Graduation in New Hampshire

Days 16-20:  To my eternal shame, after a 2-week trip across the country, snapping pictures by the hundreds, I forgot to take my camera to the high school graduation ceremony. Our daughter-in-law, Lisa, put up some pics on Facebook for me to use, but since I still haven't joined or figured out FB, the photos are lost to me,  However, I did take pictures later to make up for it. Here, Josh (left) and Lee (right) get ready to celebrate at their house that afternoon. Their mom and dad are in the background.

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the view from their back deck is stunning.  The yard is sloping meadow leading into pristine forest with a river running through it. Here, I interrupted a serious conversation between Greg and Lane. I was pretty sure they were solving world problems, so I let them get back to it, and I focused on the scenery.

 Like one of Lane's mowing machines, I mean goats, tethered in the back yard.

Angling my camera to the left, I caught Mount Chocorua (in the White Mountains) peeking up in the background.

Another view of Mount Chocorua from Chocorua Lake a few miles from their house.

Back at the house, our granddaughter Chelsea mugs for the camera. She is the artist in the family. One of her paintings hangs above their wood stove. Can you tell she's a horse lover? She's also a tomboy, just like her Nana Cindy. But I wasn't as good at sports as she is.

In the meantime, Greg had moved to the front lawn to converse with Josh, but it looks as though Josh isn't quite sure how to deal with the world's problems...at least not yet. No doubt they were talking computers.

 I've been back east to visit several times since Lane and family moved to NH six years ago. I love the dense summer greenery and the glorious autumn colors. And the New England-style architecture is charming. I've taken numerous pictures of this little church just down the road from their house. This is what the word "picturesque" was invented for.

 

This covered bridge between North Conway and Tamworth caught my eye. (That object n the lower left corner is the bobble-head moose Lisa got us.)

 I even made Greg stop so I could run down the hill and get a side shot of the bridge.




A highlight of our visit was taking the kids to the summer version of the local ski area where Josh was working at the rock-climbing wall. That's him in the blue shirt.

Here, he's holding the safety rope while Chelsea tries her hand--and foot--at climbing the wall.

While Josh worked, Chelsea (left) and Lee (right) tested out the trampoline.

A few days later, we celebrated Chelsea's graduation...

Tamworth eighth grade ceremony

Chelsea with friends after graduation

...then said our good-byes to family in New Hampshire. 

The next morning, we hit the road with lots of fond memories, and with anticipation for our trip down the east coast to Washington D.C., with stops along the way in Boston and Philadelphia. Join us as we take a look at some of America's most famous historical landmarks over the next few Saturdays.