Meredith, New Hampshire and Squam Lake

 On Thursday, October 8th, we left Vermont and went east to New Hampshire. The Connecticut River is the separation line between the nearly identically shaped states. New Hampshire has about 1.3 million residents.

The first stop was a beautiful lakeside town called Meredith. New Hampshire seems to have a much higher standard of living than Vermont. They have a lot more industry. 

The main feature of Meredith's lakeside walkway is a sculpture garden. 

The fattest Canada Geese I have ever seen!

There was a shopping center with a manmade waterfall.

This is the old oak. For many generations it has indicated the best hunting spots for the Winnapasaukee Indians and marked the way to mineral springs for wealthy visitors from Massachusetts.

More sculptures and more Chrysanthemums. These delightful flowers were everywhere!

Then we took a cruise on Squam lake. This lake was featured in the movie "On Golden Pond". 

It rained a little on the cruise but the boat had a cover. 

You can't build a boat house, so you have to buy an existing one.

We then saw a beautiful rainbow!

You can buy an island here and build a house. There are 33 islands in the lake.

We saw several loons. They are somewhat endangered, so if you come across one, you must not have a wake from your boat and you must drive very slowly. That made us about 20 minutes late to the dock for the end of the cruise.

Then we boarded the Winnapasaukee Scenic Railroad for a two hour ride around Lake Winnapasaukee. We had a turkey dinner. The ride was great and the turkey was delicious! New Hampshire raises a lot of turkeys.

Then we checked into the Marriott Hotel for the night. Onto Kennebunkport in the morning!

New Hampshire and Kennebunkport Maine

On Friday, October 9th, we left the Marriott Hotel and went north to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. First, we made a stop at the visitor center. I fell in love with a bull moose.

Then I was scared by a grizzly bear.

There is actually a bear show that you can go to!

There was a lot of ground fog early in the morning. This huge hotel reminded me of the Hotel Del Coronado.

Since it was a holiday weekend, the Kancamagus Highway was crowded. This highway was voted the most scenic drive in the United States by Travel and Leisure magazine.

We stopped at the Swift River to splash around on the rocks.

The colors of the trees was amazing!

Then we went to the Lower Falls. 

We then crossed over into Maine and went to the town of Kennebunkport. We had time for lunch and shopping at Dock Square.

It's a beautiful town, but it was cold.

Kennebunkport takes Halloween very seriously.

The tide was out, and since it was a King Tide, there was a lot of exposed sand under the wharves.

Then we boarded the bus for a guided tour of the town.

This house was used in the TV show Dark Shadows. Barnabus Collins lived in it.

This is the compound of the Bush family. The family house is on the end of the Peninsula.

We made a stop at a beach. The water was freezing.

This is called the Wedding Cake House. I didn't think it looked like a wedding cake. It is being renovated.

More Halloween decorations!

These Victorian and Colonial homes belonged to sea captains during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Kennebunkport has never had a wildfire, so the houses have never burnt down. The oldest one left was built in 1715.

Then we went to a Franciscan monastery.

I lit a candle for my mom.

Here is a stained glass depiction of St Francis of Assisi.

This artwork was part of the 1968 Olympic Games.

There was an outdoor grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 

It has a piece of the stone on which the Blessed Mother appeared at Lourdes inserted in it.

After that, onto Ogunquit, Maine!