Road Trip: New England
Day 9: Monday, May 02, 2022 - Concord, NH
Day's statistics:
Weather: Light rain
Steps: Steve 7,990; Linda 7,547
Drove: 374 miles
Breakfast was A FULL BUFFET!
It took over a week to have a full buffet breakfast that included eggs not-on-sandwiches. There were scrambled eggs as well as
omelette sort of eggs with bits of ham, peppers, and cheese. We also had sausage, and red skin potatoes. And Linda had toast too.
We returned to the room, brushed, finished packing, checked-out, and headed to the capital.
Our first stop was originally going to be the capital. We were looking for parking near the capital. Then we had
the idea of parking near the [Carolyn] Kimball-Jenkins house - which was less than a mile from the capital. THEN we
had the idea of visiting the Kimball-Jenkins house first. So we did.
It is a rather large mansion, completed in 1882.
With a carriage house.
And a playhouse.
The current exhibit are old postcards that were donated by the Historical Society, that were enlarged, and reprinted. The
exhibit was so new, that the placards haven't been created yet. We honestly couldn't relate to those much, so while we looked
at them - there were probably about three dozen in all - we didn't take any pictures of them.
Inside was some original door hardware.
The door hinges in our house are smooth brass plates using flat top pins holding the door to the frame, and three screws
into the hollow door.. Also keep in mind that you can ONLY see this scroll work when the door is actually open.
A built-in bookcase.
A fancy fireplace.
The ceiling work, including a close-up of the "medalio".
An old organ, from the Prescott Organ Co., of Concord, NH.
There was an old 3D-type view-finder on a small desk. One inserts a double phone into the device and it gives a 3D sort of
view. This is one showing Concord, from the capitol, many years ago.
The staircase, with a close-up of the post, and a close-up of a carving on the post.
Linda on the stairs.
(The camera, somehow, had its auto-focus point in the lower left corner for some reason, and sometimes
capturing really good pictures was a bit of a challenge. Plus, previewing through the viewfinder or the little 3-inch
display is a LOT different than looking at the same image on a 17" laptop.)
An alcove at the end of the hallway on the second floor.
Near the end of the hallway by the alcove, to the left was a room that is set up like a dining room, but was probably
origianlly a bedroom.
A couple pictures in the room above, of family members.
After our self-guided tour, we stopped by what was originally the kitchen, and spoke to the staff (we surprisingly didn't get any of
their names). The young lady that we met when we arrived, along with a young man on staff, wound up taking us into the attic.
The facility had undergone a roof replacement. Being a historic house, they couldn't just run down to Lowe's or Home Depot to get
supplies. It was a rather arduous process to do the replacement, and it was rather expensive. Four-hundred thousand dollars expensive.
There was some damaged wood that needed replacing and a local craftsman had access to the proper wood to assist with the project.
There is intent to complete the space so that it can be used for functions.
Here are some shots of the attic space that recently went through a renovation due to water damage.
A close-up of one of the dormers, out a window in the attic.
Some of the wood that was removed during the roof repair.
There were also some original architectural drawings splayed out as well, that were covered, that were uncovered for us for a photo op.
We visited the carriage house - because the postcard display continued there with another couple dozen enlargements -
and captured this, mostly because of the Woolworth's.
The front portion of the "yellow house" - the taller section - is the original portion of that house, completed in 1790.
This house is across the driveway from the mansion.
After the Kimball-Jenkins house, we asked if it would be okay to leave the car in the lot and walk down to the capital.
We were told it would be fine. So we did.
On the way to the capital, we captured this.
Our obligatory selfie out front.
And some shots of the capitol.
A Veteran's Memorial in front of the capitol.
Some of the grounds, and statues - incuding one of the 14th U.S. President Franklin Pierce, in front of the capital.
A stained glass panel above the front door.
An engraving in a stone on the outside, to the left of the entry doors.
We went inside and had another entry with no security.
The "guard" near the door - he was just sitting there, we weren't screened - directed us to the visitor's center,
ahead and to the right. That is where we got our stamp.
There was am 8th grade class in the center, and after we got our stamp, we followed them out to
tag along on their guided tour.
We returned to the entry foyer that was packed with Civil War flags, from the Gettysburg battle.
A portrait of Hariet Dame, a self-trained nurse during the Civil War.
The "POW / MIA Chair of Honor".
Around the corner was the building's largest mural: Day 3 of the Battle at Gettysburg.
Next up was the House. The class - and its assocated tag-alongs - was permitted to actually sit in the house
representarive's seats on the floor. There are 400 House representatives, the most of any state.
The President of the House's seat.
The voting buttons the representative use to vote. There are so many reps that they don't have desks, just seats.
The students were asked by the docent to not touch the buttons, but the two boys sitting in front of us were pressing the
buttons like they were playing an arcade verion of Asteroids. That is until a teacher spoke to them about it...
The original state seal and the new state seal, on the front of the podiums in the House.
Portraits in the front of the House (left to right): John Hale, Lincoln, Washington, Pierce, and Daniel Webster.
The clock in the corner.
The architecture, including a ceiling "flower" / decoration, and some of the millwork near the portraits.
We didn't learn much about it because, well, we were with the 8th graders...
Next up, behind the House, is the Senate - the students can be seen walking through the door toward the Senate in one of the
images above. There are only 24 senators.
The Senate chamber used to be the state Supreme Court, hence the seal on the wall.
The clock on the wall seems to be the same make and model as the one in the House.
The chandelier.
The public gallery.
A lot of the Senate chamber.
New Hampshire is host to the nation's first electoral primary. This desk is brought to the Secretary of State's Office
during Presidential Primary filing for candidates to formally fill out their paperwork.
Every. Presidential. Candidate.
The hallway to the Governor's Office, with former Governor's portraits hanging.
The Governor's reception.
An old clock and wall sconces.
The building was expanded in 1910, and these offices were added. Table and chairs are from 1910.
The government has five executives that have to approve the actions of the Goernor. There aren't many states that do this.
The doors to the Governor's office.
The podium used for press conferences.
Our guided tour was over, and we returned to the visitor's office. Here are many of the campaign items - buttons, stickers,
and the like - from many, many years, as well as some photos with the staff.
years.
Our visit to the capitol was over, and we were back out in the natural sunlight.
It was time for lunch.
Across from the capitol was this clock building.
We were headed, as recommended by a guide in the capital, to the Chamber of Commerce.
The capital had that "small town" feel and charm to it.
On the way, looking to our left, we saw what looked like the same plaza that we stopped at last night. A couple more blocks
down, sure enough, there was the Market Basket. It was the same MB.
We eventually arrived at the CoC. There was a sculpture and some tulips outside.
We stopped inside where we picked up a couple post cards, and our shot glass.
There was also a moose on display, so we grabbed a selfie with it since this was the closest we'd get to a moose -
and seeing a moose - on this trip.
We asked about someplace to eat, specifically asking where "The Common Man" was - because we had previously selected
it. We saw where about where it was. As it was a little too far away from where we were, and the car was literally in
the opposite direction, we decided to start to make our way toward the car, and stop somewhere along the way. Maybe.
OK, definitely. We stopped at Constantly Pizza, somewhere we previously looked into.
We shared a medium Margarita Pizza. It was pretty good: the cheese was gooey; and there was a lot of tomoatoes, though
no sauce; and the crust was crispy and chewy on the inside.
We overheard the couple behind up also discussing getting a Margarita pizza too. I told them "We thought of it first."
We walked all the way back to the car. On the way, we captured a tree shaped gateway into an alley.
A close-up view of the clock-works from the clock tower pictured above. I didn't realize the reflection was so strong
when the image was taken.
A little futher on, there was this New Hampshire shaped stone monument in a tiny garden.
After retriving the car, on the way out, we happened to drive right past Franklin Pierce's House.
For those that might not have the president's memorized like your author does, he was the 14th president of the US.
After lunch, we were going to go to the Susan N. McLane Audubon Center and Silk Farm Wildlife
Sanctuary. When we started heading over, it started drizzling. And it turns out that the Sanctuary was at the SAME EXIT
that we took the previous night, but this time to the left instead of to the right.
When we got there, it was raining a little harder. We got out to go into the facility, and, like so many other locations,
it was closed - it was, after all, Monday. So, of course, we got back into the car, and headed to Boston a little early.
Not long after we left the hotel, we crossed another state line.
It was only an hour and a half to the greater Boston area. Our intiial hotel, which was fairly close to Boston, but north
of Boston, cancelled and we had to do a last minute booking at a new hotel / motel.
The replacement we found was not of the best quality, but since we only had a week to schedule it, the options were a
little limited. Plus we didn't want to spend too much - I mean, we generally just sleep, and shower in a room, so it
need not be super expensive. Admittedly, having breakfast is a real convenience... but with COVID restrictions, that became
a little bit of a challenge too.
Normally we eat dinner in the town / city we are visiting, then start out to the next city.
But, once again, we were in the next city for dinner. Because we had a relatively larger lunch - sharing that pizza -
we hit up Trader Joe's and got a couple salads - a Southwest Salad and a Mediteranean Salad. Sorry, forgot the pictures.
But let's be serious, they were salads. Does anyone need to see a lot of pictures of salads? We also got a
package of bagels and some cream cheese for breakfast for the next two mornings - since we were staying at this motel for
two nights - and since this location had nothing to offer in terms of breakfast. And we'd rather eat before heading out in
the morning than having to stop somewhere for a meal anyway. Further, this means, we'll likely be hungrier for lunch too.
The TJ we stopped at was in the same complex as the Gillette Stadium - where the New England Patriots play.
(The water tower isn't THAT much bigger than the statium, it's just that much closer than the stadium.)
At least I think they do. I don't feel like Googling it right now.
Okay, fine, I Googled it - yes, that's where the Patriots play...
So now that we've had an opportunity to spend some time in the motel, we have some opinions...
- The remote for the TV was missing. It eventually turned up under one of the bed pillows, but not until after we got a
replacement.
- There was no shelf in the shower for soap or shampoo, so those are going to have to stay on the sink nearby.
- There was only one bench to store a suitcase. And, literally, nowhere else. (In case you haven't been following along,
there are two of us traveling...)
- The only outlets in the room included the one that had the TV and cable plugged into, the one with the microware and
mini-fridge, and the third outlet by the bed with the lone lamp plugged in. (Yes, there was an overhead light with a switch
by the door.) So there was just one, ONE, available outlet to plug in any of our electronic devices.
- There is NO breakfast provided whatsoever.
- There were no ammenities provided, such as cups.
Okay, so this wasn't the best place to stay, but, as said earlier, it was a last minute, quick reservation.
So in the morning, after our showers, we'll have bagels with cream cheese, and then head out.
Since we had no provided cups, and it isn't like we packed any cups to begin with, we had to improvise for
our wine consumption. Linda used the water bottle that was part of the gift bag from Mind Games, and I, well...
just drank right out of the bottle.
After our salad dinner; we watched some Big Bang Theory while I wrote this, Linda was on her electronic devices
(yes, devices - plural - iPad and phone); and then we washed up and went to sleep.
Fun fact: The alarm clock was invented in Concord.