Welcome to New Hampshire...I mean Vermont....oh it doesn't matter

We made it to New Hampshire! Well Vermont. If you ask the kiddo he'll say we are in New Hampshire because that is where daddy is working and where we told him we were moving too. The campground we are parked at is on the border of New Hampshire and Vermont. And we'll be on the coast of Maine for many weeks with family and friends for vacations this summer. So it seems fair to say we are in New England for the summer.

The campground is very family friendly with other young kids, a fun playground and a swimming pool. The speed limit is 5mph which they strictly enforce. Our kiddo was excitedly telling someone yesterday "we said bye to our house and we in New Hampshire now." I was glad to hear he didn't seem confused or discouraged by where we are. Soon he'll be telling people about ALL of the places he's been and we'll have to remember which place he's talking about when he remembers a detail from months previously somewhere. 

We have friends all across the country. Some in the southeast who have never been west of the Mississippi River. Some in Colorado who have never been anywhere on the east coast. Climates across the country vary so wildly which means many differences from state to state some people wouldn't realize without visiting them. For the many friends who have never been to New England or even any part of the east coast, I thought I would describe some of the details I notice about this valley area of New Hampshire and Vermont. It is beautiful country out here. Side note: now the mosquitoes and higher humidity than we're used to is here too, but we're adjusting to that. And I mean these are the mosquitoes that are big enough to be the state bird. Bug spray is becoming our friend (let me know if you have some natural remedies that really work for you keeping mosquitoes away). I already have the itchy bites on my legs to prove they are prevalent out here. 

This part of New England has some beautiful mountains around us. Caleb and I keep calling them "foothill" type mountains because they are much lower than the rocky mountains. They are nothing like what you see in the rocky mountains, but they are still very beautiful mountains. These are rolling mountains covered in lush dense woods and forests. SO MUCH GREEN. Forests with TALL trees so much taller than what is often seen around Colorado. Driving around the countryside we'll drive up a hill so our views open up above the treetops. We love finding these unexpected spots where you see the mountains out around us. These mountains surrounding us are all a part of the Appalachian mountains which stretch from Maine all down through northern Georgia. We have seen signs pointing out how to get on the Appalachian trail to hike. 

Lebanon, NH population is close to 14,000 people. It doesn't feel like a city but more of a big "small town." There aren't many activities or things to do like you would expect in a city. In fact, it is the smallest city in New Hampshire. On one list it was voted the Best Small Town of America. The surrounding areas of Lebanon like where our campground is feels very much like the country. We will drive through another town, but if you blink you miss it. We see many small family farms as we drive around. Nothing like the big thousands acre ranches in Colorado valleys. I love the classic country red barns, seeing the rolling green pasture hills with cows, goats, horses, and the large old farmhouses. Subdivisions are not a commonplace thing in these areas, and I love the unique character of each old big home. I will post pictures of some homes as we explore more in the area. I love the look of the old shaker shingle siding a lot of the homes have. 

We made it to our friends Sarah and Dan's home for a cookout as families and catching up. Sarah, Caleb, and I were in high school together. She is the kind of friend where we can pick up right where we left off even though it's been years since we last got together. I am so thankful to have more time in life with them this summer. They have a beautiful home and land. On the horizon we could see tops of mountains from their backyard views. Hayden seemed to love playing with their daughters and we got together again for a day of errands and play and visiting. 

One of my other favorite discoveries so far is Dartmouth College and the town of Hanover. It's an Ivey league college founded back in 1769 and the campus is full of beautiful brick buildings. The town has a cute quaint main street with local shops and restaurants which seems to just morph into the campus. We'll spend plenty of time in Hanover walking around. Caleb is working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock hospital which is a teaching hospital, and only 2 miles down the road from the college. He has started his full shifts in the ER after a few days of orientation and so far he loves it. The whole medical facility has an outstanding reputation, and so far Caleb has been very pleased. More to come on his ER experience in the next blog post. I'm excited to share more about this part of New England with you.