Vacation ... midweek ...

Wednesday afternoon was spent at Quincy Bog, a natural area in Rumney, next door. If ever there was a perfect word employed in the service of describing an area, it is the word tranquil as applied to Quincy Bog. It's a heavenly place. I can't recall ever feeling such a sense of deep serenity. Depths of water, buffers of forest, the Anura guard, sheltered areas, and all lusciously verdant. Such calm. It will become a place of frequent visits. I'd very much like to visit it in each of the seasons.

There are occasional guided hikes around the bog, educational lectures, and a nature center, which was closed the day I was there. One lecture coming up soon will examine 14,000 years of the bog's history. Won't that be wonderful!? I'm going to try to make it. The bog is also a noted bird watching sight. There are lists on the bulletin board where one can add one's sightings.

Much of the flora is identified with markers. I had no idea there were so many different types of fern--they all look alike at a quick glance. I neglected to take a tree identification sheet--the trees are numbered--so next time.

I was not prepared for the narrow walkways skimming the surface of certain waters, but after the first bridge I relaxed and let my weight set my balance. Enjoyment had crept in by the time I walked my last plank.

(As always, click to enlarge)



Leaving the craft fair behind, late yesterday afternoon, I traveled up I89 to Lebanon where I knew their farmer's market would be open. My wish was to see an old friend who works at one of the local farms. He would have been working the booth. Alas, for some unknown reason they weren't there yesterday. But I did partake of some Pad Thai from one of the booths and it gave me a fleeting reminiscence of my favorite Thai restaurant back in my old Brooklyn neighborhood.

From the farmer's market I decided to head over to White River Junction, VT where I knew a knit-night would be in progress and another acquaintance could be found there. Alas, she couldn't make it last night. It was altogether a lovely evening nonetheless and I made some new knitting friends. The store has a rather nice yarn bomb out front. I'm not generally a fan of yarn bombing but I think this one is quite tastefully done. The store is White River Yarns. A lovely, warm place.

Vacation ... day 2 ...

Following Monday's strenuous, but exhilarating, climb up Rattlesnake Mountain it seemed that a quiet, relaxing stroll through Shin-Boku Nursery would be fitting. And it was. Even a calm stroll can be breathtaking.

Shin-Boku is located one town to the west from here. In fact it's just a stone's throw from my favorite Antique store that I mentioned last week. From the write-up, I expected a quaint, down-scaled stroll garden but was surprised to find a rather extensive garden. The scale was much larger than I anticipated, all the more to my delight! It's a beautiful garden and the owner explained that he's not done with it yet. In fact, there are currently new plantings at one end.

The trees are beautiful! There is an extensive nursery of exquisite specimens for sale. I can't imagine the amount of time that goes into training their growth!



Today, I drove down to Sunapee to attend the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair. Oh my word!! It left me as breathless as my hike up Rattlesnake. Exquisite craftsmanship, gorgeous craftworks. Wood, pottery, metal, glass, fiber, jewelry. Wow, oh wow, oh wow! Sublime. I was good and purchased one mixing bowl which, in my opinion, was one of the most beautiful to be had. It caught my eye right away and I fell in love with it:



Tomorrow I'll post about my most tranquil hike around Quincy Bog yesterday, right next door in Rumney.

Vacation week ... the first day ...

I am enjoy vacation this week and taking in the local surroundings, so much of which is gorgeous. Being situated on the verge of the White Mountains with my home in the foothills, puts me within reach of many interesting geological formations and natural areas.

Monday I hiked up Rattlesnake Mountain which is situated at the end of Halls Brook Road, the main artery for my trips into Rumney and Plymouth. Rattlesnake is a rock climbing destination and goes by the name "Rumney Rocks". Apparently people from all over come to climb it's shear cliffs. Not me. I chose the 1.3 mile (one way) hiking trail over on the west side of the mountain.

The trail starts off level but quickly inclines to quite a challenging, steep climb. Quite the workout indeed... and it felt good. It felt better when I finally reached the loop at the top of the mountain. One can choose to walk the loop clockwise or counter-clockwise and I chose counter-clockwise (as that is the direction one spins a prayer wheel). I think descending was just as hard as climbing up if not more so. I had to zig-zag my way down in certain areas because it's just so steep.

Being in the forest was beautiful. The weather this week--so far--has been gorgeous and the sun was shining in through the canopy of leaves. It was peaceful. Some gurgling water. Some bird talk. Quite serene, if one discounts my huffing and puffing--panting by the time I reached the loop.

There was plenty of time to catch my breath at the top and good reason to take my time. The view is fabulous! The whole Baker River Valley opens up in a vertigo inducing expanse. I could see the hills where I live, but my place would be behind the immediate hills so it's not visible.

Tuesday I visited a Japanese garden and nursery in Wentworth, the next town over going west. Today I hiked the trail around Quincy Bog in Rumney, the next town over going north. I'll write about both those adventures during the course of this week.

Some pictures from Monday's hike. As always, click to enlarge.

The start of the trail is very pleasant.

A babbling brook.

Ah. The incline begins.

Deciding to walk the loop counter-clockwise meant Stintson Mountain was the first to come into view.

The Baker River valley down there.

The hills of Groton.

The quaint village of Rumney.

The valley.

Our windmills can be seen on the hills.

Looking in my direction. The vertical white strip in the lower left is Halls Brook Road. It runs four miles in. Turn right at its end and I'm about one mile up (to the right in this picture).

Nice view of the valley, looking towards Plymouth.

Windmills and Halls Brook Road again.

My place is over those hills.

Quite a slide! Yippee!

I'm curious how this smooth flowing surface was formed.

Looking south towards North Groton where I live. (I'm in the woods, I tell ya!)

Wind mills atop the hills.

I liked these rocks enough to snap a picture on the way down the mountain.


A wonderful, wonderful hike. One I will repeat this fall when the foliage turns. It must be spectacular then!

Sakiori ... modified ...

I finished the Sakiori to find that the design of the collar caused the front of the jacket to ride up 5-6" !! in the front. Well, it wouldn't do, I'd never wear it in that shape, so out with the old and in with the new...

I tore out the collar and designed a new, simple one that will sit easy on my shoulders. Not in keeping with the Sakiori style perhaps, but it is now a jacket I will enjoy wearing. Very much.

The old. It is quite clear to see how this collar causes the front to ride up when worn:


The new. Finished except for tying in some loose ends and giving it a bath. The side panels were not yet attached in this picture. They've since been sewn in:


I was almost at a loss to come up with a new project but whilst poking around the closet last week in search of some Noro (which I did not have!) I found an unrecognized bag. What a delight it was to discover a bunch of unspun fiber, a petit-point that I thought was lost, and a lace shawl I started a few years ago and plum forgot about! I think it got lost in the big move last year and it's been completely out of my mind since. So it's my new project. It only needs the border to be finished, but it's not fast-going so it'll keep me occupied for a while.


The petit-point is going to make a pin cushion. I was so disappointed when I couldn't find it a few months back and figured it must have got tossed or lost during the move. So happy it's found.


Really, finding that bag of goodies was like Christmas in July!