Meadery

Today I decided to do a little Mead (aka Honey Wine) tasting. Less than a mile away: BRIMMING HORN MEADERY is a meadery with over 20 years of crafting and perfecting their award winning meads, and features a tasting/sampling area as well as a Scandinavian-style mead hall.

I set myself outside at their picnic table while tasted 10 different meads. It wasn’t long before my back started hurting. Fortunately, being a nomad, I always have a camp chair in my truck. I set it up, got comfy, and continued to enjoy my mead. 2 of them caught my attention so I went in to purchase them. They were sold in growlers that each required a $10 deposit. Unfortunately, being a nomad with a small trailer I wouldn’t be around to ever refill them, and had no good place to store them as souvenirs as suggested by the cashier. I walked away enjoying the experience, but not taking anything home with me.

NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum

Following the outbreak of World War II, this all-wood double wide aircraft hangar was assembled by the U.S. Navy in 1942 from a kit delivered via railroad. On April 1, 1943, Naval Air StationWildwood was commissioned as a training facility for dive bomber squadrons that would go on to fight in the Pacific. Between 1943 and 1945, activities included night flying and target practice over the Delaware Bay, reaching a peak of almost 17,000 takeoffs and landings in the month of October 1944. Before NAS Wildwood was decommissioned, 129 crashes occurred, and 42 airmen died in training exercises.

The NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum has a wide-ranging assortment of historic aircraft and artifacts that are on display for public enjoyment and education. For many, these iconic aircraft represent the bravery of both aviation pioneers and the first military pilots. Given that the museum is located inside a World War II hangar, it is appropriate that many of our propeller aircraft share a common history.

I was particularly intrigued by the Enigma Machine. How it works is both mind boggling and fascinating.

Mark Twain

With only a few days to spend in Connecticut; the top item on my list was to visit the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain: the greatest humorist the United States has produced. I have long felt an affinity to his work. He would definitely be on my list of 5 people to bring back from the dead for dinner.

“The Vagabond Instinct was strong in me”. “All I do know or feel, is, that I am wild with impatience to move-move–Move! Curse the endless delays! I wish I never had to stop anywhere a month.”
-Letter from Samuel Clemens to his mother
and family, June 1, 1867

The Mark Twain House & Museum has restored the author’s Hartford, Connecticut, home, where the author and his family lived from 1874 to 1891. Twain wrote his most important works during the years he lived there, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.

Fun Fact: Twain was born shortly after an appearance of Halley’s comet and he predicted that he would “go out with it” as well, dying the day after the comet made its closest approach to Earth.

Sunapee, NH

In one beautiful trip on a ski lift, I got to take in the beauty of both the Mountain and the Lake named after Sunapee. Town, lake, and mountain share the name Sunapee, which comes from the Algonquin Indian words suna, meaning goose, and apee, meaning lake. The Indians called the area Goose Lake because it was a favorite spot of wild geese.

League of NH Craftsmen

One of my favorite things to do when visiting any area is attending local craft fairs. The League of NH Craftsmen hosts one of the finest I have attended. I especially liked watching the crafts folk creating their art.

The League’s story begins in the mid-1920s when Mrs. Mary Coolidge and A. Cooper Ballentine joined forces to promote craft in New Hampshire. By 1932, The League of New Hampshire Arts and Crafts had been established, and the first official League shop was opened in Wolfeboro. The following year, the first Craftsmen’s Fair was held, making it the oldest craft fair in the country.

League of NH Craftsmen

Littleton, NH

One of my favorite towns in New Hampshire is nestled between the northern White Mountains and the Connecticut River, the town of Littleton, NH, is equal parts business and shopping hub and outdoor escape. It’s been named one of the best places to live in America. It’s downtown has won big accolades as well; given Littleton’s lively arts scene, summertime festivals and street performers, local boutiques and shops . With its ideal location in the shadow of the mountains and along the river, Littleton prides itself on being a walkable community, both around town and on a 22-mile network of hand-built trails.

Flume Gorge

Its name sounds a bit like an amusement park ride, but Flume Gorge in Lincoln, New Hampshire, is not an attraction any engineer dreamed up. Powerful natural forces — molten earth, ice, flowing water and frost — have shaped this fascinating chasm: a highlight of New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch State Park.

Imagine stumbling upon this geologic wonder one day while you were out fishing. That’s what happened in 1808 to 93-year-old “Aunt” Jess Guernsey. Even her own family was dubious when she described what she’d found. But soon, she convinced others to have a look. And even without the benefit of social media, word traveled fast about this spectacular sight. The first tourists came by stagecoach to see Flume Gorge, and people haven’t stopped visiting since.

Goffstown, NH

I was hankering for some Eggs Benedict this morning, so decided to check out Goffstown which is not far from where I’m camped. It’s a very quaint area with several restaurants and a few shops.

Goffstown was incorporated in 1761. This town started as a part of Massachusetts, and was known as Narragansett Number 4, Piscataquog (so glad I don’t have to pronounce that) Village, and then Shovestown (I’m curious if there was a lot of shoving in Shovestown). before installation of the New Hampshire provincial government.

In 1748, the area was granted to new settlers, including Colonel John Goffe who fought in the French and Indian Wars, worked for Governor Wentworth as a surveyor, and became judge of probate for Hillsborough County.

Highland House Museum

The Highland House Museum occupies one of Truro’s best known landmarks, the Highland House, a seasonal hotel built on the Highlands in 1907. Located near the Highland Light in North Truro, the museum building is a classic example of a turn-of-the-century summer resort hotel.

These dolls creeped me out a little, I wonder if they are haunted.

Loved these sculptures by Neal Personeus

I visited the Museum for a look inside the lives of the people of Truro and the Outer Cape. There were permanent exhibits about the Indigenous People who lived here for hundreds of years before the arrival of the Europeans. I was able to travel back to a time when local residents devoted themselves to the salt mill industry, the railroad, and domestic crafts, such as weaving and embroidery. I discovered a collection of art that showcases a deep reservoir of talent that reflects an enduring admiration for the natural beauty of this area.