THE UPPER VALLEY

Walpole, N.H. June 2

Up I-89 to Woodstock, VT, then down I-91 to the Vermont Welcome Center at Guilford to install the new (12^th) edition of Vermont, An Explorer’s Guide! It was interesting to hang out there for a couple of hours and watch who comes in—a whole busload of young Hassids from Brooklyn were there most of the time—all wearing black with wide-brimmed black hats and white shirts. This was their picnic stop enroute to New Hampshire! Where in New Hampshire they didn’t know.

What a relief to get off the highway onto Rt. 63 and wind up along Spofford Lake but I suspect I missed something by not taking the River Road from West Chesterfield up through Westmorland Depot. It’s a glorious day and beautiful here at the Inn at Valley Farms! Jacki suggested that I pick up a bagette and cheese from the Village Grocery Store that’s owned by Burdick’s—which I did and have rarely had a better bagette and Baby Swiss from Boggy Meadow Farm down on River Road was fabulous!!—It just doesn’t get much better than sitting in the sun and looking at the flowers – I took a walk up to the top on the hill—with a view of the Black Angus and chickens—the barns and hills. There’s a sense of expanse and peace here—inside and out. The glass-walled sunporch overlooking the garden with a guest fridge and pantry with tea/coffee and cookies and then all those formal old spaces—the dining room, parlor and living room. Jacki grew up down the road and this was vacant for years, up for sale and there was a threat of a developer wanting it to cut the 105 acres into lots. My room is a classic maple canopy without a canopy and woven cover and the antique dresser is special, elegant lamp. I’m in a chair by the window with the birds trilling and something else (a frog?). Better do some work before I run entirely out of steam!

SUNAPEE REGION

Enfield, Feb 26, 2009

 

Few rooms have seemed as welcoming as this corner bedroom at Shaker Hill Inn: extraordinarily wide pumpkin pine floorboards,  a graceful birdseye dresser in the corner, an antique Shaker-style rocker and a nice armchair, a desk with a blue pottery lamp, lovely warm colored and patterned coverlet and a patchwork quilt, and a country-style armoire. The ornamental strip above the wainscoting shows some vaguely institutional, possibly Shaker scene and the bath is steps from the bed but around the corner, out of sight. There are shades on the windows and a lovely view outside beyond blue plaid homespun-style curtains—I’m all tucked in!

 

Two mid-day runs at Mt. Sunapee wiped me out! The idea was to ski first thing in the morning but it was snowing so I toured Sunapee Harbor Cottages, Twin Doors and the 1806 House—by which time everyone was indoors eating lunch and the sky was clearing! The rental crew were lovely and the snow was perfect. Double Diomand Café a mile west of  Sunapee’s entrance looked like a great little breakfast place but I pressed on, starved—through the Mt. Edge Resort tour to Newbury News, a great sandwich spot which – it turns out—is closing forever this weekend. Bubba’s next door looks fine, with a view of the  Newbury “harbor”. West on Rt. 103 to Bradford and off into the boonies to find the Rosewood Inn, the nicest of all I’ve seen in the Sunapee area. I should have gone with it for Yankee—oh dear! Guilt! At least now I know.

The Candle Light B&B in Bradford is homey and rather cluttered, nie but seemingly expensive for what it is. 

On up Rt. 114 through Sutton—a classic meetinghouse, former tavern and gathering around the common—to North Sutton and Kezar Lake. The Folansbee Inn is okay, with guestrooms each nicely decorated and lovely new suites on the third floor but the first floor spaces have lost their charm.

The Dragonfly, a contemporary home on the site of the original Folansbee Inn (the current inn was its annex) is a gem of a B&B with lovely lake views—Brits Christie and Ian welcomed me with tea and chocolate—reviving but just barely and there was no time left to revisit New London so

I headed up I-89 to Enfield and found Shaker Hill Road in the fading light—but the inn was dark, the sign down. Turns out I was expected next Thursday. Next morning I toured The Shaker Museum, newly open in winter and more interesting than in its previous incarnation, thanks to my guide.