Catching up II - Boston 2 - Would you Adam and Eve It

And back on the road again for another dull colourless journey to our next destination - Mount Washington and Franconia Notch National Park

We stopped overnight in the middle of nowhere literally since Mt Washington was back through most of New Hapmshire heading for the Vermont border.
Here we bought freshly picked apples putting our money in an honesty box. You knew they were freshly picked because really quicky aftre you start them the creamy white flesh turns brown.


One of my favourite films is The Bridges of Madison County so we had to follw the signs for a covered bridge.

US road signs leave much to be desired but this takes you to the next extreme, for those of you who came after "old money" this may not seem amusing....

And here is our first view of Mt Washington

We couldn't go all the way the 8,000 feet because the roads were blocked by ice and snow. As you would expect Mount Washington has the worst weather in the world (the US does not own the Arctic or Antarctic), three storm systems mdo converge at the top though.


Marlene Dietrich (I want to be alone) meets Jimmie Crankie

The descent was gloomy and boring:

There has been no photoshop interference or airbrushing of any kind on this one..Ansel Adams eat your heart out (not).

And it goes on


Now here is the tall story from the short person but there is photographic evidence to prove it is true. You know when you see someone or you think it's them and you spend 10 minutes deciding whether you should make a pratt of yourself because this is the most unlikely place to meet someone from your circle of acquaintances ..a girl from the Arts Institute Bournemouth, sitting in the cafe at the bottom of MT Washington. She took photographic evidence as proof, put in a request to the SITS forum if you do not believe me.
So where do we go from here (I don't know Mr David Essex???)...well Diana's Boudoir (or something like that can't quite remember. Just tucked away near Franconia's Notch (ooh missus). Ignore the smut and let me try to redeem myself with a couple more artistic shots:

Peter Pan and Wendy

History Lesson next.

Catching up 1 - Boston 1 - The fall was not so colourful this year...

I don't have much to say on this (wow I hear the collective gasp). The pictures I think say it for themselves but a brief itinerary and the rest will be concise labels (well as I set out to write it that is the intention....).
So we start off with a flight to Boston Massachusettes, drive out of Boston for first night in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where there is a Naval shipyard but we took photographs of Mary Mary Quite Contrary

And here is something else they copied

This is very rich territory with trendy cafes and boats coming out of your ears but all in a very clipped and restrained sort of way. The motto for New Hampshire is Live Free or Die.

The scenery in the crisp fall sun is energising after the dust and heat of Texas

For the record it was here that I tasted Grey Goose Vodka for the first time mixed with cranberry juice..I was always torn between bringing that or rum back from Jamaic..suffice to say the rum wwas the better choice since I would not want anyone of my friends to drink it and then have a moose on the bar wall talk to them as it did to me.
Day 2 is driving up through New Hampshire continuing our trend for property acquisition, I could have gotten (hahaha) this one but discovered there was a risk of Bushism from just up the road in Kennybunk where apparently there is a seasonal infestation of the extended family.

Then on up through the Maine Coastline.

A good 6 hours later we were getting an eerie sunset

near our destination for the day..Bar Harbor which lives in Arcadia National Park (as visited I believe as Alcatraz). It was dark when we arrived but this was the view we woke up with:

For the rest of the pictures, there is nothing to say really except the odd one or two comments.


Bloody tourists....

The colours are crap aren't they


We waved across the Atlantic from this view but you weren't looking...


I had an artistic moment:

And so to Day 3 and Mount Washington
PS Just kidding about the moose talking to me ...
It talked to everyone.

Rather Behind II - Pigs Might Fly

The Texas state fair is the place to experience a serious concentration of Texan family
presided over by the slightly chucky (oops I missed out the l) Big Tex

For those who live locally to me in England it is a cross between Hull Fair which is the old Nottingham Goose Fair minus geese
and Hull Show which is like the great Yorkshire Show but with domestic livestock which in these "chav" ridden days extends from dogs, guinea pigs and rabbits to anacondas and tarantulas. (There is a punch up just waiting to happen there when all the white mice competitors disappear and all the snake competitors have a whacking great digestive smile on their face.)
Anyway, you know the car is King in the US and the TSF is a great opportunity to display it's muscle. This year they introduced two new models, the first being the dinghycar.

followed by the carblaster.

We have to own up and say though that we did sit in a shiny shiny Mazda more horse power than at Kempton races thingy, it was very nice and amazingly we didn't get pestered (maybe word had got round from our last car buying experience that we only had $9000 max to spend).
Apart from the jaunty US Marines band

with the "minciest" marching style you have ever seen; the day was spent roaming from one corn dog stall to another plucking up the courage to try one, being momentarily swayed by the gastronomic chalenge of a chop on a stick.....until we gave up and finished almost eating here until we realised typically it was America's way of proving that Hook a Duck is for Patsies.

We rounded off the day going to see those chops who had been saved from a skewer up the jacksie by volunteering to race against each other.

But we were too late.... the pigs had despite popular conviction flown and because I have realised that the photo is too distant this is the Pig racing arena.

Rather behind 1 - Is Bill there

My eldest brother once asked for an album by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils - at age 11 I was really impressed. Never thought I'd end up in the place from whence they came. It was suggested to us that if we wanted to miss any state out in our quest for the 52 then Arkansas might be it. Given we only had 3 days for this trip then Arkansas was next closest - no choice.
I think it must have been people who don't like the outdoor life e.g. mountains, trees, walking. Everyone say aaaaah. I sat there slightly worried that I would witness hunting for pleasure and Bambi would become blam, blam strawberry jam.



We also desperately needed to see Bill who grew up in our base - Hot Springs. Not a right lot is said about where he was born and given we did stop off there as well to see it's not surprising. The only decent house near the centre of town or else it was spooksville. Bill Clinton was born here. Sorry it doesn't quite line up.

So Hot Springs....it is what it says the place where hot water spouts out of the ground at 100 degrees. And the local water company in its philanthropic wisdom has placed public fountains where the locals can fill up their bottles with the pure mineral water, the company having kindly cooled it down to about 75 degrees fahrenheit first. It takes you by surprise along with the old guy who had about 30 4 pint cartons strung on a piece of string to stop them blowing away while he filled them up! Arkansas was our first experience of rural poverty as opposed to urban street people.

What you see is not the worst, it was difficult to stop to take more when it is patently obvious you are not from "round these parts"..and it feels a tad voyeuristic. Anyway the church is there to bolster them in their days of trial....like every other mile tucked away in remote places and in every form imaginable, it made me wonder whether the Church of Steve (I kid you not) could be the next Waco (I wonder where that is then???). Economists would argue that Arkansas will never be one of the richer states when you can pay $79 for two nights in a motel, ok so it sounded like the road was in the bedroom and the handyman spent most of the time trying to regurgitate his left lung for medical inspection but it was clean.
We came home via Fred Clinton's or is it Bill Flintstone's former seat of power. And he was there launching educational funds. Walking round the state building we bumped
into one of his former aides when he was a local boy...she had seen him recently at a formal dinner and just managed to tell him who from his neighbourhood had died just before the federal gorillas waded in to protect him from her large hairdo and bright red lippy. .......Hilary was relieved....

Oh and did I mention the posse from the local PAC (Prehistoric Age Concern) which had managed to break out on their Harlies and were busy supping milk or sasparilly thru straws. Added to eating pasta in a german oompah style bar while darby and joan danced to the jazz band in their best bib and tucker all in all it was a weekend of
.....well I don't know really.

Next stop Texas State Fair.

Well I'll be....

- Did you see'em?
- What?
- Those funny speaking folk, not from round here and not from Sulphur neither though they smelled it.
- Nope...not heard that kind a talk in these parts since 1867 but me granpappy passed that one down word of mouth and he was a liar...What you do with em?
- Well I gave 'em some of ma BBQ brisket with beans.
- You sure they don't come from Sulphur.
- Yeah I know, thought they was spies for the Wolves of Sulphur checking out our tactics for the game tonight. Didn't want 'em spoiling the only event of the year. Turns out they was hungry and looking for a "kettle"
- A what?
- You heard me...for boiling water, seems they staying in a log cabin in Turner Falls and thought because it had a cooker and fridge, it would, just like everywhere else in the US, have pots and pan's as well.





- Darn stupid.
- Think that's why they went to Sulphur to find one but just came back with a smell hee hee hee hee (loud ding from spittoon).
- Seemed confused that we was serving food, decorating, hairdressing and selling antiques and lavender bags all from the one place.
- Hey I heard the beds in those cabins yawl like a mule when you sit on 'em, can be heard for miles hee hee hee hee (even louder ding from spittoon). Did ya see 'em again.
- Oh yeah did I see, the only people in the restaurant.
- Din't they know it was football.
- Nope. They was trying catfish..big dude like that you'd think he would want the All you can eat for $8. Just pussyfooted about with 3 feyeah instead, and the lil' woman couldn't eat her cornbread and fries neither.

Cut to Turner Falls..catfish wimps in costumes.


We see a small party of people all dressed up in their finery. All leave except one, a lone cowboy. He walks round the falls with a limp, takes off just his hige black ten gallon hat and boots and dives in the pool.

He stands up and peforms the most spectacular green spit in out general direction. Having sucked the remnants back up from his chin, he begins....
- You English? Beautiful here ain' it. Can't do this in Arkansas anymore..come out covered in ticks.
- Yes we are from Yorkshire in England.
- You know a guy called Smith, came from Wales, a soldier?
- Can't say we do.
- That was ma dawter just got married over there near the fall, did ya see it? Her father-in-law is a priest. Ma daddy became a Catholic and his family disowned him. I been reading a book I come from a place near York...Futon do you know it?
- There is a place called Fulton.
- No the book said Futon. Is York a Catholic city? Queen Mary you din't like her much did ya?
- Catholics live there but so do Jews, Protestants, Sikhs and all denominations, we don't have that much segregation by city.
- What's your name?
- Wiles
- What kind of a name is that? Catholic? You related to the Vikings? You know you can never have too many friends. I'm in the Mason's too. Got my leg fixed in hospital by the masons as we din't have much money. They always help ya out. Well been nice talking to ya...

And here's the scenery we came for, plus our newly acquired authentic 1930's log cabin.




The signs to Crystal Cave were that good we ended up here, the sun was beating against the rock and there was no shade. Phil another 6 foot higher suddenly realised that the little crack in the wall which we think was Crystal Cave was a perfect environment for rattlers...we had only climbed about 100 foot we could easily bounce and crash back down.

We also swam in the Blue Pool but by then the batteries had run out.
And yes Sulphur contains what it says on the packet......
Next stop...Hot Springs, Tick Land (Arkansas) and hopefully (ha ha) Hope (birthplace of Clinton) and Little Rock...
I know ...you don't see a blog for ages and then three come along at once.

Freeway, subway....oh yes fairway

Erhmm with respect to the previous blog - San Francisco...sorry to all you golfers. Editors mistake.