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New Hampshire's Uninvited Guests

There is no place on earth that can reasonably compare with New Hampshire at this time of year.

Our April showers herald three traditional premonitions of Spring--frost heaves, No-See-ums, and mud....

Big Bird

A familiar sight along coastal route 1a in North Hampton... correct me if I'm wrong Amy since you know where the town lines are.

To see a larger view click here.

New Hampshire: Celebrating John Stark Day 2007

Monday, April 23, 2007 is New Hampshire's official John Stark Day....

No Grindhouse Tonight

I was thinking about slumming it and seeing "Grindhouse", the double feature splatterfest by directors Tarantino and Rodriguez. I know that both directors know how to write and direct a visceral cinematic experience.

"Pulp Fiction" was one of my favorite films of the 90’s and most critics have raved about the new film, even ones who call it a "bloodbath." My curiosity was overcoming my squeamishness.

Until Monday and Virginia Tech.

The reality of someone walking around and gunning down over 30 men and women, made a movie about people blowing other people’s heads off seem the last type of movie to see. The fact that the movie gleefully uses mass murder and mayhem to provide filmgoers with cheap thrills and laughs, made it even less appealing.

Too much killing. On screen and off.

Check out this amazing flood video

Here on The Telegraph site. Photographer Stanton Paddock shot this -- of particular note, partway through, is the car, submerged up to its roof, with the windshield wipers running. Sad and ironic, and a powerful image.

Batten the hatches

NH - in volunteering, we're No. 19

Sounds Like Manchester Airport Needs More Air Traffic Controllers... Or Catheters?

Step It Up in Concord

Saturday, April 14, will be a special day in Concord and throughout America.

On that day thousands of people, in hundreds of communities across our nation, will participate in Step It Up 2007, a nationwide campaign with a single purpose: convince Congress to pass legislation to reduce our country’s carbon emissions 80% by 2050. (Visit stepitup07.org. for more details on this national movement.)

Many of us have a lot of material things these days. What we may feel we lack is connection to something larger… a community, a cause, our world. This is a chance to connect with our friends and neighbors and change things for the better. By doing so we will help preserve our climate, our world.

How to speak New Hampshire, part 2

As a follow-up to last month's inaugural How to Speak New Hampshire post, here's another one for you. What do you call a flock of wild turkeys crossing a New Hampshire road around 9:00 on a Monday morning? Rush hour.

(Click here for more pictures of this morning's wild turkey trot. Enjoy!)

Are New Hampshire's Spring Flowers MIA?

Spring has sprung
The grass has riz
I wonder where the NH flowers is.

Is it just me, or is New Hampshire severely lacking in Spring flower events?

North Church Reflection

View from Market street taken this morning while in Portsmouth.

Moxie changes owners!

But at least its - er, "distinctive" is the right word, I guess - taste has a local owner now, according to the Union-Leader story: "Cornucopia Beverages, a unit of Bedford-based Coca-Cola Co. of Northern New England Inc., has acquired the Moxie brand from Atlanta-based Monarch Beverage Co."

The story says that last year, the equivalent of 7.2 million 12-ounce cans of Moxie were sold, which just goes to show that you never can tell, can you? I keep a few cans of Moxie in the house, so out-of-region visitors can sample it when they drop by. It's such a delight to watch the appalled expression on their faces as they swallow that first sip.

NH egg visits White House

One egg per state. This year's New Hampshire rep at the annual Easter State Egg Display at the White House is from the town where I live.

N.H.'s incredible egg: North Hampton woman's creation going to White House

She said the inspiration for her New Hampshire egg came from work on the farm.

"Farmers toil unceasingly with courage and persistence, despite the odds against them," she said, so she designed the egg to signify their struggles.

Waechter's egg contained everything from wheat and flowers to ladders, diamonds and a rooster. A lilac symbolizes "the hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State."

Beautiful eggs: pysanky.

Snow Daze

If you're like me, you had already put all the snow shovels away, stashed the ski pants and ditched the boots. You'd think that by the first week in April we'd be safe. Then again, this is New England. And winter has had the last laugh.

I don't really mind the shoveling, or even the 35 bucks to have my driveaway plowed. But a very-late-in-the-year no school SNOW DAY is too much to take. Mom's off to work, so the work-from-home Dad is suddenly on duty with the kids. So much for my ambitious work agenda!

Guess you just gotta go with the snow, er.. flow.

What's in your yard?

By my estimate, here in Keene we got about five inches of white stuff in this year's After April Fool's Day storm. How much did you get?