A hope for Spring and painful muscles.

Guess I won't be posting any long stories today. I have pulled a muscle in my shoulder blade that is getting more painful every day. Off to the Dr. tomorrow I hope. Nothing is helping; ice, heat or 2 Aleve even.

So just a beautiful flower for your enjoyment and despite the snow flurries we had on Friday, the hope that Spring is really here.

Beautiful Views, Country Fairs, Summer and Winter...

Every summer and at least once during the winter my family headed north from Massachusetts to Gorham, NH or Bethel Maine. Often we would travel Route 25 that went between Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake. At the junction of Routes 25 and 109 there is a sign to Sandwich, NH. I remember my sister and me joking about, “let’s go to Sandwich and get a sandwich.” Kids say the craziest things, don't they. Little did I know that someday I would regularly visit North Sandwich where a friend from NYC moved. This is a lovely rural area off the main thoroughfare.

Now every summer and sometimes in the winter I still travel to Bethel, Maine. North Sandwich is on the way about 1 ½ hours shy of my final destination, Songo Pond. My friend and I always do something outdoorsy. Twice we have climbed West Rattlesnake, which gives a great view of Squam Lake and sometimes on a clear day Lake Winnipesaukee. It is a modest climb with a path that is maintained called the Old Bridal Path. The climb up is through trees and then you reach the top and there is a large stone outcrop with a spectacular view.

One year I went up for Columbus Day weekend which is always the weekend of the annual Sandwich Fair; a real old

fashioned fair. On Saturday afternoon there was a small parade through town where all the locals line the streets. The colors of the trees in the area were just beautiful.

When I am up there I always look forward to getting out and taking pictures. My friend is use to this now and often offers to drive me around.

One beautiful Sunday morning early, I took several pictures in Center Sandwich, including the picture of the leaves falling and the back of the farm and stone wall.

Last winter on my February trip through NH and Maine I stopped to visit my friend. She and her mother had been hibernating and not answering the phone for about 6 weeks. So I surprised her.

She was glad to see me and we drove around the beautiful snow covered back roads. That’s when I took this picture of the back of the town with one of the churches visible. Wearing my friend’s snow shoes made it easier to get high enough on the snow pack to take the picture.

I almost always make a trip to the Durgin Covered Bridge which is about 2 miles east of North Sandwich. This bridge was originally built in 1869. In a post below there is a picture taken last winter while standing on the frozen Cold River. which the bridge crosses.

Sandwich has become one of my favorite places to visit anytime of year. It is known for its many artists that now live in the area. Oh yes, and lest I forget a favorite stop is always the Old Country Store on Rt 25 in Moultonboro. This store is one of the oldest continuously running businesses in the country dating from 1781. The place is deceiving because from the outside it looks so much smaller than the inside.

This is definitely a place to visit and an area with so much to do, know matter what time of year you choose to go or what your interests are. It is in the Lakes region and close to The White Mountains. Hope you'll visit.

A Rare Snow Day for Brooklyn

[Brooklyn Street in the snow]

New York City Public Schools are having a rare snow day off. The schools in NYC rarely close for many reasons, but the snow today was just enough by morning [about 6 inches] that the Chancellor called it off, much to the delight of the teachers and staff more than the kids I bet. This teacher is enjoying the day off that is for sure! It is still snowing lightly at 1:00 PM and I just heard the first plow go down the street. I will soon have to get the shovel out and do my front walk. We have 24 hours after the snow stops falling to clear the sidewalks and stairs in front of our residences. If we do not comply we risk getting a ticket and the only time that has happened it was about $125.00 and that was several years ago.

My youngest daughter goes to Hunter College in Manhattan. She tried to go to school this morning as they were not closed. But she couldn't get on a subway for almost an hour. So, she got tired of waiting and trudged home again, arriving wet and very cold!

We are cozy and warm now drinking hot chocolate. That is all of us except my older daughter's long haired Chihuahua, Tinkerbell. The snow is almost up to her stomach. We have to carry her out to a place in the back yard where it is fairly covered and not too much snow builds up, for her to get some relief. Then she runs/hops back to the back door covered with snow. She is a cutie.

The picture below is one I took several years ago. It was taken in a plaza by the big Chase Bank on William Street near Wall Street in lower Manhattan. I lived a block from here for about a year. That was before we moved to more affordable Brooklyn.

Our storm was nothing like the snow they got last week in Maine and NH, but enough to make a long weekend for this teacher.