboro which is one of my favorite towns, and also Meredith & Center Harbor. All of the port towns on the lake where the boat stops have their own vibe and character. Center Harbor is probably the quietest with really just the Mug on the Bay, and Weirs Beach might be the liveliest with restaurants, bars, and nightlife. Wolfeboro has a cute street of restaurants and shopping right off the boat. Meredith has the Town Docks restaurant which is popular, and Alton Bay has some food places like Shibley’s athe Pier and Pop’s Clam Shell too. Another couple that we chatted with on the boat was celebrating their one year anniversary. They had their wedding on the Mount Washington and brought the top of the wedding cake to share while on the cruise- so sweet!

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A New Hampshire New Year’s Weekend

On January 4, 2017February 26, 2017 By careofmonIn Lifestyle2 Comments

I am back to work today feeling refreshed after a week off. I would like to think that my students also feel refreshed and ready to learn annnnnd so I am going to continue to think that haha! I absolutely loved my New Year’s weekend this year. My husband got out of work early on Friday and we headed up to Gunstock Mountain for some night skiing. We had just gotten all that snow on Thursday so the conditions were great! Some areas were a little icy/bumpy because the snow gets pushed into piles in steep parts, but my skis are pretty new still, nice and sharp!

Lake Winnipesaukee view from summit of Gunstock!

View from the summit, we got one summit run in before the lift closed at 4!

View from the Pistol lift, the light made it all look strangely purple

View of the Stockade and the night skiing trails all lit up!

Saturday night we went to a friend’s house for a get together that included multiple bonfires, fireworks (because those are legal in NH, whaaaaaa?), and snowmobiling! It was such a fun night. We were all together in the living room for the ball dropping and champagne toasts.

Welp, I don’t have any resolutions. Trying to eat better and exercise, be kind to the people I love….those aren’t resolutions, they are things that I try to think about all day every day. I am doing my first dressage clinic/lesson this coming Saturday with the trainer who worked with the horse I ride when his owner first brought him here from Ohio. I am so looking forward to it, Draki and me have been working hard and have really made progress since I started riding him in the fall. Its been quite a year- I got married, bought a house and moved to NH, and started a new job. I can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store!

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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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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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Ski Day at Gunstock & Valentine’s Day!

On February 15, 2016February 15, 2016 By careofmonIn Lifestyle, TripsLeave a comment

Happy Presidents’ Day!! Today we celebrate George Washington’s birthday which is on February 22nd AND Abraham Lincoln’s birthday which is on February 12th. The official holiday name is actually still Washington’s Birthday though.

This past weekend, we braved the cold to ski at Gunstock on Saturday. It was cold, but we were dressed for it- no exposed skin at all. We skied from 8:30 AM to 1 PM, did about 13 runs. My new skis were awesome. They are Rossignol Temptation 77’s and they definitely made me look like a better skier than I actually am. They turn so easily and really are no work at all. I am used to using rentals and sometimes really having to bend my knees and push to turn, my new skis are very little effort at all. I got an awesome deal on them too because ski places are trying to get rid of inventory and the snow is a little late this year. I got a great deal on my Nordica boots too!

Me and Jon bundled up! Look at the beautiful backdrop we have!

End of the day as the worse weather was rolling in….

The views from Gunstock of Lake Winnipesaukee are breathtaking. All of the trails are awesome, but my favorite is Stonebar. I usually try to do that one a couple times. Saturday, we all ended on Stonebar which was awesome. It was just starting to get really windy and the sun went in behind snow clouds when we were leaving, perfect!

Sunday’s Valentine’s Day was an extremely cold day, thank goodness we skied on Saturday. Jon got me a Lindt dark chocolate & pomegranate bar and the Harding Lane mountain hat I mentioned here! He does read the blog!! Woo!! It was the perfect gift. Jon loves his Yeti koozie, and put the Miller High Life tshirt I got him right in the laundry to wear this coming weekend. We made a delicious dinner with heart shaped steaks, roasted kale, and wheat rice pilaf. I made little chocolate heart cupcakes too! We chose the Southern Tier Choklate stout to go with our meal, so good!

I honestly don’t know if we will ever go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day because we have such a good time planning a nice meal and dessert. We save so much money too!! Tomorrow I am off to Florida for a few days, and my new hat will be coming with. It will be in the 70s, which is cold now to my parents, but will be soooo warm for me! I wish Jon could come but he sadly has to work. February vacation is a definite perk of being a teacher. I hope that you all had a lovely weekend and enjoyed Valentine’s Day no matter who you spent it with!

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Wolfeboro NH in Winter

On February 9, 2016February 9, 2016 By careofmonIn Lifestyle, Trips4 Comments

Wolfeboro, NH is known as America’s Oldest Summer Resort. The town is on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, and there is also Lake Wentworth which is a smaller lake within Wolfeboro. The beautiful Brewster Academy boarding school is in Wolfeboro on Winni and so is a gorgeous golf course, the Kingswood Country Club. Wolfeboro had a train station in the late 1800s/early 1900s for the B & M line that went right to the dock for the Mount Washington Lake Cruise. Before the train went to Wolfeboro, you had to take the train to Weirs Beach or Alton Bay, and then take the steam boat over to Wolfeboro. Here’s what the station looks like now. It has moved inland and is no longer used.

Wolfeboro has a very cute downtown area with shops & restaurants. They have town docks that people can come into to stay for the day or just dinner! I can’t wait to go back in the summer to hang out at one of the rooftop/deck restaurants to just people watch and admire the lake. Lake Winni is a very popular destination in New Hampshire, its huge! In the winter they have a huge pond hockey tournament and an ice fishing tournament. This coming weekend, they are having a beerfest out on the ice. Other towns on the lake include Meredith which is home of the pond hockey tourney, Center Harbor, Tuftonboro, Moultonboro, Gilford which has Gunstock Mtn too, Laconia which has Weirs Beach, and Alton Bay.

Love the Christmas Trees on the end of the docks

Different view of the docks

Area where the Mt. Washington Lake Cruise comes in to port in Wolfeboro

Festive light post!

This is a migratory route for salmon to spawn in the lake!

Here is what the steamboat landing/train station used to look like:

20scanwolfeborosteamboatlanding — From Lake Winni Forum

Some shops were still open this past weekend, and just a couple of restaurants. Wolfeboro XC Ski Association gives visitors and residents something fun and aerobic to do in the winter, I definitely want to go back to try their trails out. They even make snow for some of their trails! They have a very well known shop there, Nordic Skier Sports that I would love to go to as well. Now onto the places I did go!

Beveridge Craft Beer & Soap Shop has an awesome little tap room where you can go to try some fun New England beers. They gave us some delicious ranch dill pretzels to have with our beers and they had a bowl of Dove heart chocolates out. It was really nice, informal, and cozy. This is the store that is organizing the beer fest out on the ice this coming weekend.

From there, we went to The Lone Wolfe Brewing Company. Be aware, their website is their facebook page. They had 8 beers on tap for us to get samples of, so we did 2 flights of 4 each. I looooooved their Farmhouse Ale. I also like their Agape session IPA and their Breakfast Stout. Honestly though, the real star of the show is their spent grain soft baked pretzel. It comes with mustard and a cheese sauce…..and it was amazing. Crispy on the outside with butter and salt, and soft on the inside. Even if you don’t like beer, the pretzel is worth going.

Saturday night, we went to a birthday party for a friend at her house. In glorious NH fashion, there was a bonfire in the snow and snowmobile rides. If you live in New England, you have to find ways to enjoy the outdoors in the cold. Walking Mizpah, bonfires and snowmobiling, hiking, skiing, xc skiing, snowshoeing….whatever it is, you gotta get out there and seek the Vitamin D. Hope everyone had a good weekend! What did you do? Tell me things!

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Halloween Mt. Major Hike

On November 2, 2015January 14, 2016 By careofmonIn Hiking, LifestyleLeave a comment

This past weekend we headed up to NH for a hike and an Oktoberfest/Halloween get together. Its true we are past peak with foliage in NH but its still gorgeous out there. Past peak still means a lot of yellows and rusts and browns. Its still so colorful out there. Mt. Major is a little guy, and there are a couple ways up. There is a steeper & quicker route and then a more windy & gradual route. We had my future inlaws with us so we decided to take the more gradual route. Our pup was staying with them while we headed to the party, so we had to make sure Mizpah was tired and not crazy for her babysitters.

We forgot my LLBean backpack but thankfully Jon had his from elementary school ha

Girls on the summit, wearing my LLBean Sweater Fleece pullover, so comfortable and a great top layer for this hike!

I don’t know, I feel like the leaf peepers miss one of the best phases of foliage after Columbus Day weekend. It was so gorgeous Saturday. After the hike my amazing fiancé made homemade soft pretzels for the Oktoberfest/Halloween party. I bought pumpkin bread from my favorite country store and he made homemade perfect pretzels, he’s definitely a better cook haha.

For the party I wore an old Oktoberfest beer girl costume that I got years ago, and my fiancé Jon wore his waders as waderhosen with a fishing buddy and they both had the German hats with the feathers. It was fabulous.

It was a great weekend. The hike cost us nothing but gas, we didn’t have to buy anything for our costumes, we just bought stuff for the pretzels, the pumpkin bread, and some German beer which was delicious.

I hope you all had a lovely Halloween weekend! The last horse I wrote about was a tragedy. Tomorrow I will write about a horse that is an inspiration, and a triumph, and thankfully has a very happy ending coming to him 🙂

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New England Classic Beauty

Tag: lakewinnipesaukee

MS Mount Washington Cruise

A New Hampshire New Year’s Weekend

Lazy Days at Lake Winnipesaukee

Memorial Day on Lake Winnipesaukee

Ski Day at Gunstock & Valentine’s Day!

Wolfeboro NH in Winter

Halloween Mt. Major Hike

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