new hampshire

Buffalo Farm - Gilford, New Hampshire

as a kid, my parents would drive a few miles out of the way so we could pass this one gorgeous pasture filled with buffalo in the town we lived in. fast forward to teenage years, your mind is consumed with your high school sweetheart, finding sweet skate spots or dance dance revolution. you forget about those exciting car rides and the beautiful lands your home offers.

oddly enough, the owners of this farm are now family through marriage; i suppose it may not be that strange when you grow up in a small town like laconia, new hampshire.

bolduc farm was built in 1776 and is the oldest continuously running sap house in the united states, first tapping the maple trees the year they built the farm. they also raise the aforementioned buffalo because (in the words of ernie bolduc, the owner) “There is nothing more American than the buffalo!” 

 

White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire

"holy shit, i can't believe this is where we grew up."  

as we roar north on highway ninety three night leaves us in my rearview mirror. the white mountains in the distance, a range so big it seems to stay the same size even as we get closer. what seemed like an all day trip as a kid in the back of my mom's mini-van turns out to be only an hours drive from my childhood home. 

the last time i was in these mountains was nine years ago for a high school field trip, i was a senior and there was one week left of class. the only thing on my mind was getting out of this podunk place, now i'm trying to jam as much into one morning as i can because i don't want to leave. 

it's cold up here. the last days of april and there is still snow on the side of the road and the mountain tops, the rivers and lakes are frigid. the freezing temperatures that we hated growing up actually turned out to be what shaped our character; tough, independent.

footloose, always on the go chasing that feeling of freedom, seeking to be anywhere but where we are. it's the reason we left new hampshire in the first place, the reason we moved to philadelphia, the reason we rode our bikes across the country, the reason we moved to austin and the reason we are constantly on the go. i'm glad i left, i believe getting away from the familiarity of your childhood is important, but making it back up north a little older, and maybe a little wiser, a feeling of gratitude washes over me; "this is where i grew up". 

"All the past we leave behind,

We debouch upon a newer mightier world, varied world,

Fresh and strong the world we seize, world of labor and the march,

Pioneers! O pioneers!"  Walt Whitman 1865

 

 

 

Developed - New Hampshire

shot on : kodak porta 400

"my little horse must think its queer to stop without a farmhouse near. between the woods and frozen lake, the darkest evening of the year. he gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake. the only other sounds the sweep of easy wind and downy flake. the woods are lovely dark and deep, and i have promises to keep, and miles to go before i sleep, and miles to go before i sleep."

new hampshire isn't an adventure to me, new hampshire is home. visiting is like running into a really good old friend, i pick up exactly where i left off, like i was never gone.

my first day there eighteen inches of fresh powdery snow fell covering the old mill town i grew up in like a thick white blanket. my mother and i started off the day by shoveling out her car, then headed to a diner for coffee in meredith. after, we shuffled our feet over the frozen lake to look at the bob houses scattered over the ice. 

the rest of the visit continued to give me the winter and family fix i sought. sled dog races, an evening walk in the blizzard, a snowy drive to cape cod, warming up by a wood stove, cup after cup of diner coffee, while getting my mother all to myself.

as nice as it is to be back in austin, laying on my hammock in shorts while writing this, a big piece of my heart is always left behind in new hampshire. this shred comes in the form of a big sister who i find more in common with every visit we have, i truly enjoy her company. a little brother, so wise beyond his years that i can honestly say i look up to him and the support he provides me means the world. two little sisters who keep me laughing nonstop and know how fun doing donuts in moms car is.

and most of all, my mother, who is my rock. it took a while to get to the point we are at now, but as i have matured i realize everything she has done for me and still does for me. no amount of time is ever enough with her, but every time is always quality time.

good bye, and keep cold.

New Hampshire

for our one year anniversary we had planned a couple different trips. one idea, to head to new orleans, was scrapped pretty quickly (good thing as hurricane issac hit that weekend). next plan was to head back to one of our favorite places salvation mountain, then head to the coast for some camping in san elijo. we were all set to go but something did not feel right, so we booked a last minute flight up to new hampshire to spend our one year anniversary weekend with family and friends, some of whom we hadn't seen since the wedding. 

our home town laconia is a place where you can swim in clean lakes and enjoy cool breezes. the lakes region consists of 273 lakes and ponds and laconia sits right in the middle of it all, definitely not a bad place to grow up. with a year passing since the last time we were in nh we forgot just how different the architecture is than the modern style here in texas. being an old mill town laconia is full of brick factories and colonial style homes. 

we made sure to take advantage of all the small town has to offer; antique shopping, insanely cheap lobster and trestle jumping.



view the whole set in the gallery.