Bidding Adieu to the Grand Dame of the Lakes Region

Shortly after dawn, the morning greeted me with a palette of subdued tones which painted the wide expanses of the mirror-still waters of Lake Winnipesaukee with tints of gun-barrel gray.

The Mt. Washington as it steams towards Center Harbor, NH

A solid dome of sky hung closely over the surrounding mountains and islands, all of which seemed to be snuggling together, as if not wanting to wake up to face the imminent threat of the damaging high winds and rain predicted to reach this region from Hurricane Irene’s planned onslaught as it roars up the eastern seaboard.

I brewed a pot of java and filled a second filter with ground coffee which I put aside in anticipation of the needs of the rest of the family which would soon be falling out of bed, one by one, in the next couple of hours.

Coffee pot turned on, I walked out to the reliable Subaru waiting for me on the gravel driveway, backed out and drove across the small arched bridge connecting Black Cat Island to the mainland.  A short drive onto Route 25 took me to the local Baygulls bakery at Center Harbor, where I purchased freshly baked bagels and muffins for the sleepyheads.

A partial view of the Ossipee Mountain Range in NH, as seen from the lawn of the Moultonborough Public Library.

This small local business competes nicely with the Dunkin Donuts franchise a few hundred yards up the road.  At Baygulls, the bagels are homemade and taste even better with some of their own maple walnut cream cheese. 

Time in New Hampshire has been a welcome diversion, but we’ll all have to start packing soon and leave earlier than expected due to the ill-conceived plans of Irene.

It will feel good to get back to Bridgewater, but I can’t say that I missed reading the headlines and stories about how the U.S. is still getting itself embroiled in the affairs of foreign countries that are only too happy to accept our money and military resources in exchange for their subsequent ingratitude.

The latest weather reports predict Irene raging smack-dab over New Jersey, so let’s all try to be as safe as possible during this storm.  Thanks for reading.  Perhaps a prayer or two won’t do any harm either.

(Click on any image for an enhanced view.)