Gingerbread Houses

 Our local library offered  "gingerbread" kits - just sign up.  The gingerbread is really graham cracker but with the directions it works fine.  I ordered three kits: for me, and two granddaughters.

 

The mortar is royal icing: eggwhites, lemon and confectionary sugar. Fortunately keeping it in a sealed container meant I only had to make one batch for the three of us. It hardens in the air.

I did mine first to get a hang of what was required then invited granddaughters to come over one at a time.  #2 came first on Wednesday afternoon and #1 on Thursday afternoon.

Here are our creations.

Mine.

Granddaughter #2 at work.

Granddaughter #1,

Notice the icing on her fingers?  She couldn't help herself and said it was delicious.

All three houses reside at my house for now - part of the Christmas decorations.

Come for a Drive

 Last Thursday, the 2nd, I told Dan I'd like to take a drive to the White Mountains if the weather was going to be clear.  (Last winter we attempted this but it was snowing and we had to turn back. [Post here on that attempt.]) As so often happens my idea was not original and he'd been thinking the same thing.  Happens often in our house that I read his mind.

Friday's forecast was good so we set the GPS for the Kancamagus  Highway which is reported to be the best route in NH to see fall foliage.  Not being fall anymore around here we knew we'd have the road to ourselves.  To get there from here it's northeast as the crow flies, but by auto requires going north, east, south, and even west sometimes.

We set out and passed two barns I've always admired in Enfield.

 Then in Canaan got a view of Mount Cardigan. 

We had to weave our way through valleys.

We entered the Kangamagus Highway at the western end in Lincoln I think it was, and headed east entering the White Mountain National Forest. The road started to climb.

We knew it was cold outside by the snow and ice.  The wind was fierce so we didn't linger at many of the overlooks.

Once we passed this marker the road headed down to Conway where we had lunch.

After lunch we put in a destination of the Mount Washington Hotel and Resort one of only two remaining from the hey day of hotels in the area.

The hotel was not on the east side of Mount Washington as we thought and to get to the west side we drove through Crawford Notch.

Aw, here it is,

and what a view of Mount Wshington.

The weather observatory is just visible.

The last time we were on Mount Washington was the summer of 2001.  We drove up. We had been up twice before that. In 1983 by the cog railroad and in the 70s we drove up after backpacking in the mountains.  I'd like to return to the hotel and take the cog railroad up again. Someday.

Hope you enjoyed the drive.

Wreath Making

 My daughter brought balsam fir boughs to our basement and we set up shop to make wreaths.  Sorry no photos of the work area but take my word for it, it's a mess with needles and branches all over.

You've seen the wreath I made for our front porch on my header.

Here's another one I made and attached to one old single snowshoe that we found in the barn loft.  

Funny that the house doesn't look as yellow as the photo of the porch wreath.

This wreath is hanging by our side door.  In New England most people don't use their front doors.

This afternoon granddaughters came over with Emily and we helped them make wreaths to give to their teachers.  I worked with granddaughter number 2.  She decided the pattern of dried flowers and helped select the bundles which I wired on a metal wreath frame.  We got halfway finished and she said, "Nana, you can finish it!"

The one I helped with is on the left.

postscript:

Here's the one Emily made last week for her new door. She's the pro!