HAMPTON BEACH

New Hampshire is lucky enough to have a shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean. It is very small however, and we've managed to make it a very tacky place over the years. Seedy motels line the main strip, along with a ramshackle arcade. But tacky can be fun. I went a few weeks ago with my sister Sarah and some friends cracked a few beers and hung out on the beach. The water, as usual, was absolutely frigid, so the day consisted of running into the water, running back out teeth chattering and legs numb, only come back and fry on my towel. I should not say fry however, as I wore sunscreen that made my skin glow. UV protection, you guys! Here are a few of the disposable snaps from the day.

CANOBIE LAKE PARK

Summer thus far has been quite fantastic,I've ditched my DSLR (temporarily) for a disposable camera and have been documenting my adventures on film. The majority of the photos have been coming out fairly terrible, but there have been some gems that I'll be sharing here over the next few weeks. Although the camera is disposable, the memories sure are not! These photos were taken on a recent trip to one of my favorite New Hampshire destinations, Canobie Lake Park. I've been coming here ever since I was a little kid and it certainly has not changed much in the years that I have been visiting, nay probably not much has changed over the past 50 years plus that Canobie has been operating.I have so much nostalgia tied in with this place that I'm sure my soul is entwined with Canobie by now. I love visiting around dusk to see the sunset over the lake that the park was named after and to watch the park light up with blinking lights. One of my favorite activities is riding the old rickety wooden roller coaster, The Yankee Cannonball,and looking up at the starry night sky before being plummeted back towards the earth. It truly is an exhilarating place and I will always hold a dear spot in my heart for Canobie Lake Park.

GREEN MT. STATE

These are some disposable camera film shots we took a few weekends ago when we visited Burlington, Vermont to see Feist play at the Flynn Theatre. The show, as expected was incredible and the entire audience was actually invited on stage to have a dance party for the encore. I've never "rushed" a stage before, but the band was really inviting and nice and we just rocked out to a upbeat version of Limit to your Love. A surreal experience, to say the least.
The rest of the weekend was spent walking around the downtown area, going to a farmers market and strolling down by Lake Champlain. I ended up getting rather ill midway through the weekend, initially believing it was allergies, but quickly realizing a nasty cold was forming, so we took it pretty easy. Minus the sinus cold part, I think I officially fell in love with Vermont that weekend.

MEMORIAL

On a rainy afternoon such as what we're experiencing today in New Hampshire, its only typical to have memories of when the sun was shining brightly and frolicking outside was a given. Last Memorial Day weekend comes to mind when such a time existed. Jeramy and I spent it together fixing up and priming his sunroom, eating fried clams and ice cream at Kimballs Farm in Jaffrey (which is becoming a Memorial Day tradition,as well as a summer ritual), and taking a nice walk through the logging trail where these photos were taken. One of our favorite walks in the Monadnock Region, this trail seems to have every variety of NH wildlife and scenery. There are heavy wooded areas, dense with ferns, lady slippers and dogwood, a marshy pond which would be perfect for bird watching, and a cold creek that winds along the long trail. It is a well kept secret in the area and often, we have it entirely to ourselves. We spent the afternoon picking wildflowers and running away from mosquitos near the creek. Its nice to remember these times, but today I am very much enjoying the rain and sloshing about in puddles. Rain, rain, you can stay…for a little while.
Photos by Jeramy & I 
Outfit Details: Tie front blouse...H&M,Jeans...BDG, Sandals...Bass

Granite State of Mind

Photos from a hike up the Wapack the other day. You should really visit New Hampshire. It is really this gorgeous.

Parker's Maple Barn

Pancakes. Yes. Awesome. And no better a place to get them than at Parker's in Mason, NH. I used to come here as a kid and have fond memories of bundling up and going first thing in the morning before going to church with my family. The place is really kitschy with silly memorabilia nailed to the wall, which makes it all the better. I had gingerbread pancakes and Jeramy had pumpkin and we of course smothered them in maple syrup made fresh on the premises. There was also maple coffee, which ended up being a bit disappointing and weak, so we made some delicious homemade maple lattes later on in the day( we're serious coffee snobs). It ended up being a reasonably warm day, probably one of the last ones we'll have this year, but I still wanted to cozy up in my new to me sweater I found at an antique store. This is a place where memories are made, so if you're a pancake fan and are ever in Mason, NH...go.

 

just beachy

It was my Momma's big 5-0 the other day and she wanted to spend it at the beach. I know, in November, but we bundled up anyway and had a good time walking up the New Hampshire coast. Afterward we went to Portsmouth for lunch I had half of a Ruben and some split pea ham soup. We also went shopping and I got a chance to stop by my favorite vintage store there called The Odd Showroom (the owner has an etsy store where she crochets some really cool garments) and bought a hunter green blouse which is to die for.
Not only did I purchase a little goody for myself, but I started the dreaded xmas shopping! Can you believe that its not even Thanksgiving and radio stations are playing carols and the stores have their decorations up?!? I feel like every year it comes earlier and earlier and we just end up getting rushed through it all and do not get a chance to enjoy the holiday season. Seriously America, chill out with the Christmas.
Other than that ridiculous and random( and necessary ?) rant about Christmas, I wanted to thank you all for the warm wishes about Jeramy's father. Its going to be a long recovery, but everyday he is getting stronger and stronger. Continue to send positive thoughts.

The Logging Trail

Outfit details: Jacket...UO, Highwaisted jeans...BDG, Mustard Crop Top...Thrifted, Circle Scarf...Forever 21, Acorn Necklace... Madewell
So I'm jealous of Jeramy's new iPhone... every single one of these pictures was taken with it. We had so much fun last weekend taking photos with it on an old logging trail. I think I just found my new favorite spot to take pictures. There is so much beautiful and different types of scenery and barely anybody goes out there, perfect since i get camera shy in front of people (irrational, I know, since I have no fear of spreading my photos on the internet). It ended up being a nice fall weekend. I made homemade pumpkin lattes (shot of espresso, tbs of pumpkin pie from a can,  dash of vanilla, steamed milk, and cinnamon) I also made some butternut squash soup with yummy veggies in it. Jeramy is successfully turning me into a nerd, since he's already got me hooked on Dr. Who, he thought I might want to give the show Battlestar Galactica a try so we snuggled on the couch eating soup and started watching that. It really was an ideal fall weekend. Its our first anniversary this weekend, so we have some plans to celebrate. Hope you all have a fall-tastic weekend!

The Book Mill

These photos are from a few weekends ago when we went to the Book Mill down in Montague, MA before we headed out to the Fleet Foxes show in East Holyoke, MA. The Book Mill is quite literally the neatest place ever and if I lived closer, I probably would frequent it nearly everyday. Its essentially an old mill on a river that was converted into a bookstore stuffed to the brim with used books. Heaven. There was a cafe attached which served some super scrumptious ham, gruyere cheese, and apple sandwich. YUM-O.
The concert afterwards was incredible, Fleet Foxes is definitely one of my favorite bands and to see them live was fantastical. The concert was held at Mountain Park which is an old trolley park and let me tell you, the place has the greatest charm. We saw Bon Iver there a couple months ago and it is so nice to spread out a blanket under the stars and listen to some of the most amazing music. I wish I could see every concert ever there!

Lull Farm

This past Memorial Day weekend was a fanastic mini vacation spent at home with Jeramy, but was filled with fun excursions to the surrounding towns which involved swimming at Gregg Lake, going out for peppermint ice cream at Kimball's Farm, baking a strawberry rhubarb pie which we immediately devoured,reading Zelda Fitzgerald's biography which Jeramy tracked down and bought for me,  and a trip to Lull Farm (where these photos were taken) to see some of the most adorable farm animals. It was a great kick off to the Summer season and a perfect segway into my next vacation starting today where I will be visiting Ithaca, NY for their annual Summer Fest with Jeramy. I cannot wait to see all of the gorges and will be sure to take loads of photos to share! Have a great end of the week and a nice weekend, whatever you may be doing!