I decided to go berry picking this summer because its been many many years since I have done so. And I heard rumors there was a berry farm nearby that had more than just blueberries. Monadnock Berries boasted of blueberries, raspberries, goose berries, red currants, black currants, and white currants. I have never eaten gooseberries or currants so I was keen to check this out. I brought my mother with me even though she’d heard it’d be expensive.
There were signs from the center of town you could follow but it was pretty far out in the woods on a dirt road. You just had to trust there’d be more signs or that your GPS was worth trusting.
Finally we got to the farm which had a nice dirt parking lot on a hill. We followed more signs into a cute little shop which had pre-picked berries, maple syrup, and a few other commodities. There were also cartons and buckets of various sizes to go picking ourselves. We were told we could mix all the berries if we chose to except for the raspberries. They were more expensive and apparently turn into sludge if you pile other berries on top of them – hence the need for separation. As such I declined the raspberries and bought a “small bucket” for $22. It didn’t look big but boy, by the time we were done we had over four pounds of berries! That’s an overflowing large Pyrex mixing bowl! If you’re familiar with how much a tiny carton of berries cost you’ll know this was a steal, the very opposite of expensive.
There were maps via QR code but also signs everywhere. The blueberries were endless, just bunches of bushes. We found the raspberries next, and in front of them was the first row of currants, all black. I tried them and found them to be quite displeasing to my pallet but this was a matter of personal taste. The red currants were nearby and had a remarkably different flavor profile. They were very tangy! I started throwing fistfuls of them into the bucket. The bushes at first didn’t look like they had much on them but with a little closer inspection the lower branches were heavy with berries.
My mother at this point got very into picking red currants and took some convincing to move on. The gooseberries were a good walk away, snuggled next to the white currants which had a delightfully mild taste. The gooseberries were robust in their unique flavor. These two ended up being my favorite berries of the day.
By now it was getting hot, I was overheating, and it was threatening to rain. Our bucket was nearly full anyway so I said we should get some blueberries to top it all off as we walked back towards the store. I was surprised to find the blueberries from different rows also tasted different, perhaps they were of different varieties. I settled on a bush with very large blueberries which I felt were the sweetest. When the bucket was filled we walked back to the counter which felt like it was miles away in the heat. When we turned in the bucket the teenage cashier pulled out the plastic bag lining the bucket and exclaimed how happy it made her to see currants under the top layer of blueberries. Both the teenage girls working today were so friendly and funny I couldnt help but adore their youthful enthusiasm. I paid my $22 and got a cold drink to go.
All and all this was a really fun day. We made out like bandits and there were some adorable goats in a pasture next to the parking lot. This place was awesome. Well worth a visit and family friendly to boot! I could have spent all day taking photos of the luscious berries and the sprawling mountain landscape beyond. This place was gorgeous. I guess that’s why they also host weddings here on Saturdays. I was impressed.
It was a somber day for a great deal of people and suffice to say on this year’s Independance Day I wasn’t feeling particularly like celebrating. It was a grim week and I wasn’t the only one feeling the crushing weight of current events.
But as the day progressed the mood started to change as so many of us checked in on each other. We acknowledged things were getting really bad but under the doom and gloom a seed of hope began to grow. We were going to survive this, beat it, and after that? The world is going to get better, be more kind. And in the meantime, while we all fight back in our own ways, it was important to remember one thing: no one owns our joy but ourselves. And it’s important to foster community and joy, especially in these tough times, to shine so bright no one can dim our inner light. But it still felt off to do the usual BBQ and fireworks, so now what?
For me I knew what my soul needed: a walk into the woods. And so with my mum and her little dog we headed to Country Road where I knew there were trails. I thought it was just another section of the rail trail but I was confused by the maps at the kiosk when I got there. They didn’t really match the paper maps they were dispensing and nothing looked like a rail trail. Still I saw one trail seemed an easy loop so we started by walking across the road from our parking spot and onto what looked like a small paved street being taken over by nature. However this only seemed to lead us to a quaint little residential neighborhood with private property signs everywhere. Where was the trail?? I had no idea so we headed back to the car and tried the trails directly aside the parking area beyond a gate.
From here we walked until we found a little pedestrian bridge and cobbled over it. There was another kiosk beyond with the same map with unnamed trails. We ended up taking what turned out to be a trail that I think was called Marsh View but I only saw the sign after completing it. Guess we went backwards. There were a couple benches and one view of the marsh. It was a decent enough trail if you’re looking for something easy, short, flat. The dog seemed to really enjoy it and despite the confusion the trails all looked well traveled. There was other people out there probably less confused than us.
I will likely go back and check out the other trail options. For today it was the perfect little distraction. A pleasant small walk into lush greenery. We managed to get back to the car before the tiny dog pooped out and before I overheated so it was a win on all sides.
About a month ago my mother decided she wanted a garden and ever since I’ve been outside battling a backyard that looks like the jungles of Vietnam.
Initially I had planted some seeds indoors but most did not make it. Then a couple weeks ago I started visiting a series of nurseries with no vegetables left. What gives?? Today I was determined to find something, anything, to put in this damn garden. And that’s how I ended up sooo far off the beaten path today.
I’d never been to the Mason Hollow Nursery but I thought it’d be a good place to check out. People seemed happy with it from the reviews. And so off I went!
Driving in Mason is like going back in time. It’s a town with a modest population but a surprising amount of land which results in a lot of long winding dirt roads to nowhere, the sort of roads you’re never quite sure are roads or just really long driveways. The road to the Mason Hollow Nursery was no different. It was a dirt road jutting off another dirt road. I don’t remember seeing a street sign buuut there was a huge sign with the business name and hours on it do I followed it… in a Prius… down a one lane dirt road with banking on either side making turning around impossible. Even so there were signs everywhere this wasnt quarry parking. How?! Where?! And what is this quarry you speak of?? It seemed to go on forever and get increasingly sketchy with one part that was clearly patched after a wash-out. It made me more than nervous. Then from the forest emerged a few houses which was fortunate because had it not been for their driveways there would have been no way to get around the SUV coming from the opposite direction. Still, these signs of civilization only proved to make me question even more where I was and if this adventure was going to end well. Finally I came to the end at a small dirt parking lot in front of a barn and attached greenhouse. Guess this was it? But it was still a bit confusing. Did I have to go into the barn?
Luckily a small group of people were here as well as a big fluffy Burmese Mountain Dog, all inside the barn. So I walked in and found a small cashier corner and beyond the barn? A huge nursery! An elderly gentleman asked if this was my first time here and gave me a quick run down of what’s what. His wife had started this place and specialized in hostas but there wasalso some succulents, some bushes and trees, some ferns, and around the corner what was left of the veggies.
I took a look at all the flowers but they weren’t blooming yet. The trees and ferns made me giggle a bit. They seemed like varieties I could dig out of the woods here. But then the plants got more interesting. There were several varieties of carnivorous plants next to the vegetables and they were large, very healthy, and absolutely gorgeous. I struggled to find a price tag but I’m sure they were pricey, they always are when you can find them. This was the first time I’d seen them in a local nursery! No matter
I found the veggie section. They were all tomato plants that looked like they’d been in the pot too long and we’re starting to turn yellow. Still, I knew I was late in getting plants this year and they were healthier than the last two nurseries I left empty handed from. Plus, I’d like to support this small local business. They were $5 each. I picked through them and chose the two best looking. I tried wandering up to the check out but got very distracted by a succulent section with some brilliantly colored succulents. The elderly woman responsible for the tomatoes this year asked if I needed a cart. I said no, I was good carrying these two. She told me the Kracken variety was giving her tomatoes into November last year. SWEET.
At the check-out I was told the tomatoes were actually not $5 a piece. It was the end of their season and they’d been marked down to $1.25 each. Seriously?? I excused myself and went back for several more varieties, spending $10 on eight plants. Six different tomato varieties.
Checking out I had a fun chat about the dog who apparently swims like a seal and once got lost using a bed of kelp as a raft. Good times!
I will definitely tell others of this place that seemed like it was out of time. Beautiful plants, wonderfully friendly staff, and an independent business. Whats not to love?
I planted the tomatoes and with any luck should have them growing like crazy soon.
After a long day of poking at a lot of weird and wonderful things it was time to find something to eat to gain my strength for the long drive home. We returned to the car after leaving the always bizarre Evens & Oddities and started looking things up on the phone.
However we’d had a LONG day and the thought of finding yet another parallel parking spot was starting to overwelm me. So I pitched eating at the super shady looking place we were already parked in front of. It looked worn down, seriously worn down, the sort of thing you see in the background of apocalypse films. Inside was even worse. It looked as if someone really had put a lot of time, energy, and money into making this place a success… thirty years ago.
A glass counter up front was covered, two convenience store ice cream freezers gathered several inches of dust behind the tables, a regular fridge was parked in the middle of the dining area and looked just as old. The bathroom was literally in a supply closet and had a sign reading, “No feet on the seat please!” In all my years of toilet usage I’ve never been tempted to stand or squat on the seat….
With that all being said I’m a big fan of finding “hidden gems,” places that scream, “We could be in Detroit” but taste like heaven.
We’d had two VERY long days of driving and exploring and I’d reached a point of exhaustion that had turned my brain into pudding. Looking at the vast choices of sauces/styles on their menu I chose the three piece chicken and asked my travel companion to pick a sauce for me as I was overwelmed by the choices. He picked a teriyaki BBQ sauce combination for me and ordered “pteredactyl wings” for himself which were spicy wings of some sort. We shared cheese fries and he also inhaled some sort of sandwhich I didn’t get a chance to identify.
When it was time to get our meal there seemed to be great confusion that we were staying there to eat and not getting take out. Indeed I think we may have been the first to do so in a number of years. As such we were served in take out boxes.
My meal came with a salad. A salad that came in a small dessert carton and consisted of 6 pieces of very wet iceberg lettuce, a single piece of bell pepper, and the very end piece of a cucumber. Later I’d find two juiliens of carrot and one of celery in the take away box. Was this the other half of the salad or the “vegetable” served with dinner? Who knows.
I moved onto the macaroni salad which I didn’t know came with this. It was… mostly dry macaroni noodles with the tiniest hint of mayonnaise and dill. Was this the price of not wanting to parallel park again?
Across the table my companion had swallowed his sandwhich whole and was currently tearing through the wings like a starving street urchin. At least his dinner was good. I turned to my chicken which made up for everything else. The four pieces were huge, like a whole goddamn chicken, and fucking delicious. I stabbed it with my fork and ate it by biting chunks off. My companion then told me I had a knife hidden under my box but I didn’t care. Too late for that now, I was committing. Nom nom nom. I stopped only to shove stolen cheese fries into my gullet from across the table. I had fries too but they weren’t drowning in nacho cheese and the cheese fry side order was a meal in itself anyway.
So yeah… that was that. I felt much better after food and luckily we weren’t serial killed. Always a plus.
This place came out of the blue for me. My travel companion gave me an address to drive to but didn’t say what it was so I was a little surprised it was not another antique store but rather a tiny shop full of dead things. Signs outside said goths were welcome. Okaaaaay…
Inside was a tiny shop set up in a retro circus freak show sort of way. In a series of curios cabinets there were bizarre taxidermy, sarcastic pins and patches, mildly radioactive earrings, and a large silver serving platter full of human teeth! Only incisors.
We bought two grab bags labeled “shit” to be supportive of such an odd shop since we didn’t have the cash to buy the toaster in a bathtub taxidermy duckling. They were full of delightfully weird stickers. Who knew Plaistow was such a fun town! This seemed like the perfect stop after Zoo Creatures… like going from an exotic pet store to the afterlife of an exotic pet store. Fun for all! If you’re unapologetically weird.
After having an absolute blast playing with the reptiles at Zoo Creatures we decided we should continue on our adventures and see what other trouble we could get into. That’s when we ended up at an antique store on the same road as the aforementioned pet shop.
It was a little place, well kept with very organized displays. The vibe of this shop seemed to be one of nostalgia for millenials. Though there was the usual antiques – vassiline glass, the odd creepy doll, salt shakers and what not, there seemed to be more nostalgic toys – rainbow colored storm troopers, plushie girl gremlins, fidgets, trolls, and the like. It was different and kind of fun. I even got a little giggle out of a blinking doll who had an unfortunate blotch of eye shadow that made her look like she was sporting two black eyes, an illusion made all the more convincing with only one eye open.
My other favorite was a little metal fire truck with a key jutting out of it. When I wound it up I thought it’d drive around but no… it was a music box??
It’s a rare occasion when I get to drag someone along to a happy little memory of when I was growing up. I think one of my favorite things to do as a kid and as a teen was go to all the independent pet stores that were out there, running like it was the Wild West. Some were absolute dumps, literally run out of trailers and stinking to high heaven, but others were goddamn treasures and all of them brought with them the opportunity to see some crazy animals. Colors and morphs of common pets that were out of this world as well as critters you would normally see at a zoo. And there always seemed to be surprise grab bag, an abandoned animal being rehomed that the shopkeeper didn’t exactly know what it was. You want a lizard? Cool, here’s a lizard! Bird? We got you. This one seems nocturnal?? Thirty-foot-long snake? Oh, God, it’s heavy. And might be a literal anaconda.
This pastime has mostly been crushed by the arrival of PetCo, PetSmart, online retailers, and increasingly harsh animal laws and outright bans. One of the few places that has still survived and is in great standing is Zoo Creatures. It’s a reptile-centric center which I have had on my bucket list for a few years now. It seems to be the brick and mortal base for a much larger operation of reptile breeding, distribution, and outreach. That part of it is called NERD and they do reptile shows both on and off the property. I’ve encountered them over the years at schools, county fairs, and cons. They also do private events like birthday parties and whatnot I’ve just never been cool enough to be invited to one of those.
Still, the shop is a great way to at least see a lot of these critters and buy fun stuff for your own critters. They even have a petting zoo outside where a number of obese goats vie for your attention. And food. Just inside the door they have a whole rack filled with baby frogs of various kinds, scorpions, isopods, and millipedes. No tarantulas on this day but I would expect to see them here too. I wanted to bring the giant millipede home. Fucking love those things and they’re hard to find these days since imports have stopped and they must be bred here (which I guess must be a pain because there isn’t enough supply to meet demand, or at least there wasn’t when I was looking.) The frogs were also after my heart but they’re hard to keep alive unless you have the perfect environment. Above them were a couple very bright snakes cuddled on individual tree branches. Very pretty!
For the most part this looked like a normal pet store but just around the corner is when things got interesting. We entered the reptile room. There were rows of habitats and containers. Lots of strange morphs in the containers and some animals on display in the habitats that were a little unusual. Rock iguanas, frilled lizards, a snake that looked like a vine, and some bigger snakes. And randomly a big constrictor snake in a bubble bath. It seemed to be enjoying it, though I’m not honestly sure what the bubbles were for. Maybe it was a dirty snake…
From there we found the venom room… which was filled with huge venomous snakes. One of them was the biggest Timber Rattlesnake I have ever seen in my life. I didn’t even know they got that big! Which is concerning as Timber Rattlesnakes are the only venomous snake (capable of killing people) native to New England. They live in the mountains and luckily through all my hiking I’ve never encountered a wild specimen as they are endangered. There were cobras and spitting cobras also in this room and as I cautiously made my way to the back I heard a familiar SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHK! It was the angry rattle of a rattlesnake. An albino (?) rattlesnake on the bottom cage took offense to me walking by and let me know it. It slithered up the glass in a sidewinding sort of way as it shook its tail. The primitive monkey part of my brain was screaming DANGER! DANGER! but the other part of my brain that thrives on adrenaline just soaked up the moment. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie, even though no one who knows me would say this, it’s just because it’s very specific. I feel most alive when I’m around animals I know can and will kill me given the chance. Something I learned as a kid while wrestling a pit bull who got tired of my bullshit and pinned me to the floor with its paws and just hung over me, inches from my face, it’s breath hot on my neck. It’s a good thing I did not grow up in Florida because as a kid I LOVED reptiles and am pretty sure if I could have gotten a job catching dangerous ones or milking snakes I would have taken it at that time – back when I had the reflexes of a cat and the joints of youth. SIGH.
My companion came over to ask what the noise was and the snake responded to him in the same way. SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHK! Cranky little beastie. He put on such a show I almost missed the Gila monsters cuddling in the corner and the GIBOON VIPER in another bottom cage. I’d heard about them so many times… people keeping them, them getting out, animal control being WAY out of their depth in capturing and or dispatching them. I had no idea they grew so big! And were so… beautiful. Though I still think it’s a really dumb idea to have a venomous snake as a pet and you shouldn’t I could at least start to see the appeal. This snake was colorful, animated, and had weird little horns. I should note here the venom room is basically a gimmick to get people in the door. They do not sell these dangerous animals; they just put them on display.
Beyond the venom room there were the turtles and that’s where my companion fell apart. They had a very large soft-shelled turtle who seemed very intent on seeing what we were up to and he was so cute! We hung around with him for quite a while because he was so endearing. Above him were what I’m guessing were a few of his children? And behind him were two massive snakes. This is what I was hoping to show my companion as in previous occasions he seemed wowed by much smaller big snakes. I wanted him to see the ones I was impressed with all those years ago… and these two were very decent! Not the biggest I’ve ever seen (that would have been a green anaconda) but still right up there. One of them was even one of those black rainbow snakes that shimmer like a puddle of oil. I took a photo but the lack of natural sunlight didn’t make the shimmer obvious.
From here we went into the fish room not expecting much. Indeed fishwise there was little to look at buuuut there was an enormous alligator snapper and he was perched on two feet peering over the top of his enclosure. He seemed so…. intent, so intelligent. Almost cute. I cooed at him. “Sorry, I don’t have anything for you, not even any human hands.” He was big enough to snap one right off. My travel companion was enamored. It was like meeting a goddamn dinosaur. And his feet! Dear god! They were huge! and the claws! This was definitely the highlight of the day.
I asked my companion if this was worth the 2+ hour drive and he said, “Hell yeah! I saw more animals here than at all the zoos we’ve been to!” I’ll leave that as testament to how cool this place was. Someday when I have a home of my own… I’m coming back, maybe for a millipede, maybe for some frogs, maybe for one of them turtles. Hard to say. Though I do really miss having weird pets. SIGH.
You know whap happens when my usual travel companion has a week off? He gets kidnapped and dragged into the mountains! But first there was the matter of food. It’s rare I bring him back to mine and I wasn’t about to make the same mistake I made last time – eating breakfast at the place in town I knew was… not great.
We had planned to go to Vermont that morning anyway so why not stop just short of the border in Keene and get something delicious for breakfast? And if that didn’t work just give up and go to the candy or fudge shops just around the corner?
My companion picked a place and we parked and started walking towards it when he spotted Lindy’s, the cute little tin diner. I said I’d never heard anything bad about Lindy’s and it’s been there forever so we immediately made new plans. To Lindy’s!
It was a good choice. We ate there two mornings in a row, getting a good selection off their breakfast menu. The first morning I had strawberry stuffed waffles because I was having a sugar craving. It delivered on this! Waffles are generally supposed to taste like butter – because that’s basically all they are with just enough flour to keep a shape – but these 100% tasted like cake. Yellow cake to be exact. I was BUZZING. The next morning I behaved myself and had eggs and home fries with some rye toast. All simple but delicious traditional diner food. Couldn’t be happier. My companion was also happy with the hollandaise sauce, which to be fair he’s a bit fussy about. Twas sad to hear the other patrons saying this place was in the process of being sold, probably to be carted somewhere else. I adore tin diners but they never seem to last in the area.
This was a good choice to begin both our trips across state lines into Vermont.
Keene is such a cute little hippie college town that I love to visit and see what else I can find. Puggy’s has been on my list for a while but every time I try to find it something distracts my attention. Well not this time!
It’s listed as an antique store but that’s not really the feel I got when I walked in. I mean sure, I was immediately greeted by an absolutely delicious collection of classic 1960’s rock vinyls but beyond that this store was more a hippie shop. It had Greatful Dead tee shirts, a corner for cool shiny rocks, a bunch of fidget toys, and yes some retro toys and another room full of more antique-y things which for the most part were joyfully bizarre. This seemed like a little bit of everything and it was run by an adorable old hippie woman who clearly knew everyone on a first name basis. An unlikely cornerstone of the community which makes me so happy to see as I feel in the American landscape these gathering places are increasingly rare.
So if you live in Keene or nearby deffinately check this place out. Also check it out if you’re into classic rock vinyls because there were four separate vendors specializing in this and they had a delightful assortment. Bowie, T-rex, Deep Purple, local legend Country Joe and the Fish. I could drop SO MUCH money here buying vinyls!
I thought there were more buildings on the property when I was checking out Fairground Antique Market so I drove around the weird dirt parking lot until I found two more antique stores. One was closed on that day but this one was open so I checked it out.
The front of the building had very worn signs so I guess this place is older than the hills. I walked in and was pleasantly surprised. It was a large building with careful displays and lots of walking space. The antiques were mostly modern and were mixed with junk shop items like a library full of DVDs. There wasn’t a lot here but what was here was very decently priced! In the back there seemed to be a second whole building filled with very well preserved furniture for jaw droppingly cheap prices. Most were hovering around $250. I’m talking hutches, display cabinets, dressers, wardrobes, an ice chest, writer’s desks, really anything you’d find in an old farmhouse and some were quite unique like the wardrobe with huge Gothic arches and the very niche bread baker’s cabinet which had a flour dispenser, a kneading table, and other cool bread making features. Two carousel horses and a bunch of smaller items were scattered about as well.
I would deffinately suggest this place to anyone looking for real wood furniture for extremely affordable prices. This place made me wish I had a house to furnish!
