And So it began

"ONCE UPON A TIME"....there came along this little lump...insignificant really when you compare it to the entire world of lumps. That is, right up to the point that it wasn't...insignificant I mean............... and so began my journey.

A NEWER SHADE OF PINK...now I more then SURVIVE...I am learning to THRIVE...

OF COURSE... we all know things are bound to get a little crazy with a surprise around most every corner...not to mention an assortment of bumps and bruises along the way...but I am ever thankful for them all...they have all made me who I am. So buckle up, hold on tight and enjoy the ride thru what I lovingly refer to as LIFE


Monday, October 24, 2016

Makin' Tracks - Our Grand Road-Trip Adventures


Hope you will enjoy my new ongoing series...


Since relocating to a more east-central part of the Great White North, VoR & I have taken to the road to discover what is around us...since we are both westerners by birth this is as one Capt James T. Kirk would say "The Undiscovered Country"....yup...I am a "Trekkie" thru and thru..."live long and prosper"....rabbit holed that right off track again...."squirrel!!"
ANYWAY...we have only in the last year or so realized just how close things like Boston, (Massachusetts)... Kennebunkport, (Maine)... Ben & Jerry's & Cabot Cheese factories (Vermont)and the White Mountains of New Hampshire really are.  Some are a little longer drive then others but all within a good solid day trip....who knew?!?!?!?

We have spent a week here and there but it all started off  in 2014 with a week in beautiful mountains of New Hampshire and a ride on the historic Cog Railroad up the side of the mountain....spectacular for sure!!!  We did some short day trips to Maine coast to wandered the shops of  the board walk, breathe in the Atlantic Ocean & taking a peek at the summer home of US President George Bush (41st one) in Kennebunkport.  The Autumn leaves were so bright and colorful as we meandered thru those New England states. The next day trip was to Boston, Mass to attend the LDS Temple there. It was another beautiful building and such a refuge from the business of the world.  We are so blessed to have sacred places of peace to go and feed our spirits and prepare to face whatever the world has coming our way.

Our next trip was to Smuggler's Notch, Vermont last spring.  There we found some REAL treasures....Benn & Jerry's Ice Cream factory....need I say more????  We also came across the Cabot cheese factory....it's my favorite tasting cheese so of course we had to tour and shop at both...YUM!!! I have to admit to being a map reader....even in this time of GPS and much to the mocking of my children...but there are just some treasures of info that is on the printed paper...for example...I was just looking at the Vermont one while VoR was filling the car and discovered (not far down the road) was a granite quarry. Now never having seen one...I thought it would be fun for a little side trip...why not...that''s what a VaCa is all about...so we got there only to discover on the tour that this particular quarry supplied the granite for the outside of the Bountiful , Utah LDS temple as well as the 38.5 ft monument at the birth place of Joseph Smith Jr. in Sharon, Vermont....our next stop....WAY COOL & a neat "happened to find".

The visit to Sharon was really wonderful. We got there late afternoon and so it was peaceful and the sunlight was just perfect coming just above the trees.  The tour guide for our private tour took us around to the west side of the monument and had us back up just a bit so that the light hitting the top of the monument shone so bright it was blinding. The spirit and sacredness of that place along with the significance (the monument being 38.5 ft, one for ever year of his life) to the life of that one humble boy with the ginormous faith that began there was not lost on either of us

We have had a bunch of fun adventures...some grander then others but we have every intention of continuing to plan & discover the cool things there are to see on both sides of our neighboring countries...along with any outlet malls that happen to wonder along our path

No comments: