We played hookie today and went to Lincoln, NH to meet Fred's brother, Tom, and his wife. Tom and Ella spend each winter in Colorado where Tom is a ski instructor at Beaver Creek, so we try to get to see them a few times while they are back east.

We met at Gordi's Steak House for lunch - it's about half way between Laconia and Joe's Pond. It's always a fun couple of hours exchanging news about our families, and we enjoy the trip through the mountains. Tom got a little nostalgic about a VW he had a few decades ago, and he and Fred always reminisce about people they both knew growing up in St. Albans, Vermont. We stopped at McDonald's for ice cream, and then said our goodbyes.

Fred spotted a water park and Comfort Inn complex across from McDonald's that we hadn't noticed before, so we drove in there to see what it was all about and found a really nice little train station for the "Hobo Railroad," or the "Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad." We picked up brochures, although we'll probably not take one of the trips. On the other hand, it might be fun to do . . . !
As we were leaving, there was a UPS truck leaving the Comfort Inn and Fred was able to hail it and give them a package for L. L. Bean he's been carrying around in the car for a few days in hopes of bumping into one of the trucks. We could have had UPS pick it up at our house, or we could have left it off at any number of pickup spots, but it was way more fun this way.

I drove on the way to Lincoln and we had showers from Franconia on. By the time we got to Gordi's it was more than a shower - Ella thought Fred's lilac "parasol" was quite becoming. We had showers on the way back through the mountains, too, but once back in Vermont the weather cleared. This picture was taken on our way home.

There were surprisingly few cars on the road today, either coming or going. Usually we find lots of traffic down past Cannon Mountain, but today it was practically deserted. Too late for the summer crowds and too early for the foliage folks. Winter, of course, is a whole other thing and driving through that area can be a challenge, depending on the weather and often compounded by some ill-equipped drivers.

If we'd thought about it, we might have taken a quick side trip to Mittershill to see what's happening there. That small ski area has been pretty much closed since the 1980's - even before that, it seemed not to be hugely popular although the dining and entertainment at the base lodge was an attraction. There was a day when it was a really fun place to ski and hang out. Now it will become part of the larger, state operated Cannon Mountain Ski Area. Here's a little background on that project: Mittershill, and another, Mittershill and Dottie Crossley Next time we're over that way, we'll head up there.

Back at Joe's Pond, we swung down to the building site on Sandy Beach Road and there was a remarkable change compared to this morning. Here are "before" and "after" photos. We don't know what the weather was here during most of the day, but if there was rain, the workmen on this job apparently didn't hesitate to work through it.

Tomorrow I have work to do. The map of the cemetery that I had copied at Staples today is going to need some tweeking - these things never reproduce quite as well as you hope, and I didn't want to ink the original because it could change. I can now go over the copies so they'll be legible, and that's all that's required for now. Changes may come later.