New Hampshire

Looks like we all have great memories of visiting the Granite State. My earliest memory is of the time my parents left me behind at the Polar Caves. Yes, I was abandoned and was hiding under a rack in the gift shop because I couldn't find anyone. I was about 4. You see, there were 5 kids + 2 parents = 7 people PLUS we always traveled with our favorite cousins and Aunt and Uncle (3 kids + 2 adults). Because these were our favorite cousins we always wanted to ride in a different car. I always wanted to be with Barbara who was about 9 months older than me and great fun. The families were all packed in their station wagons and pulling away when an announcement came over the loud speaker which said "Would the parents of Karen Feloni please come to the gift shop".. well, all hell broke loose. Both sets of parents left all the remainding children in their respective cars (my youngest brother and cousin were about 2) and RAN to get me. It is still the talk of the family and I can always cause my dearest mother to have guilt by saying "you left me at the Polar Caves".

My family always vacationed in NH as long as I can remember, visting all the (yes, Andy, we too were lovers of the tourist traps!) requisite stops such as Storyland (I threw up on Mother Goose when I was 5), Santa's Village, Heritage, Six Gun City, Lake Winnepisauke (sp?), North Conway. I remember a chalet that my parents rented one year in Meredith somewhere on a lake and my Dad would shut the car lights off when we were driving at night so it was pitch black.. we were all screaming and scared to death. We visited Frankenstein's make your own sundae shop (which was a big treat when there were 5 children). We went horseback riding together (sans parents.. they just sent us on these big animals through a well worn trail)... I remember my brother Eddie got the stupid horse that only wanted to eat grass and we were all stuck behind him.. One trip we heard the same song everytime we got in the car "whoa black Betty, bam ba lam, whoa Black Betty, bam ba lam" and all we did was sing that song all the way back to Boston. God Bless my Parents!!!

When we were all grown up, my Dad would rent out a bunch of places at Attitash and all of us and our spouses (the only kids back then were Jess and Kara) and we would all cram in the condos, eating, drinking, going into the jacuzzi tubs with our radios, hiking and having an absolute blast.

And one of my fondest memories was about 19 years ago, when my childhood sweetheart proposed to me at Attitash Mountain in Bartlett, NH in front of a roaring fire with wine and crackers and cheese. I was 20 years old and the happiest girl in the world! Bill and I have been keeping up the family tradition and have been taking our boys up here since they were babies. They have now outgrown Storyland and Santa's Village, but they love to hike, bike down Franconia Notch, visit Echo Lake and the former Old Man of the Mountain, and just enjoy the peace and tranquility of the mountains. Matthew has been skiing since age 3 and is able to keep right up with his Dad.. Billy and I take it a little slower, but I agree with you all, there is something about it up here that just slows you down and makes you grateful. We are fortunate to have a place up here that we love and enjoy and we are able to pass that on to our families..