The Road to Bartlett

Question: What is the name of the road that joins Albany on the Kancamagus Highway with Rte 302 in Bartlett and how many cars pass over it in January?


"Twin Maples of a Different Color"


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Answer:
The Bear Notch Road. No cars pass over it in January – it’s closed in the winter.

Golden Pond's Stars

Trivia Question:
Name the three major stars of “On Golden Pond”

Squam Water Lillies

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Answer: Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn

Civil Engineering Landmarks in NH

Question:
NH is home to only two National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. One of them is the Cog Railway. What is (are is more accurate) the other?

"Lillies of the Valley #2"



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Answer: The stone arch bridges of Hillsborough.

Baker's Blunder

Trivia Question:
What was the original name for the Baker River that runs from Wentworth to Plymouth NH?

"Bend in the Baker"

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Answer: The Asquamchemaukee (spelled variously).

Editors note: Colonel Baker navigated his way up the river where he came upon a village of Native American's and, without provocation, attacked and obliterated the village. As is often the case, to the victor went the spoils and Baker's name has been attached to the river ever since.

"Indian Pony above the Aspen"

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Newfound Lake Prints and Posters

For that special someone who loves Newfound Lake. Purchase smaller prints, framed or a poster. Order here

Rowboat at Wellington Beach

Gazing at the Newfound Moon

Painted Sky Over Newfound Lake

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Photo Tips

Sometimes an images background is just so distracting that it makes the image unusable. Of course there are the more extreme solutions to this such as cutting out the background altogether but in the case of this bittersweet pictured right, removing the background is for practical purposes impossible because the berries are so numerous that they can't be selected out.

Well here's one way to make the background less busy in order to emphasize the central focus of the image. Using almost any good image software you remove the color entirely and then using a history brush return only the central colors to the image - or create multiple layers of saturation that achieve similar results.

Since I often prefer a more "tonal" background, I will often take an extra step and add in a single tone to make a duotone background.

Below you will see the end result of this process. The image contains a very muted level of color added back in.

Bittersweet Vertical #2


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A Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth

A Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth
Candle Light Strolls in December

Every year Strawbery Banke Musuem in Portsmouth turns the clock back several centuries to present "A Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth," a multi-site celebration of classic holiday traditions spread over the first three weekends of December.

Often the Music Hall, Portsmouth's landmark Victorian-era theater participates as well. Strawbery Banke is a ten-acre living history museum in the heart of the Portsmouth. The venue, New Hampshire's oldest waterfront town.

Visitors can take a romantic Candlelight Stroll through holidays past, dine harborside in the heart of the downtown district, and enjoy shows such as a high-voltage jazz version of Tchaikovsky's fairy tale ballet, the Nutcracker-all in one magical day (or luxurious overnight) trip.

During those three weekends, Strawbery Banke Museum presents its most popular event of the year, annual Candlelight Stroll. A cherished Seacoast-area tradition, the Candlelight Stroll derives its name from the hundreds of candle luminaria lighting the paths of Portsmouth's oldest neighborhood.

Visitors can expect to step over the threshold of time and experience holiday traditions spanning three centuries of New England life. The historic houses of Strawbery Banke are adorned in period-appropriate holiday finery of live greens and dried flowers. Costumed role players demonstrate the traditions of times past. The scents and sounds of the season abound with a full roster of live music and entertainment for all ages. An engaging panoply of sights, sounds, and smells, the Candlelight Stroll provides a welcome return to the roots of America's most treasured holiday traditions. On weekdays in between the Stroll, the museum offers Holiday House Tours from 10am to 2pm on the hour. The tours present the evolution of mid-winter and Christmas traditions over three centuries, ending with hearth cooking and hot cider at the Wheelwright House.

Strawbery Banke Museum
603-433-1100
www.strawberybanke.org.


Winter Shadows



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Bethlehem Porch at Dusk

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General John Stark's Motto

Question: General John Stark is credited with the phrase known today as the NH motto. What is it?

Answer:
Live Free or Die
Adopted as the state motto by the NH Legislature in 1945, it is probably the best-known of all state mottos, in large part because it speaks to a belief that is thoroughly ensconced in the American ideal.

The phrase comes from a toast written by General John Stark on July 31, 1809. Stark was New Hampshire's most famous soldier of the American Revolutionary War. Poor health forced him to decline an invitation to an anniversary reunion of the Battle of Bennington and to send his toast by letter:

Starks Toast: "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils."

The motto was enacted at the same time as the state emblem, on which the motto appears.

"A Heroes Tribute"

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You Say Cochecho and I say Cocheco

Question: A careful visitor to Dover might notice that the spelling of the name Cochecho differs between the name of the River and the famed Mills that line its banks. What accounts for this difference?

Answer: A clerical error.
According to the Dover Chamber of Commerce, which asked the question of Thom Hindle, a Trustee of the Woodman Institute Museum, it all goes back to a simple typographical error. The “original” spelling of the word Cochecho is with two "h's." Back in 1827 when registering the Cocheco Mill Manufacturing Company in Concord, NH, a clerical error was made, omitting the second "h". Thus all references to the mill were with one "h", while references to the River remained with two "h's."

Ed’s note: we put the word "original" above in quotes because in truth we can’t know the original spelling. Native American’s – specifically the Abenaki in this case - from whom the name was taken, had no written language, so the “original” spelling was still a European interpretation of a Native word.

American Icons

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