spring break vacation, Day 6

A full day in New Hampshire, the only one of the trip - that was day 6 of spring break.

But I lie, a little.  We actually did dip into Vermont again.  More on that to come!

Our hotel was kind of in this odd area between Hanover and Lebanon, near the Dartmouth College hospital complex, in among offices and a shopping plaza and even some apartments.  It was a cold morning (patches of snow still here and there in New Hampshire),

so Conrad and I bundled up

and made a bit of a walk around the area,

making sure to stop in at Starbucks on the way back.  We had some hotel breakfast, then Amy picked us all up to head into Hanover.

Day 6 was the last day that we were visiting any libraries and the last day of meeting up with librarians we hadn't already met up with.  Amy parked in town and then led us onto the Dartmouth College campus.  Past what looked like an art museum. 

Into the central quad.  And there was the Baker-Berry Library. 

Wow.  Classic looking, beautiful.  Our destination for the tour.  We arrived in side right when John was coming from his office and arriving at the welcome desk.  Nice timing!

John took us around various parts of the library, showing off such cool things as a room dedicated to Theodor Geisel,

a marvelous Orozco mural,

spaces for printing and related arts,

and all the other beautiful spaces. 

It was such a treat to see.  John has worked there for a number of years, so it felt like we were getting some cool insights into the library that a regular tour might not enjoy.  Such a nice time.

The tour done, we all - John included - headed across the quad to PINE Restaurant in the Hanover Inn. 

There we had a leisurely lunch (fried chicken bao buns for me and a mocktail)

and gossiped.  Eventually we set John free to head back to work and the rest of us strolled in the little town, buying a few souvenirs.  Amy finally bundled us back up into the car, and we were off to Vermont!

Yes, Vermont again.  Just across the Connecticut River from Hanover, so it wasn't some massive trek, assuredly.  Conrad and I have a friend and former neighbour in Chicago who is a Dartmouth alum, and he was sending us all kinds of recommendations (and expressing his pride and delight that we were visiting that area).  One thing he suggested was that we go visit King Arthur Baking Company,

and so we did.  That was fun, browsing the large shop, picking up a few items.  We capped that with a coffee and snack (maple sandwich cookie for me),

and then headed back to the hotel for a while.

Ed drove us the opposite direction that evening, away from Hanover and down to Plainfield where Amy and her husband Thom live in a condo in a schoolhouse that they had converted. 

We had a round of Last Words there,

then walked nearby to Poor Thom's Tavern,

the tavern that Amy and Thom own.  Finally, we met Thom! 

Great guy.  And he runs a terrific tavern.  Cocktails,

then a fried chicken poutine to share,

and then a burger for me that met all my hopes and expectations. 

Oh, and peanut butter pie - yum! 

What a terrific meal we had, what a fun time.  Thom was able to join us for much of our meal, and that was great.

Dinner done, it was time to head back to the hotel.  On to Boston the next day.  Sadly, that was the last we got to enjoy time with Amy.  I'm hoping I can get her and some others to meet up in northern California with me this summer! 

spring break vacation, Day 5

After days of taking photos and photos on vacation, Day 5 was a bit of a comedown.  Not for bad reasons, mind you.  It was a day of packing up in Rhode Island and heading north, and that made for less time for at least some of the day to get photos in.

It was a brisk morning when we started but promised to get milder by the afternoon.  A thick sweater on,

and I was ready to head out.  Come lunchtime, we were at a fast food wraps place near Nashua, NH, and that made NH an official state visit in our books.

We continued on, stopping at one of the liquor outlet places that dot the state and that out-of-staters flock to to buy booze without tax. 

That yielded a bottle of wine to bring to Amy and a gin to bring home.  No chartreuse, alas.  Darn it.  Ah well.  North and across the state we rolled, making it to Lebanon mid-afternoon.

On one side of the town center square we parked.  A small New England Town.  I kind of expected it to be like Stars Hollow, super quaint, but it wasn't quite so cozy.  It was also not quite as into spring as Rhode Island to the south.  But Amy worked at a lovely little Carnegie library

(one of two library branches for the town), and she gave us a tour inside

before sending Conrad, Ed, and me on to our hotel

to unwind and get ready for dinner.

A nice choice for dinner, too.  Tuckerbox, a Turkish place, was her choice. 

It was good to have some food a little more vegetable focused

(my eggplant was stuffed with lamb but not overwhelmed by it),

and the cocktail (a Garden Gimlet)

and wine were also good.  Bonus points:  we were in Vermont.  Three states in one day, plus passing through a fourth (Massachusetts).  The nice thing about the smallness of it all!

So there, a transition day on the trip, but with a library and some tasty food thrown in.