Patriotic USA & Birthday Trip with our Son 6/23-7/6

This being the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America. Let's explore our roadtrip to rekindle our faith in our country and its history.

We had planned our visit to New Hampshire back in May. My husband, son, his girlfriend and myself were going. I thought our son was going on his own and added his Dad. Then everyone else got added to the trip.

My husband had booked an Airbnb at a Farmhouse in Concord, NH and it was built in 1789. Reuben Dimond Family built and owned it, it changed hands into a horse farm and then a day camp for horseback riding and then the 75 year old owner bought it and took his time…5 years to renovate it. It had the original fireplaces and hearth where a cooking pot could be used and another fireplace where bread could be baked and another in the bedroom. The furniture was antique and the beds were ones, in those days, you had a step stool to get in. The floors were all wooden and the charming and rustic home had a modern kitchen. Of course, the fireplaces were prevented from being used and there was  a large barn building, fire pit and horseshoe throwing area and a shed and the added shed attached to the house where you kept your shoes on a mat.

We ventured into Lancaster, NH to see some local business talk about opening a business up in NH and their panel lacked the other types of businesses we were interested in and the panel was farmers who talked about starting a homestead and farm and the challenges and rewards. It seemed what we came for; wasn’t there. However, both my son’s girlfriend and I enjoyed walking around the small town and had some tea and pastry from the ‘Polish Prince Bakery.”

The men chatted up folks to ask questions about other resources and wanted to meet a man my son had watched for a year and shared that with my husband. There were vendors outside and it was hot. We then saw some copper sculpture on an old brick building and ventured there as the men talked more and it was a restaurant so we picked this one out called “The Copper Pig” and the food was along the Israel river as we chose to eat outside. Kinda reminded us of eating in Helen, GA along the river outside. We ventured back to our farmhouse as this was only the first day coming to business workshops for the week.

leaving the states for alternative PTSD and healing treatments across the border and with the tribes. It was a nice thing as my son and husband searched for this man they watched a year ago online but he was nowhere on site so we went to have lunch at “Daw Kun Thai” and had been written up in Chester, NH. We returned back to the farmhouse for rest.

The third day of this workshop series we rested & bought at the Local Concord Food Co-Op the pie ingredients & pie shells and other groceries and it happened to be the Annual Concord Vendor Market Fair as blocks had vendors and food throughout and we stopped for drinks and ice cream. It was so hot again…and 

We enjoyed sitting around the firepit and there was a hammock and small trails to venture out and down the road was a Strawberry Farm called “Rossview” and it just so happened the owner was the son of the man who owned this Airbnb Farmhouse. There was strawberry picking available as strawberries were plentiful in June and they were sweet and smaller types. They had rhubarb too for sale and couldn’t pass up buying what they had left for making strawberry rhubarb compote for pie and French toast. The son and wife told us they were related and how the farmhouse came to be. He had a trolley and gave us a tour of his fields, views of the mountains and his Xmas tree areas. It used to be a dairy farm but no more. My husband and the farmer hit it off and he gave us a ride home but stopped to say “hello” to his large barking dogs fenced in and his home from outside. Very friendly.We went to tour the State Capitol of New Hampshire…the statue of Christa McAuliffe,  the  woman astronaut who died in the 1986 Space Shuttle when the rocket exploded with others and entered a hall where the flags from all wars on each side were behind glass and hanging from their battles, etc.  They were trying to decide to preserve these but these were hanging so long that if touched would disintegrate and the area where the 400 state representatives assembled and the room where the 24 senators as well. The hallways were depicting past governors only displayed until after they left office and a room for the public to fill forms and pictures of past and present Presidents where in there and a room where tea cups were displayed that the first lady used at White House Tea Parties from First Lady of NH - Dorothy Peterson from her husband’s term 1969 to 1973…Walter Peterson held his office. They had a room for a Council of 6 to discuss with the governor issues or laws. A governor can veto or approve and sign into law presented to him/her and if they don’t rock the boat and go against any constituents; can let it sit for 3 days and it becomes the law.  By the way; seatbelts aren’t required in NH and you can carry a weapon and most folks prefer homeschooling. After this great tour; we ventured to Manchester, NH and the views, mountains, trails, camping grounds and ski areas were so beautiful and reminded us of NC and parts of Banff, Canada along the way for another workshop scheduled in the later morning where a young couple was fired up and asking if our son and his girlfriend considered relocating there but they wanted just to see what this workshop and state was all about first and enjoyed the presentations of measuring how public school costs per student were higher than private and fundraising and the right to try alternative health services into law possibilities. I met a senator who was a biker and veteran that reminded me of my brother. He told me to keep walking the “Red Road” as I told him of the stories of people 

My son and his girlfriend paid the fuel and the hotels half way to and coming back and groceries and snacks for this trip. They made us a beautiful spaghetti dinner with salad as we ate outdoors. It was delicious. I made the compote cool and had coconut half and half for a few scoops for dessert. They were in heaven.

We then went to “The Independence Inn” in Stafford, NH circa 1700s where you have wonderful Sunday brunches in restaurant called “The Jefferson” and so delicious as we rode there many trees like Georgia and a body of water were pontoon and boats were docked, We then left after speaking to a man about how to consider living in NH end of the workshop series and ventured to where the boats were by driving and parking and families were spending time on this small beach area. People were friendly…We are used to the big city where you are brief and then the conversation stops but in this area the conversation is longer and more engaged…not like the big city or South we have encountered and no racism. So we left for a walk in the park for a break and the elusive man wasn’t there again. 

The next day we returned on Sunday for a cryptocurrency education and discussion at the bar Strange….something and there were a few folks. We made a nice friend but the topics again didn’t cover the subject here. Seems this year the organization and the folks that held certain positions that made it great were no longer there and there wasn’t any training for the next person to take over because there was inner fighting and competition instead of harmony as our observation. Something can be good and then when the changes and inner fighting can spoil the entire image and presentation of topics. 

So we drove out of that place and my son got a call and text from the elusive man from a contact we made in Manchester, NH… to meet at a restaurant with his beautiful wife. We had a great time laughing, especially my husband and the elusive man. His wife and I are healers and we had great conversations. My son’s dream came true to see this man he had been listening to and watching for a year plus.   We then already packed up and ready to venture onto Maine where I met a friend in Costa Rica, couples walking an hour each day that lived in Maine. 

She is a transgender woman who was a high powered financial officer and has a private life and enjoyed the luxuries it provided from her wealth and past position but as a woman things changed and her over $1.5 m home was beautiful. She opted to come over from Dover, NH to Maine and we hiked the Ogunquit Beach and saw the beach and a few jelly fish. It was crowded by the beach area but along the trail the sandy and rocky beach with worn boulders was like witnessing time and changes of our world in silence. We sat as my husband and my son and his girlfriend got into the Arctic waters that were colder but it was a hot day. We enjoyed our families as we spoke of our children and lives. We then ate seafood at the Lobster House and the food was so fresh and delicious as we sat outside overlooking the low water and watched fishermen and kayakers and boaters paddle and enjoy the passing of time. As the Lobster Roll was the thing and very delicious and the shrimp salad was delicious as well. We ended our walks eating ice cream and then returning back to my friend’s house for tea and then jammed and left as she hoped to sell her house and move. Good luck to her. 

We returned to our small Airbnb in Dover to rest and left for Framingham, Massachusetts to our hotel and Expedia had a listing but it was nowhere like the pictures, broken down, smelled like cigarettes and urine in a non-smoking room and the door handle was broken. We got a refund right away and my son and his girlfriend found a cancellation on Airbnb for us in Boston, MS. It was near a Catholic Hospital with gardens with other condos. It was very nice and clean. I made squash ravioli with red sauce and leftover salad from the spaghetti dinner and our son ate leftovers. I was beaten after we shopped for groceries at “Mom’s Organic Foods” in Framingham.  I stayed at rest as my husband and son & girlfriend wanted to venture out. They went to Mike’s Pasties and bought only cash, accepted these outstanding cannolis and a dispensary/gallery for legal drinks to take home. The next morning I made the French toast for my vegan gluten free son and us with the strawberry rhubarb I had frozen and kept in a cooler and thawed for this. 

We went into the city of Boston where the ‘Boston Tea Party Museum and Tea House” were beside the famous Ice cream parlor. On December 16, 1773 the  3 boats; as the story was told ,“Dartmouth, Eleanor and Beaver’ where the cast were dressed in the time period and gave us a tour and assigned us cards as one person and their name and occupation, family, etc. of the tea party…I was a lawyer and my husband an outspoken individual. They reenacted dumping the tea 342 chests of East India Tea Company because of the protests of taxation from England was unfair to the protestors. By the way; they assembled peacefully and asked permission several times about the taxation and to board and then they entered without hurting any person, property or other chests and dumped the teas and then cleaned and quietly went on their own separate ways back home incognito. This is a good thing to learn about protesting and not making it destructive and having the right to do so be in peaceful mutual terms and resolve.

The reenactment on video of the battle scene with Paul Revere’s ride and it was emotional to see men disagreeing and fighting for their rights and men killing men who chose to see differences as a negative violent action instead of resolve. There were artifacts of a tea chest handed down by family members found in the river and the tour ended when you ventured off the boat into the Tea Place to have tea, refreshment, pictures of the cast and the gift shop. We ventured into the gift shop before the tour and my husband bought a “Boston Tea Party” book and it was a day that ended at “Row 34” restaurant but nothing to rave about. Small portions; high prices typical of big cities. We then ventured back home to pack for the next drive.

We then left Boston, Massachusetts to go to New York for the Statue of Liberty Cruise Tour and Ellis Island and walked Battery Park towards the dock and checked in like an airport. We bought pedestal tickets because the crown is sold months ahead of time. 192 stairs to the top of the crown but the pedestal 162 stairs and it was awesome and they had a cafe and souvenir shop and I bought the 250th statue of liberty coin, one for us and one for my son and girlfriend. We left the boat to eat and happened to go to a historic bar with piano jazz upstairs but it was booked upstairs but they readily found us a booth near this large historic bar that Pres. George Washington made his last speech called “Fraunces Tavern Restaurant and enjoyed delicious food and drink together. There was a heatwave of driving to New Jersey stead 104 degrees Fahrenheit  New Jersey in a half house Airbnb equipped with a deck, kitchen and large spacious comfortable beds. We used the SpotHero app for parking in Boston and New York which is way cheaper.

We rested and got up to have some more leftover coffee and strawberry rhubarb pie while my son and his girlfriend slept and enjoyed the deck. It was already getting hot again and we had to get to our next destination Gaithersburg, Maryland. We picked dinner at a local mall by another Marriott and chose the anime themed “Spirited Away” ‘Koi Sushi’ and our waiter was so accommodating and overworked. He made a great tequila ube passion fruit drink and the sushi was outstanding. We shopped ‘Harris Teeter’ for some items & bought some blueberry pie ingredients, ice cream and salad, and chicken for dinner. I baked the blueberry pie for July 4th and they loved it and we assembled the chicken salad for dinner. Persistent heatwave was ongoing and we were to meet my son’s old time friend for a Meetup sharing of ideas with his group. It was nice to see him and the men continued to talk and we saw fireworks both my son’s girlfriend and I walked blocks to see it as we planned the train trip to Washington, D.C. and go to the National Mall to watch but unfortunately after this heatwave; there were thunderstorms and it was cancelled or delayed one hour late into the night. We reunited and went to the “Silver Diner” with the Meetup group and had great conversations shared and ended in the morning to return to the Gaithersburg suite for the night. We heard there was hardly anyone there and they weren’t allowing anything in but one bottle the entire day for each person and 4 water stations. They were told by the secret service to close the cafes the next day. We saw ICE there in full uniform and it was so hot. We told them OMG it is so hot to have all that on to them. By the way; the immigrants were mostly there at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Washington, D.C. That’s something to think about.

We parked on a Sunday which was free parking and walked to see the “Lincoln Memorial Monument” and saw the obelisk - “The Washington Monument” with the pointed pyramid top and there was a lot of fencing around some buildings under renovation. The White House, years ago, you could get closer but it was so far and they had a guard. There was evidence that horse- ridden police or security was there from the smell the next day. The reflecting pool looked a little murky and had fences around it and we saw the dome in the distance. The National Mall was fenced in as well. We walked through a park where even the ducks were putting their heads into the water and tails in the air because it was so hot. We saw some beautiful flowers and trees with some shade. We went up the steps of the “Lincoln Memorial” and read the speeches depicted that brought tears to my eyes. The freedom and fighting spirit is needed. Then we walked in the treacherous heat to our car and left to find an icy drink to relieve us. We went to an area that had “H Mart” and a bobba tea place, Korean bbq, etc. We bought ready-made food from the “H Mart” and made our way home…

We continued as my son now drove and stopped at Bucees for snacks, restroom and drinks. We had a 10 hour drive and my husband drove most of the time because he prefers and he drives fast. My son drove at least 3 times. We used my SUV on this trip and we ate our leftover Korean food and chicken salads from the night before.  We arrived at 3 a.m. Monday, July 6 and needed to rest. I unpacked and sorted laundry and items out, receipts. We slept. And the next morning was the end of June for me and real estate bookkeeping and travel expense tallying, printing reports and setting up a car appointment for my SUV as we drove 3k miles on this trip. It was a memorable and patriotic trip to relish. I made albums and collages of our journey together. My husband made a few videos during the trip. I have faith in the human race and we can do better in peace, resolve and harmony creating a good life for all.

If you need inspiration; do a roadtrip and explore history .... By the way we didn’t witness racism only in Lancaster in a small town we stopped for gas but everywhere else was great. Food is better up North and don’t know why.