New Hampshire and Vermont: Vacation Part 2

I'm a sucker for funny faces.  This is only one from a series of many while people watching in the Boston Common Park.  Hubby just takes it all in stride!  But I've seen him make his fair share of silly faces.

The next leg of our trip took place in this little VW Bug Convertible as we headed to New Hampshire to visit Hubby's dad and step-mom; my new in-laws!  The weather was so nice!  Perfect driving weather.  Once we made it into our NH destination, we got to take the top down.

                          {Hubby and his daddy!}

           {This is from our excursion to Plymouth and Duxbury}

{These are a few of the graves of the VonTrapp family.  Yes, the VonTrapp family of The Sound of Music. We visited their family lodge in Vermont, which is actually a popular ski resort.  They said it was the closest thing to the Alps since they came to America.  It was so beautiful and peaceful.  We got to drive all through some of the Vermont mountains and see beautiful, luxurious ski resorts and scenic views!  Of course, we hit up a few antique places along the way!}

{We spent a couple of days at Hubby's grandparent's house in the Vermont mountains for the 4th of July.  Their house is situated on the top of a mountain and in the middle of a 9-hole golf course.  The scenery was breathtaking.  As Hubby and I pulled up that first night, the weather was perfect.  It was sprinkling slightly and the fog was just beginning to roll in.  Cool temperatures.  We couldn't sit on the front porch because a protective Robin mama was protecting her two little chickadees and was going wild.  We settled on the back porch instead, for sandwiches and a glass of wine.  The picture above is with Hubby's grandpa, aunt, and uncle.
    For 4th of July, there was record rain fall.  Actually, it had been record rain fall for about the past 2 weeks prior to our getting there.  There was so much rain that the road up to their house washed out and the course flooded.  We had to drive across the course to get out!  We went to Hubby's grandmother's niece's house in a nearby town to watch a wonderful fireworks show!  I must say, it was one of the best finale's I've ever seen.  The walk back to the house that night was one that I won't soon be forgetting, nor will Hubby's family for sure.  They didn't let me live it down for at least a couple of days.  We couldn't drive back up the golf course road to get back to the house so parked our cars at the clubhouse to walk back. (I, of course had conked out half way back so was a little groggy.)  We were a little under half way back when Shannon, Hubby's grandmother looked down at the green and pointed out the nightcrawlers. Eeewwwww!!!  They were slimy looking and quick!  As we shined the light on them and continued walking, they would squish and suck out of sight, back into their little ground holes.  I squealed, tiptoed, tried climbing onto Hubby's back before finally making it back to the safe paving stones leading up to the house.  We all slept really well that night!}

{This was a cup of delicious cold apple cider from the apple mill that we visited while in Vermont.  They had the most amazing apple cider donuts!  I couldn't get enough of them!  I was almost tempted to get a bag of  the donut mix, but I remember what happened the last time I tried to make donuts.  (Smoky kitchen, burning oil, burning eyes and nose...) }

{The last day in Vermont before we headed back to New Hampshire to see Hubby's other grandparents who also lived up a mountain, about a mile up a gravel road. His grandparents lived in their current house (which they are trying to sell, if anyone is interested.) (Not the house pictured above.)}

{This is the meal that awaited us at the home of the Lawrences. It was so nice getting to meet my new in-laws!  They are all such nice and loving people.  We all had a lot in common and had no trouble finding things to talk about.  They live on about 63 acres, a few of which have maple pipelines that they have someone harvest and process for them.  They actually sent us home with 3 or 4 jugs of  delicious maple syrup.  There was good conversation, good home-cooked food, good company!!  Dinner was croc pot cooked ribs and potato salad with hard boiled eggs.  Breakfast was home made waffles, sugared strawberries, covered in whip cream and maple syrup. (His grandfather, Jim had to teach me the proper way to pile of the whip cream!  Haha.)  After dinner, I got to walk their donkey, Pedro and took him to the clearing where he liked to eat the purple flowers that grew there.}

{Flowers that we got to take with us from their house when we headed back to Massachusetts.  Beautiful pink roses that were so fragrant!}

New Hampshire and Vermont were both beautiful excursions, and we met such wonderful people!  It was hard to say good bye to the Lawrences as we headed back to MA.