Destination Northwood: Day 8
Today was our last full day in New Hampshire. Bryan went out for Dunkin Donuts this morning. That was another moment from Dad’s past; I guess he used to eat them semi-frequently back-in-the-day. We had our donuts and coffee and were on our way to the town of Ossipee by about 9:30 AM. Ossipee is where Joe, Mom’s brother, lives and it’s been a while since any of us have seen his family. Karen didn’t get to go with us this time; she had to get back to work today.
The drive was about an hour. We followed Bryan’s GPS to the neighborhood, but then had to call for the house number when we got there as it wasn’t getting us right to the house as it will sometimes do. We found it quickly after that and were greeted as we were getting out of our vehicle in the driveway. Joe and Kathy have a beautiful house. We got the tour upon our arrival and sat down to share pics and stories before having lunch. I hooked up my laptop to their TV to share a few digital pics and movies of my own. That was kind of fun; I was trying out some new features on the laptop that I’d never had the opportunity to try before.
After lunch, Joe and Kathy took us on a drive around Ossipee to show us some of the houses that he’s built in the area. Here’s a quick video of the house that he’s currently trying to sell and also a quick view of the outside of their house at the end.
We stayed there for an early dinner, featuring a homemade blueberry pie a la mode that was incredible. Joe had to lead his Cub Scouts group shortly after dinner, which worked out fine, since we needed to get back to Northwood and pack up our stuff for our departure tomorrow morning.
We got back to Bryan and Karen’s around 7:30 PM and found Karen just finishing up her work for the day. She had baked a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies (my favorite), so we sat around the table and snacked on those with some tea and some coffee before Mom and Dad left for the evening. We didn’t stay up much later either — I think everyone is tired out after a week full of activity and hanging out.
I’ve had a great time. Bryan and Karen have been such gracious hosts. The food has been excellent and there wasn’t a moment that I’ve been bored or looking for something to do all week long. There were a couple of things on the list of “to-do’s” that we didn’t get to do: #1) get up to Dartmouth College for a tour (Bryan and Karen say that they will try and video it for us and give us a virtual tour) and #2) Bryan wanted me to meet his mom, Karen. That would have been fun, too. I guess there is always next time, preferably with Deanna and maybe the kids.
So, thanks MUCH Bryan and Karen for a fabulous trip. I’ve got a lot of love for you guys; it’s been wonderful…
Now, I’m on the edge of my seat, ready to get back home to Deanna and the girls. Can’t wait to see them!
If you want to take a look at all of my trip pics together, you can visit my Picasa photo gallery or my Facebook profile.