lifestyle – New England's Narrow Road

Yesterday I visited the quaint New Hampshire town of Peterborough and took some photos early in the morning before the town woke up.

Thornton Wilder’s play “Our Town” was based on this town! He wrote the play while staying at the MacDowell Colony back in 1938.

Peterborough has two “main” streets. The one called Main St. and the one named Grove Street (Grover’s Corners). Behind both of those roads, which house their own shops and restaurants, is a place called Depot Square. It’s where you’ll find extra parking and more shops and businesses, like the Peterborough Diner and Toadstool Book Store. The Toadstool has a large mural along the outer wall which changes periodically. I included part of the current scene in my photos. The Waterhouse Restaurant is also there, and it backs up to the Nubanusit Brook which runs through town.

Up on Grove Street, Harlow’s Pub is always a busy place and they offer seating outside by the road. Next to Harlows is Noni’s and the shoe store and Joseph’s Coat. Sarah’s Hat Box store is new, and I’ve never been inside. It’s located beneath the new condo complex, where the old wood stove store used to be. Further up the road is a specialty chocolate shop, ice cream, and the oil and vinegar company. I’m just saying, there is a lot to see and do in a compact area.

On Main Street, find Steele’s stationery store, Roys Market, Maggies Health Food, and more. A wide variety of businesses, museums and restaurants make Peterborough a popular place to visit. Once you find a place to park, it’s just a short walk to see what the town has to offer. There is also a small movie theater that is quite nice.

Other famous places in Peterborough, but not downtown, include the MacDowell Art Colony (mentioned above), Pack Monadnock (Miller State Park), and the Peterborough Players (professional theater). The Sharon Arts Center and Mariposa Museum are also well known.

Saturday, October 17th (2015) is the Peak into Peterborough event. Read more about it at the link.

Good to know: In the state of New Hampshire any people in a crosswalk have the right of way, and cars / traffic must stop to let them cross the road. Be aware that many people take for granted that cars will stop and they tend to walk right out in front of you! They do this even when not on a crosswalk! Fall is a big tourist time for this area, so when driving through town be cautious of that.

Alice Blue shop — Little shop on School St.

Sharon Arts center — Sharon Arts is a unique shopping experience

River Waterhouse back — Back of Waterhouse Restaurant

New England — Nubanusit Brook, from Grove St. near the park

walkway to Grove St. — Walkway to Grove St.

gazebo by river — Gazebo by the Contoocook River

Mural on bookstore wall — Mural on Toadstool Bookstore wall

Toadstool bookshop — The Toadstool Book Store in Depot Square

quaint new england town peterborough — Downtown Peterborough – Main St.

This is a very beautiful place to live, but it is also expensive for a single person like myself. Winters are long, but mostly beautiful, except when the snow gets out of hand like the winter of 2005.

colorful fall leaves — Autumn Leaf Collection

I collected these leaves while on a walk along a dirt road one day. I used to live in a very rural location and I didn’t own my own place, so I had a lot of time to walk. Fall and winter were always my favorite seasons to take landscape photography around the nearby lake. I walked alone mostly, but sometimes I took my landlady’s dog with me for company. The area was full of dirt roads and paths to follow through the woods. It was fun to find moose tracks (never saw one though) and spot wildlife.

In winter I got out early with the camera to capture the morning sun glinting on the tall pines. When I was a kid I always wanted to be the first one to go out in a new snowfall and make the first tracks. There is just something about a landscape of fresh smooth snow that calls to me!

Although I knew it was not my true home, that area where I lived for a few years made an impact because of it’s beauty. I enjoy solitude, and my rental years near the lake gave me plenty of that. The change of seasons was especially pretty there, and I always looked forward to the leaves changing color in fall. Many of the houses around the lake are seasonal, and are empty during foliage season. During summer the place is buzzing with visitors to beach and boat ramp, but once the kids go back to school the place becomes mostly deserted.

Since I work from home, I could take time during the day and get my photos without any people getting in my way. So here I share some of my photos.