Franconia....

Whose home this is I think I know,
his house is in the village though;
now do you have a clue?
It's Robert Frost, I'm bringing to you.

Home to Franconia State Park,
it has the Flume, but not an ark;
real pretty place, they've got here though,
nothing about it I'd call so-so.

NOTE: I meant this to be posted September 1st, too much of a hurry(?)
Top: Echo Lake
Middle: Cannon Mountain in winter, shown with Dow Academy
Bottom: One of many notches

Meredith....

....New Hampshire, right on Lake Winnipesaukee, it is,
so there's a lot of pop, zap and fizz,
but that's in the summer, when things are hot;
but in the winter and ice, hot it is not.

All kidding aside, it a very nice town,
and in the autumn it'll be dressed in a colorful gown;
it's the leaves that people come to see,
and when they're here it's as good as can be.

Top: "The Lady" is all dressed up.
Middle: From the Lake
Bottom: "Up at 0300", Sunrise in Meredith.

Franklin....

....New Hampshire, where is Merrimack River starts,
mill town, suburb too, a home to many hearts.
Home of Daniel Webster, a Statesman for us all,
and a very pretty place, when the season's fall.

From the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee, the Merrimack flows;
and the Franklin Falls give power, and steel gets hammer blows,
and industrial past, a present still to be made,
people come from Concord, to make homes in the shade.

Top: Sunrise on Mount Kearsarge (top under clouds).
Middle: Birthplace of Daniel Webster, built in 1780.
Bottom: A red box or Oreos; or, a herd of Belted Galloway heading for the barn.

Auburn.....

....New Hampshire:
Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain,
where health and plenty cheered the labouring swain
where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,
and parting summer's lingering blooms delayed
                                     Oliver Goldsmith, 18th century - "The Deserted Village"

So, here we have Auburn, sitting on a lake,
it's all real folks, ain't nothing about it fake;
home to gentle people, a pet or two I'm sure,
peaceful, still and charming, absolutely pure.

NOTE: Hi Steve!! and Rachael too.
Photos: Lakes and streams in Auburn.

Lowell...

....Massachusetts, home of the Spinners,
baseball ain't for saints, and it ain't for sinners,
this is a City that turned itself around;
and it beats a few others in a fight, pound for pound.

The textile mills that line the river banks,
now serve other purposes, for that give thanks;
the buildings have been re-purposed, copy that please...
...all other cities and towns, that have mills like these.

Top: Lowell skyline
Middle: The Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers meet.
Bottom: Lowell Falls

Orleans....

Massachusetts, settled in 1693 by pilgrims looking for more land,
fought in the Revolution, was attacked in World War One, but not by land;
it's one or the only times the US was attacked in the War of 1812,
it's scary to think about it, when into history we delve.

It used to be the farming, and whales that made things work,
now it's tourist dollars, that give the Town it's perk;
part of the Cape Cod National Seashore reaches into town,
and in the summer, there's no room to put your feet down.

Top: Looking East
Middle: One of the dunes, off limits to people, it's for the birds.
Bottom: Beauty in winter, too.

Galilee, Jerusalem and Port Judith...

....Rhode Island, three places in one, they're all the same,
different parts of the port have a different name;
just like in the Bible, the is a fisherman's port,
and the Block Island Ferry runs, and fishing is a sport.

Many fish are landed, on the commercial side,
while people board the ferries, for some a long ride;
We chose this place just for the names too,
places we always wanted to see, but were unable to.

Top: Obvious, isn't it?
Middle: The Port of Galilee, part of the fishing fleet.
Bottom: Point Judith Light by the light of the silvery moon

West Warwick....

Old and new Natick Bridge

...Rhode Island, here's a town with history, old and new,
saved from the flood, in 2010, when it promised no view...
...of the promise it's provided; I especially like the mills,
they've been remodeled into some lofts, you may get the chills.

So if you get a chance, please just wander in,
Jerico is gone, but Arctic's standing now amid the din,
take the time to visit in Natick, see the mill,

why not do it now?  If you don't, you never will.

These are the mills where Fruit of the Loom was born,

just cotton used, so no sheep were shorn,

the undies started here in 1850, whew!

You should have seen them then, when they were band new.

One of the mills, this one is redone, nicely.

What it used to be like.....

what it's like now!

Scituate...

....Rhode Island, founded by emigrant from that other town,
Scituate, Massachusetts, a long seventy-four mile trip, town to town;
Now another former mill town, with something different to see,
the Scituate Reservoir here provides some opportunity.

That's the next Cinderella Coach up there,
grown right here, just needs a chair;
couple of wheels and a mouse or two,
some white horses, and the rest is up to you.

Top: The "Champion" of 2009.
Middle: The Scituate Reservoir dam.
Bottom: Fall foliage on the shore.

Woonsocket...

....Rhode Island...La ville la plus française aux États-Unis – the most French city in the United States,
that may by true, I can't say, but it's also home to one of baseballs greats;
when the textiles left New England, this is one of many gone, it's sad,
so many people out of work then, and that included my dad.

The is the hometown of Nap Lajoie, a batting average champ,
one of five in history for an intentional walk, with the bases loaded, what camp,
his batting average was an amazing feat, just great,
so, welcome to Woonsocket in the Ocean State.

Top: The "French Quarter".
Middle: Baseball card for Nap Lajoie.
Bottom: A part of Downtown Woonsocket.

Southbridge.....

...Massachusetts, somewhere between the Nipmuk and Mohegan tribes,
runs the Quinebaug River, now sits the Town or Southbridge, which divides...
...the former territory of the Natives of history,
the Tribes were long ago, 10,000 years, in this story.

Those tribes disappeared all those years ago,
now the memory remains, about the campfire glow;
history past into time present, the Town continues on,
forward to more history, each and every dawn.

Top: Main Street, at night
Middle: The Flatiron building, there were a lot of photos, so I picked them all.
Bottom: The Ipswich Road Bridge, there is a dam nearby (no photo).
NOTE:  There are many towns all around the country that there really isn't much, for a stranger,
to write about.  That's the reason today's verses are so odd.

Greenfield....

....Massachusetts, doing great on the Mohawk Trail,
watching three rivers run, and not at all frail;
the Tower at Poets Seat, seems to hold some attraction,
rather that just by name, it has called some to action.

Scenery at this time of year is nice,
it may get better as the rivers team with ice;
the Mohawk Trail is known for scenic views,
from Boston to Albany, now it's old news.

Top: Downtown Greenfield
Middle: The Tower at Poets Seat.
Bottom: Flowers in the park for my sweetie.

Brattleboro....

....Vermont, home of Ida Mae Baker,
proof shown, she was no faker;
Social Security number 000-000-0001, that was her,
the first check, $22.54, and it went to her.

Oldest town in the State, industrious too,
turpentine, pork, and maybe a little glue;
those were it's goods a century ago,
now it's hospitality, makes this a place to go.

Top: A view from Brattleboro.
Middle 1: Downtown on a rainy day.
Middle 2: "Support the Heifer Day" parade, part of Dairy Fest.
Bottom: The confluence of the West and Conneticut Rivers, in Brattleboro.

Barre....

...Vermont, must be the place to be, if you want to feel whole,
in the Granitetown section is the worlds deepest hole,
it's where the quarriers cut the granite, the worlds finest, no doubt,
they simply saw away, and use water jets to cut the stuff out.

There is marble here too, but the hard stuff is better known,
owned by Rock of Ages, most cemeteries have a stone,
a lot is used for grave markers, or tombstones as a name;
but that marble and granite, in Vermont, has fame.

Top: A sign at the entrance to Barre, made of granite, of course.
Middle: The D. L. Smith, Rock of Ages, deep quarry.
Bottom:  And now...A view from the top!

Saint Johnsbury....

....Vermont, largest town in the Northeast Kingdom,
and king of the platform scale, and not humdrum;
largest producer of Maple Products in the whole wide world,
we ate so much Maple Candy, every hair on our head is curled.

Birthplace of "Dr. Bob" Smith, co-founder of AA,
an organization that makes the world a better place today;
all in all what a great place, and no we never knew,
you can live and work, in a place with such a great view.

Top: Main Street - mostly all on the National Register of Historic Places.
Middle: The view of the surrounding area, how nice is that?
Bottom:  The business district, work with a view.

Newport....

....Vermont, smack on the shore of Lake Memphremagog,
known to be home of one magic frog,
all of the girls have lined up for miles,
giving the inn keepers money, keeping them in smiles.

The girls want to kiss this magic frog,
and they may have found him, but for the fog;
one lady saw him (the frog) and had a stroke,
she reached him just as *sigh* the frog had to croak.

Top: The innkeepers banner.
Middle: A view over the lake.
Bottom: Some of the town, see from Frog Heaven ;)
NOTE: This was not a true story! (but it was fun)