Exploring New Hampshire

Okay, yes, I'm still here. You know originally this was supposed to just be a travel blog, but enough people have said they enjoy reading what I'm up to, so I'll try to keep it going somewhat regularly (but I do have to say that's a bit frightening since I swore I would never ever have a blog. Oops... you know what they say about the word never.)

Anyway, so since I got my lease signed, I've had a bit of time to explore. But the downside is that I REALLY don't want to drive anywhere. I was looking to go up to the White Mountains, but I just can't justify driving 2 hours each way; I think I've done enough long drives for now, thank you very much! So, what did I see... well on Sunday I drove up to Manchester, really with nothing to do but drive around and come back, but I did find something that I would see on Monday...

The Stonyfield Yogurt Factory! I went to the visitor center first thing on Monday; sadly, they've suspended their factory tours while they do some construction. But it was still super fun! I told the lady there that I was a fan of Nancy's yogurt and that it was her job to convince me that Stonyfield was as good or better. So she broke out the Greek and whole milk unhomogenized yogurt (I may have told her that I love milkfat) and we had a little yogurt party, talking about cows, yogurt making, and environmental stuff (and once she knew I was a nutrition grad, I even got asked a nutrition question about yogurt protein). There's isn't as tangy as Nancy's, but still good... I think it'll be good when I'm too lazy to make my own.

(Oooh, side story... whenever I tell anyone that I'm doing an internship at a hospital, they automatically assume I'm a doctor; at Stonyfield, I tried out my new answer to that assumption/question - "No, my degree is in something better than medicine... nutrition" I like it :)

After yogurt, I went to visit a Shaker Village. I really just wanted to see their broommaking and furniture stuff. That was fun to watch, but the funniest thing was learning about them - on the tour, they kept talking about how they believed in celibacy (you had to give up your marriage if you joined), but for some reason they couldn't keep their membership up very high... huh, imagine that.

Here's a Shaker Meeting House

Then on Wednesday, I decided I needed to see the Atlantic Ocean, so I drove up to Portsmouth, NH (where the President just held a town hall meeting on healthcare... maybe I should've tried to go had I known. oh well...) And here's where I have to give a giant BOO to New Hampshire on it's dog friendliness. I was willing to give them a pass on not allowing dogs in much of the White Mountains (mainly because of what I said earlier about not willing to drive that far just yet), but I went to Portsmouth assuming Hailey and I could walk around town a bit and then just hang out at a park enjoying the view. Well, we couldn't find a single park that would allow dogs. The town was pretty (if not aimed at shopping) but it loses my vote for being dog unfriendly. However, the beaches along the way were super cool because they allow dogs during the off-season. I think I might have to go back in the winter and watch the storms roll in (or is that too much of an Oregon thing to do?)

On that trip to the ocean there were two other interesting things - first, a frog hitchhiked on my car and amazingly rode on my windshield wiper for several miles on the highway. That's some strong frog! I pulled over at the next exit to try to let him off, but couldn't find him... hopefully he hopped away.

Secondly is that I've found my new arch enemy - Dunkin Donuts! I've mentioned before that they are everywhere, which I guess is no different than Starbucks, but here's my analogy - if Starbucks were a stalker, it'd be the stalker that hides in the shadows and that you never know is there; just that one that gives you the feeling you're being watched. Dunkin Donuts on the other hand is the super crazy stalker that ignores all the restraining orders you have against it and somehow manages to mysteriously show up in the same hotel even when you're vacationing on another continent. I'm just saying you can't escape them. It's as if they're just trying to beat you down until you submit. And I actually gave them a try the other day (I bought donut holes for my nephews and niece). I'm definitely not impressed; there will never be a second time. (what did I say earlier about the word "never"?)

So other than those trips, I've mostly been on the phone getting stuff set up - and I have to say Massachusetts makes car insurance super difficult. It took forever, but I finally got it done (and suprisingly for less than it cost in WA... go figure). That and (sort of) health insurance for the time before I get to the hospital.

But now I'm super excited because I get the keys to my apartment tomorrow. Still not sure when I'll move in (still coordinating with the movers), but I did also find a 5K on the 22nd that I can run in. Yes, that's only a week away and I haven't run but once or twice in the past 3 (4?) months, but Hailey's been itching to run and is ready to whip me into shape. If I run it, maybe I'll just aim for a slower race time and call it success if I finish well in this humidity.

And now a final question if anyone cares... should I get the standard Massachusetts license plate or should I pay a bit extra to get one that supports the MA animal coalition? Or how about one that supports environmental protection? Or should I leave it registered in Washington and see if anyone ever notices?