AUGUST 23, 2015
GREEN FIREWOOD WON’T BURN. Sandy Beach is more a camping resort than most RV parks where we stay. It’s in a forest. It has lots of trees, open fields, a lake and some hiking trails. So when we arrived and the gal at the front desk offered us a great deal on firewood, we took her up on it. We thought it would be fun to have campfires while we were here. Maybe we’d even grill hotdogs over an open fire or make S’mores like we did when we were kids.
SUCH A DEAL. For a mere $35.00 we had 1/4 cord of split wood delivered to our site and neatly stacked by our fire pit. Turns out that’s a heck of a lot of firewood! So when this morning dawned overcast and chilly, we decided to build a campfire and burn some of that wood we’d purchased. It would be just the kind of day for a campfire in the great outdoors, reminiscing about where we’ve been and what’s still to come. And perhaps reading a good book. The only problem was that all of that wood was so green that it simply wouldn’t burn. Period. Now, I reached the rank of Eagle Scout as a kid and I’m pretty good at building campfires. But let me tell you, even after I got frustrated and poured an entire can of lighter fluid on the wood, it wouldn’t burn. Here’s how the situation looked.
A pretty good looking stack of firewood, wouldn’t you say?
What can I say? Even after using a quart of Kingsford lighter fluid, I couldn’t get the damn wood to burn! Urrrgh!
LET’S VISIT A LOCAL FARM. Oh well, things happen, right? Who needs a campfire anyway? But now what? Well, Florence had noticed a little farm down the road where we could pick apples and blueberries…that sounded like fun. Maybe we’d pick enough apples make applesauce. That would be a good inside activity for a chilly day. And we’d had so much fun picking blueberries last year in Idaho that we headed out with high hopes of resurrecting our day. But not so fast fella. When we arrived at the farm, we learned that today was the last day of the picking season for blueberries. “The bushes have been picked pretty clean, but you still might be able to get a few. And the apples aren’t quite ripe yet.” Maybe we’d like to return in about three weeks, the farmer suggested. No dice. We’ll be long gone in three weeks. Thanks anyway. And by the way, why don’t you take down your “U Pick ’em Blueberries and Apples” sign on the side of the road?
There wasn’t a ripe blueberry on this entire bush.
We thought these apples looked pretty good. But the farmer told us if we ate ’em now they’d be so tart they’d pucker our mouths!
SO NOW WHAT? The campfire idea had backfired. The blueberry bushes had been picked bare. And the apples weren’t ready for harvest. The day wasn’t turning out like we’d planned. At all. And I was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. “So why don’t we just drive to town, fill the Jeep with gas and get it washed?” I suggested. That sounded as if it would at least be productive. At the Shell station we got the gas. And I was told I’d get a discount of 20 cents per gallon on the gas if I’d purchase a “Deluxe” car wash. It was a little pricy, but OK, I thought. I was planning to get the car washed anyway, right? So we ran it through the wash and popped out on the end of the track…just as the rain began and the attendant closed the car-wash for the day.
A DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY. So far, our day had been about as much fun as stepping on a Lego with bare feet! But New Hampshire is famous for its picturesque country roads. There’s no way taking a drive could get screwed up, we decided. So that’s what we did this afternoon, and we weren’t disappointed. This really is a beautiful state. Wish we could be here to watch the seasons change and the Fall colors appear. We’re told that New Hampshire puts on quite a show. And during the winter with a couple feet of snow on the ground, these little villages would look just like the pictures you see on Christmas cards. We’re not going to be here when Fall arrives, but we’re sure planning to be somewhere on the east coast where we can experience the colors! In the meantime, our drive in the country this afternoon was not a disappointment. Take a look…
An village meeting hall.
An old barn…abandoned but obviously not forgotten.
And don’t forget the old tractor.
An orchard in the country, with the mountains of New Hampshire in the background.
Even these homes way out in the country have nicely manicured yards. I love it!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY YARD? It gets cold here in the winter. And most of the homeowners are prepared for severe weather. They split and stack lots and lots of firewood…enough for them to burn all winter long to supplement the heating oil or propane they use to stay warm. We’ve driven past one house in particular where we’ve seen a huge cache of wood. I thought it was interesting to see all that neatly stacked wood. So I pulled the Jeep to the side of the road, walked right into the front yard of this home and was in the process of photographing the woodpile when the owner appeared at the front door. Looking rather accusatory and even a little frightened, she yelled at me, “What in the world are you doing in my front yard?” She’s right, I thought…what am I doing in her front yard? I should be taking this picture from the street! And I probably should have asked for permission. Well, I could either run to the car and speed off or I could approach her. Not wanting her to call the police and report a prowler, I decided to speak to her. Fortunately, after I explained that I was just a harmless (and inconsiderate) tourist from southern California who wasn’t used to seeing so much firewood, she was very friendly. We chatted, I apologized, she reassured me that “we were good” and that was that. I guess I’d better be a little more thoughtful in the future! “Sorry, ma’am. Thanks for understanding. And enjoy all your snow skiing outings this winter.”
These folks lay in lots and lots of firewood for the winter. Oops, I even had a chance to meet the owner of this home and chat with her about it. Read the text.
Heading back to Sandy Beach campground. I don’t think we’ll attempt a campfire tonight!
JOIN US AGAIN SOON. WE’RE HEADING TO THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE IN A FEW DAYS. OUR ADVENTURE CONTINUES.
