Session 60: The Granite State

I talk about my homestate of New Hampshire.  Am I convincing myself to stay?


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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, everybody, welcome to the Buddhist af podcast. I am
your host, Noy Chance of v Suk and uh let's
let's let's go sad first, right. If you remember a
week back, I was talking about Alex's fish and his
beta Onyx had passed away and his other two fish,

(00:24):
the two betas not betas, where were they? Tetras tetras
cloud tetras. Actually, to be specific, we're worth thriving that
we're doing great. And then so Hub and Bub are
no longer with us. Sadly they have gone to the toilet,

(00:44):
the great toilet beyond, and I'm sad to say that
we are now petless in the Chance of v Suk household.
So yeah, if you have something to drink, poor one
out for Hub and Bub. But Alex is actually actually
doing okay with it. He was. He was a little
sad about it that he no longer had any pets.

(01:07):
He to be honest with you, he wasn't really taking
care of him to begin with. I was one of
those feeding the fish anyway. Yeah, no, no, no, I
did not overfeed the fish, by the way, if if
that's what you guys are thinking. But yeah, they I
changed their water completely, and I did what I normally did,
you know, did the water, had them in their their

(01:29):
own water for a bit, and then I changed out
the tank and I let it settle and I did
the dechlorination all that good stuff stuff for you know,
pretty high class fishes here, and put him in and
they swam around, you know, like they normally did, and
then all of a sudden they just decided they just

(01:50):
stop swimming. I checked it out them. They looked a
little weird, and I just kept my eye on and
then one of them just floated to the top and
just stopped swimming, and the other one just floated up
next to them, but what's doing? Okay for a while,
and all of a sudden, they both just slowly sank

(02:11):
to the bottom. You remember those cereal toys that you
would get like if you put put them in a
little bit of water, and then like you put them
in it was like a two liter or something like that,
they would like sink to the bottom. Then you squeeze
them they would float back up. Yeah, they never floated
back up. So rest in peace to uh Hub and

(02:34):
bub And I actually do miss them. I missed the fish.
I missed a little pump. It was like a little waterfall.
It was very relaxing. So watching them swim around was
pretty relaxing. And now I have no fish to watch,
and I am fidgety and edgy. So yeah, So this

(02:57):
is session number sixty and today we're going to be
diving into a topic close to my heart, my home
state of New Hampshire. Known for its breathtaking natural landscapes,
safe communities, rich history. The Grandite state has so much
to offer. Almost heaven It's New Hampshire, opioid addictions, pemajouasit river.

(03:25):
Let's explore some highlights together, shall we. So New Hampshire
fairly low crime rate, safe communities. New Hampshire consistently ranks
as one of the highst or one of the safest
states in the US, with crime rates approximately fifty percent
lower than the national average. In twenty twenty four, it
ranked third safest state overall, with particularly low rates of

(03:47):
violent crime. The state's commitment to public safety, strong community
policy are, strong community policing programs, and high employment rates
contribute to this safety record. Small, tight knit communities, excellent
emergency response systems, making an ideal place for family and
anyone seeking a peace of mind. Yeah, it's actually boring.

(04:08):
I'll be completely honest with you. If you knows I've
been taking a lot more notes. Yeah, but I'll be
completely honest with you. It is kind of boring in
New Hampshire. There are pockets of New Hampshire Manchester South
Willow to be precise that if you didn't hear an

(04:28):
ambulance or a police car whizzing by, it was kind
of a boring day. But if you did, then it
was just typical South Willow Street. But overall, I mean
New Hampshire, you can you can actually just feel safe,
like I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that it's
mostly farmland up here and not as industrial as Massachusetts

(04:54):
would be, so it does feel a little more safe
up here. So if you are looking to move to
New Hampshire, pretty decent schools, fairly low crime rate, so
let's continue, shall we, Low or no state income tax
or sales tax for that matter. This unique tax structure

(05:14):
means residents keep more of their earnings. While most states
collect between four to thirteen percent in income tax and
four to seven percent in sales tax, in New Hampshire
only taxes dividends and interest income at five percent, this
can result in thousands of dollars in annual savings for
the average household. However, it's worth noting that this loss

(05:36):
for revenue is partially offset by higher property taxes when
we had a house. When when we when Mary owned
a house and dairy, she was getting taxed pretty heavily,
and that's because Pinkerton Academy was expanding at a rapid
rate and somebody had to offset that. So since we

(05:59):
lived in we had to pay a fairly decent amount
of taxes on the property. And I remember one time
we received the letter because I was trying to build
a patio, and so I laid some bricks down, a
pretty decent amount of bricks, probably about twenty slate bricks,

(06:22):
slate colored bricks, gray color. And then I also laid
about twenty regular clay red bricks out on the yard
and just to see what looks better against the grass.
And I didn't know at the time, and neither of
us knew at the time that a property adjuster or
something like that. I guess you would say. I was

(06:44):
walking by and saw two patios in our yard and
decided to tax us on two patios and we said,
what the hell, we don't have two patios, We just
have ricks laid out in the yard. So you had
to fight that, and we didn't pay that. Don't tax

(07:08):
mute out representation. This is New England, dammit. So yeah,
some property taxes here pretty high. If you guys live
in New York, you just get tax for everything. So
let's talk about pros and cons of New Hampshire. Pro
beautiful natural landscapes, including mountains, lakes, forest, from the White

(07:28):
Mountains to lake regions, New Hampshire offers breath taking views
and countless outdoor activity. Is true, very very true. If
you go up north, farther north than Dairy New Hampshire
pass Conway, you start hitting the mountains and the trails
and beautiful up there, like it's picturesque. It's one of

(07:53):
those places where if it weren't for the highway running through,
you can probably get away with you know, like imagining
how the Native Americans were just walking around the forests
along the river looking at these beautiful waterfalls that just
come out of nowhere, and every now and then you'll

(08:16):
see the white man walk by and go hi, you know,
because that's all they do. They do. They don't say
hi normally they always seem out of breath and hi.
You know it just it's weird, all right. I say hi,
I say hello, I say good day to you, sir.
I don't why are you out of breath? I don't
get it. But return to our podcast. As you can see,

(08:42):
not having pets is making me a little edgy. I
told you it's happening. A high quality of life with
strong health care and education system. The state is known
for its excellent schools and health care facilities, contributing to
its residents overall well being. Except for Alex's elementary school.
I hate that school so much, so much, Grenelle Elementary.

(09:06):
I am calling you out right now because ah mean,
he's just so bad where it's at that school. No, no,
I'm not going to get into it. No, no, I'm
not going to let the demons win. I'm not going
to get into it. But New Hampshire overall, great school system,

(09:29):
fairly affordable school system. Actually, I mean Southern New Hampshire University.
You can do online courses and still get a degree
from a respected school. So definitely again something to look
into if you guys are listening elsewhere or internationally. I
think you can get that accredited internationally, something I'm looking

(09:52):
to anyways. Moving on, four district seasons for seasonal activities,
whether skiing in the winter, hiking in the fall, there's
something for everyone year round. Yeah, if you live in
New Hampshire right around September and late September, early October,

(10:14):
pretty much throughout all of October, you might as well
just not leave your house to go up north because
every body from Boston, actually everybody from all of Massachusetts
decides they want to come up at the exact same time.
And it's one of those things where if you heard

(10:37):
stories about Instagram ruining travel destinations, yes, this is exactly
what it is. It's twenty people crowding around trying to
take a selfie and trying to look like they're alone,
even though there are about two hundred other people ready

(10:58):
to push them off the ledge because they're taking so
long to take their pictures. So us New Hampshire rights,
I guess that's the word New Hampshire Ians. I like
New hampshirets, New Hampshire maniacs. I don't anyways, back to it,
we tend to just not go during those times and

(11:21):
enjoy it during the summer leaves. We can see change
from our backyard, so it's all good. Moving on. Strong
sense of community and volunteerism. New Hampshire consistently ranks among
the top states for volunteer participant rates, with many residents
actively involved in local organizations, town meetings, community events. This

(11:42):
civic engagement creates strong social bonds and helps maintain the
state's high quality of life. I when I was a
store manager for the big blue phone store, the Blue
Globe in Londonderry, to attend a town meeting and present

(12:07):
them with a proposal as to why I needed a
sign for my store, and basically it's me pitching a phone,
is basically me selling a phone to this entire council.
And all I said was I need a sign. I

(12:28):
needed because the new iPhone is coming out and the
two year contract is a dollar, so give me a sign,
and unanimously they agreed. So, hey, I sold something to
the government. But yeah, it's when two year contracts were
a thing, and honestly, I am glad that's no longer

(12:50):
a thing. Proximity to major cities while maintaining rural charm,
located within driving distance of Boston, Portland, and Montreal. Well
residents can enjoy urban amenities while living in peaceful surroundings.
Most locations in New Hampshire are within one to two
hour drive of these metropolitan areas. Yeah, we used to

(13:11):
go to Boston a lot when I first moved into
New England. It was nice. It was a thing where,
you know, growing up in Western New York, Buffalo, Rochester,
you hear about Boston like it's one of those things
where Scott Boston, the Chinatown, the gates, all that stuff,
and then after a while you just realize, like it's
just a bunch of honking cars and people getting in

(13:33):
your way and then spitting on the ground that's right
in front of you, trying to sell you stuff, trying
to rob you. So I'm trying to stab you, trying
to talk Chinese to you, even though you are not
a Chinese person. Nor do I look like a Chinese
or do I look like a Chinese person? No, I don't.
My eyes are super round actually two percent black. But

(13:54):
again I need fish. But again, Boston just lost its
charm for me. I don't like big cities anymore, especially
now that I'm living in New Hampshire. Nice, quiet, peaceful
in New Hampshire, and so yeah, it lost its charm,
it lost its luster. And I really don't like going
to Boston as much anymore. It's it's loud, it's crowded,

(14:17):
people touch you, and so I do like staying up
in New Hampshire. I do like a smaller town. Portland
is weird Portland, Maine, if you guys are following along,
it is. And I want to say it's like Portsmouth

(14:38):
if you guys have never been to Portsmouth, but with
more color. Yeah, yeah, I guess that's a good way
to put it. Montreal, I've never been. I've gone as
far as Quebec, so I've never gone to Montreal. I
would like to go to Montreal one day, or as
the the natives called it, Montreal. Yeah, that's right. I'm cultured.

(15:02):
So that's the place I look forward to going to.
I should probably get my passport renote before we go.
But then again, they're Montreal. People are just Northern Boston Bostonians,
so they talk to you, they talk Chinese to you.
I think I don't know. I've never been there, man,

(15:24):
I should probably look up Montreal anyways. Clean air and
water quality, New Hampshire's environmental standards and vast natural areas
contribute to excellent air quality. The state's numerous pristine lakes
and rivers and groundwater sources provide some of the cleanest
drinking water in the country. It is majestic when you

(15:44):
get to a certain point while Mary and Alex and
I are hiking and you just get a chance where
you're just alone, just the three of us, and it's
just the beauty of nature. It's fantastic when you hear
the waterfalls and the birds singing, and like the winds
rustling through the trees. It's it's a symphony. And there's

(16:09):
nothing like it, Like there's I'm having a hard time
explaining it right now because there really isn't a feeling
like it when you're completely alone, cut off and it's
just nature and you. And New Hampshire has a lot
of that. Is it? Am I selling myself on staying

(16:30):
in New Hampshire? No no, no, no, no noise. No
access to fresh local produce and farms. The state's agricultural
heritage remark remains strong, with numerous farmer's markets, farm stands,
pick your own operations. Despite the shorter growing season, local
farmers produce a wide variety of crops and dairy products.

(16:51):
We have one two maxed up of farms, Jada Farms,
Sunny Customers. Yeah, we have about maybe four. There are
five farms within twenty to thirty five minutes from us,
and it's great. Like we pick apples in the summer
or in the fall, actually pick apples in the fall.

(17:13):
We go pick strawberries in the summer and it is
a lot cheaper to do that than it is to
buy it at the store. And every now and then
we'd go for like cider donuts on Sunday, even though
now that I'm a diabetic, I can't have that anymore,
but I can have the the non sugar powdered one.
But why live? Why bother? It's so delicious. Yeah, I

(17:39):
would cheat for that. So yeah, lots of farm stands,
farmers markets definitely on Sundays, sometimes on Thursdays. So there's
always a farming community in New Hampshire, which is why
I said it's a very nice place. It's pretty friendly overall,
and we do like that. We do like the fact
that we can go pick our own products and not

(18:03):
have to worry about immigrations. And Customs trying to deport
us because I am a citizen, I have papers. Just
saying let's talk about cons of New Hampshire. Con Number
one harsh winters would heavy snowfall. While beautiful, the winters
can be long and challenging, requiring preparations and resilience. We

(18:26):
lose a lot of power in New Hampshire, well, especially
where we are in Dairy. Normally, since we're on a
school and a hospital grid, we don't lose as much.
But when you're a little farther out, when you're in
East Dairy or Raymond, or Chester, you do lose a
lot of power. And we do have a lot of

(18:47):
people who take up all the gasoline at the gas
stations to fill up their generators and that is a problem.
But overall, I mean now that we are in an
apartment we get electric heat. That is an issue. But
again in our area we generally don't lose as much

(19:10):
power and winter hasn't been that bad. In fact, this
winter has probably been the worst it's been in probably
four or so years. So generally overall it's tolerable. It's
only about maybe two and a half months out of
the year that it really does hit you. So again,

(19:30):
tolerable if you guys are living in Rochester, or if
you're living in Buffalo, or shout outs to Minnesota who
do listen to this podcast a lot. I don't think
you really have to worry about New Hampshire too much.
Number two high property taxes compared to other states. New
Hampshire offsets its lack of income and sales tax with

(19:50):
some of the highest property taxes in the country. Yeah,
I've already talked about this. You can get a fairly
decent house decent in New England, but the property taxes
on that is just nutrageous. I remember again living on
Beaver Lake in Dairy In the house directly across the

(20:13):
lake from us had its own beach, and I guess
historically it was a public beach and they just built
a house on top of it and bought the land
made of private But the property taxes on that house
was thirty thousand dollars a year, so they were buying
at the time a Honda Civic per year every year
that they lived there, So that was again nuts to us.

(20:38):
Number Three limited nightlife and urban amenities in the rural
areas for those seeking a bustling city life, New Hampshire
might feel too quiet or isolated. Again, I like the
small towns, so this might not be a con for me.
It might be a con for younger people. You youngin's
twenties and what have you. There's really not much going

(21:02):
on here as far as restaurants are concerned either. I mean,
you have your pizzas, you have your subs. You have
your pizza and subs. If your roast beef sandwiches was
essentially just a sub and yeah, unless you're in Manchester
or Conquered, it's really hard to find or Portsmouth, it's
really hard to find a good restaurant here. I don't

(21:24):
go to clubs. I've never really gone to clubs, so
I don't care for that. So not a con for me,
might be a con for younger people who are looking
to move to New Hampshire. Moving on, public transportation options
are sparse. Most residents rely heavily on cars as public
transit is limited. Yeah, unless you are in a major

(21:45):
city line like Nashua or South Willow, It's buses are
very rare. So we do get a lot of people
who uber or lyft or have their own cars. A
lot I'm gonna say e bikes are a menace. Okay.
We have a lot of people who now travel via

(22:05):
e bikes and it is a menace because they are
on sidewalks. They are also in the streets thinking that
there are motorcycles that make no noise and it's not
healthy because a bicycle, you're supposed to be pedaling, but
you're not, are you. You're not pedaling, You are letting
the electricity do all the work, so defeats the purpose

(22:29):
of having a bike. So you just want to have
a motorcycle that doesn't make noises and you're still not cool.
So there I said it. That's a con that I
should have put on my list. You can feel isolated
from those used to larger cities. Despite its charm, the

(22:50):
rural nature of much of the state can be a
drawback for city dollers. Again, if you're moving from a
big city and you're looking for a night life, you're
not gonna like it here. If you are somebody who
is moving from the big city and just hates the
big city, if you're like an introvert, you are going
to love it up here. Homelessness in New Hampshire has

(23:12):
been a growing concern with limited affordable housing options and
resources in rural areas. Additionally, the state has been grappling
with the opioid crisis, which has significantly impacted communities and
contributed to housing instability for many individuals. Collaborative efforts between
healthcare providers, law enforcement, and community organizations aim to combat

(23:33):
the crisis through prevention, treatment, and support services. That sounds
great on paper, that sounds great on TV, that sounds
great as you are running for office. But I work
on South Willow and both sides of South Willow, and
I've seen and I've talked to numerous numerous homeless people,

(24:01):
and to be honest with you, none of this stuff
is making much of an impact at all. And it's
because there is an endless loop of homeless people being
dropped off in Manchester. And example is I was at
the Saigon Saigon Asian Market in Manchester, New Hampshire, and

(24:25):
there is a homeless shelter or a community center or
something like that, and a guy walked up to me
and he was asking for change. I don't carry cash,
so I said, you know, I'm sorry, buddy, I don't
care cash. But let me ask you something like where
are you from? Cause he didn't have a New England accent.

(24:46):
If you've heard of New England accent, you would know
he didn't have a New England accent. And I was like,
where are you from? And he just looks at me
and goes, man, I don't even know where I am.
I'm not on drugs first and foremost, but I'm originally
from Rhode Island, and I was rounded up and dropped
off in Manchester. Like, I don't know how to get

(25:08):
home because I have never had a car, I don't travel.
I've been homeless most of my life, so I don't
know my way around this city. All I know is
this place, this place, this place, and the police station.
And he says there's a lot of people that that
has happened to where they just get rounded up, whether
it be in Lowell or in Woolburn or something like that,

(25:34):
and then they get dropped off in Manchester and then
they have no means of getting back, so they just
stay here. And if you go just drive around Elm
Street South willow Bridge Street, you know you're going to

(25:54):
see a lot of homeless people because that's where they
get dropped off at the nearest police station, at the
nearest bus stop, at the nearest homeless shelter, and it's
it's a thing. It's one of those things where I
guess New Hampshire likes to sweep under the rug. They
do speak about it every now and then. Unfortunately it's

(26:16):
usually followed following a death. And another example, I work
next to a CVS and that CVS I was speaking
with the store manager there, and the store manager and
the assistant manager can't work the same shifts because there

(26:39):
needs to be someone who can administer narcan at all times,
and only the manager and the assistant manager can administer
narkan should anybody overdose in the store. So yeah, that's
the that's the reality. So I'm I sewed you on
all the goodness of New Hampshire, but I need to

(27:02):
tell you about the badness as well, and I have
seen it firsthand, and it's not pretty. It's not it's
not something that's going to go away anytime soon, and
it's still growing, so who knows. I mean, I hope

(27:22):
it gets a lot better. I've heard Vermont is actually
suffering just as bad. So again, all these places, all
these beautiful places that are aren't as crowded are being
crowded by by the homeless, and it's it's a sad

(27:47):
thing where again, they don't know where they are, they
don't know where they're going, and they don't know anything else.
So I hope all of these efforts that I've read about,
that that I am writing about do come to fruition.
So yeah, sorry to bring you guys down again. We
are in the con section moving on high cost of living,

(28:10):
particularly in houses and utilities. While New Hampshire's taxes or
New Hampshire's tax structure is attractive, the overall cost of
living is about five percent higher than the national average.
Housing costs in desirable areas can be particularly steep, with
median home prices significantly above the national average. Utility costs,

(28:31):
especially heating during long winters, can also strain household budgets.
Going back to the house on Beer Lake, we had
propaine and pro pain was very, very, very expensive, and
we had a old house that had leaks, so not

(28:54):
gas leaks, but like it just wasn't structurally sound. It
didn't have and so we had to run the heat
all the time even when we weren't home, otherwise the
pipes would freeze, and yeah, I remember being I remember
the propane being like ridiculously high, and I would, you know,

(29:16):
me being a guy, I would penny pinch as much
as I could. But when Mary is home, she's constantly cold,
so we would have the heat on all the time.
And so we were so glad we got out of
that house. Like obviously, have we stayed longer, probably could
have made a killing selling the house, but glad we
got out of it. We did save a lot more money.

(29:40):
Limited diversity in both population and cultural offerings. New Hampshire's
population remains one of the least diverse in a nation,
which can impact cultural experiences, dining options, and community perspectives.
This lack of diversity can be particularly noticeable for those
moving from more metropolitan areas. Again, culinary, we have steak subs,

(30:03):
we have pizza, we have roast beef sandwiches, we have yes,
this pause is deliberate, this is what we have. Fried seafood. Oh,
I'm again, I'm so so lied to about seafood in

(30:23):
New England. H fried seafood everywhere, and it's not good.
It's not I don't know what people try to sell
you to, Like the clam Haven not good. Fried, bellies
of clams not good? Yeah? Everything? Why is everything fried?

(30:45):
Why can it be steamed? Boiled? Something like that? Why
do I have to go to Louisiana to get a
good seafood? Why do I have better seafood in Syracuse,
in landlocked Syracuse, and then I do in New England.
I don't get it. I'm crappy. Seasonal tourism impact on
local communities. Popular destinations face significant seasonal population fluctuations, leading

(31:11):
to crowded attractions, stretch local services, and temporary price increase
during peak seasons. This can affect everything from traffic patterns
to restaurant wait times. Yep, all you all you Southerners,
talking about you Massachusetts coming up here with your fancy
electric cause looking at my leaves, you can keep that

(31:37):
all back at home. We don't want you here eating
pizzas and subs and pizzas and fried hush puppies. You
keep that down there. Yeah, all right, that is it

(31:57):
for the cons. Now, let's let's what Palette cleans a
little bit. What New Hampshire is known for, obviously the
White Mountains and Mount Washington, a popular hiking and skiing destination.
Mount Washington known for its extreme weather. It's a bucket
list spot for adventurers. I've gone up to the peak

(32:21):
of Mount Washington just once, and let me say, maybe
it was waking up at five in the morning. Maybe
it was the low oxygen up there. Maybe it was
just that I don't eat breakfast in the morning. But
the cafe at the peak of Mount Washington serves the

(32:42):
best chili I've ever had in my entire life. I
will fight to the death to defend that. I will
die on Mount Washington proclaiming that the chili at that
cafe is the best chili I've ever had in my
entire life. Moving on, picturesque fall foliage that attract tourists

(33:05):
from all over the world. The vibrant red, orange and
yellows make autumn a magical time in the state. Yeah,
it's not just the southerness. It's the foreigners too, you know,
people from Delaware and Oklahoma. Yeah, people come from all

(33:30):
over the world, all over the states to look at
our foliage. You don't see us going to look at
your foliage. Don't become looking at ours. Just say it.
Stay your ass at home. Being the first state to
hold the presidential primary and elections. New Hampshire plays a
key role in shaping the political landscape of the nation.

(33:52):
The live free or die state model symbolizing independence. This
fierce independence is a point of pride for RESIDS events. Yeah,
it's on our license plate. And sure, I guess. I
mean there's lots of rules here, laxed rules or really

(34:17):
strict rules. I can buy a gun, I can buy
a handgun. I can get a permit for one hundred
and fifty bucks. No test, no nothing, Just here's one
hundred and fifty given my permit, so I can go
get a gun. God forbid if I try to buy
a hedgehog, because a hedgehog is an invasive species and

(34:37):
it is illegal to have in New Hampshire. Now I
was told, according to the license plate of the car
in front of me, that I can live free or die,
so I can have my hedgehog. But then I'd have
to algorithm. I won't say what it is because I

(35:02):
would lose monetization. Hmmm mmmm, tough tough choices. Lake Winnipesauke
Sake like winnipe Saukee at at Winnipasake. There you go,
there it is there, it is Lake Winnipesaukee a hotspot

(35:23):
for boating and summer recreation. This expansive lake is perfect
for fishing, swimming, and enjoying the summer sun. We try
to hit up Lake Winnipesake every sake there. It is
sake at least once a year, and it's it's great
because it's it's clean. It's a clean lake. It's not crowded,

(35:45):
and yeah, strangely for a you know, for a very
popular destination, it's not that crowded. And I looks likes
to hit up the arcade afterwards, so we do. We
go up there. We enjoy it. The like I said,
the water is very clear, it's very it's not cold,
it's not too cold, it's not too warm. So once
you get in there, you actually just dunk yourself in

(36:06):
and you're good to go. So boating there, they have it.
They have it cordoned off. They have a swimming area,
so it's pretty safe. I've never seen a lifeguard there though,
strangely maybe because they have everything cordoned off, So yeah,
I think about it. I've never seen a lifeguard at
Lake Winnipesaki. New Hampshire is home to numerous tales of cryptids.

(36:30):
Including the mysterious wood devils, these thin, tall creatures or
these thought that these tall, thin creatures are said to
roam the forest, camouflaging themselves among the trees to avoid detection.
That is something I've been wanting to talk about for
a while. New Hampshire has a lot of folklore, a
lot of crypto animals, and the the wood Devils is

(36:55):
something I looked up while researching this this episode, and
they are akinon to Bigfoot. They're about seven to eight
feet tall, except they're not as stocky as Bigfoot is.
They're not as bulk, and so they are known to

(37:22):
hide behind trees and peek out and stare at people.
They sometimes stay very still to avoid detection. And so
when you're walking around in the force of New Hampshire
and you feel like you're being watched, or there's no

(37:44):
animal sounds around you, like there's no bird chirping, there's
no crickets, there's no squirrels or chipmunks roaming around. There
is said that these things are around, and there have
been sightings. Obviously, I've never experienced anything like that. I've
experienced other things, and I think I've talked about that

(38:06):
before in the Gift episode, so you guys want to
check that out. It's called The Gift. But yeah, something
of crypto zoological stuff and high strangeness is also something
in New Hampshire has a lot of and I would
actually like to speak more about it, so I'm going
to do some more restition to that New Hampshire both

(38:29):
the oldest man made attraction in the US, the Mount
Washington cog Railway. This historic railway has been transporting visitors
to the summit of Mount Washington since eighteen sixty nine.
New Hampshire is famously associated with the first widely publicized
UFO abduction case in the United States in nineteen sixty one.

(38:50):
Betty and Barney Hill reported being abducted by aliens while
driving through the White Mountains. Their story became a cornerstorm
of UFO folklore and sparked interest in extra tra true encounters. Again,
lots of crypto history in New Hampshire. There's a I
didn't put it in this episode or in these notes,

(39:11):
but there is a UFO encounter in Exeter that became
so famous that every year there is a UFO expo
in Exeter, New Hampshire, which I have also yet to
go to. So maybe I don't leave yet until I
go there. Maybe no, no, no, no, I'm leaving. Alan Shephard,

(39:33):
a native of Dairy, New Hampshire, holds a significant place
in history as the first American to travel into space.
His groundbreaking suborbital flight above or aboard the Freedom seven
spacecraft in nineteen sixty one marked a pivotal moment in
the space race and solidified his legacy as a trailblazer
in space exploration. Sheppard later commanded the Apollo fourteen mission,

(39:58):
becoming the fifth person and to walk on the Moon
and famously hitting a golf ball on the lunar surface.
His achievements continue to inspire generations, and his ties to
Darry make him a local and national hero. Fun fact,
he is the namesake of Commander John Shepherd or Jane
Shepherd from the Mass Effect Games, who was the first

(40:20):
human inspector on the Galactic Council. One of my favorite games.
I play it every year. Yeah, so Commander Shepherd is
I guess in the future related to Alan Shepard. The
state is home to the prestigious Dartmouth College, founded in
seventeen sixty nine as a member of the Ivy league

(40:43):
it is. It has produced numerous notable alumni, including doctor Seuss,
which is actually pronounced doctor Soiss damn it pronounce it correctly.
Put some respect on that man's name, Robert Frost, and
Daniel Webster. The College's presence in Hanover creates a vibrant
academic and cultural atmosphere in the Upper Valley region. New

(41:06):
Hampshire holds a special place in literary history. Literary history.
I said that, right, right, yes, literary history. There you go.
Robert Frost's farm and dairy serves as inspiration for many
of his famous poems, including Mending Wall and The Road
Not Taken. The poet lived there from nineteen hundred to

(41:28):
nineteen eleven, and the farm is now a State historical
site open to visitors. We go there all the time,
and it's weird that it's such a famous place and
we just go there. But again, let's talk about Crypto.
Last time. Oh no, it wasn't the last time, but
it was one of the few times I've been there.

(41:51):
It was closed, the house itself was closed. But I
was staring at this window in the garage, and and
Mary noticed that I was staring at this window in
the garage, and I didn't see anything, but I felt something.

(42:14):
A lot of times when I have these things, I
don't actually see, but I can feel, and I felt
a little girl was staring back at me. And I
didn't want to lose eye contact with her, because I
knew if I lost eye contact with her, I was
never going to see her again. And so I just

(42:36):
kept staring. And Mary walks up to me and goes,
what are you doing? And I didn't say anything to her.
I was just gazing into this window, and she goes,
you see something, don't you, And I go, yep, yes
I do, and she goes, well, stop it. That's her

(42:57):
version of snapping me out of it. It's just we'll
stop it. I don't want that thing following me home,
so I stopped it. The state played a critical role
in the American Revolution. In December seventeen seventy four, Paul
Revere rode to Portsmouth to warn of the British troops

(43:19):
approaching approaching to seize gunpowder from Fort William and Mary.
Local patriots responded by rating the fort in what is
considered one of the first acts of the American Revolution.
Mount Washington Observatory holds the record for the highest wind
speed ever directly recorded at that Ooh, I am tired.

(43:42):
It's late. It's very late. I should have written these
many notes. Reset, let's try it again. Mount Washington Observatory
holds the record for the highest wind speed ever directly
recorded at the Earth's surface, two hundred and thirty one
miles per hour on April twelfth, nineteen thirty four. This
notorious weather station continues to conduct important meteorological research and

(44:07):
offers educational programs to visitors. So those are things that
are the highlights cliff notes of New Hampshire, I guess
you can say. And we're going to finish it with
things you can do in New Hampshire. Number one, Explore

(44:27):
Franconia Notch State Park and its natural attractions such as
the Flume Gorge and the Basin. The spots showcase the
natural beauty and geological wonders of the state. The Flume
Gorge is fantastic. It's a great hike. I haven't done
it in some time. I believe twenty twenty was the
last time we did the Flume Gorge. We go to

(44:48):
the basin once a year, and it's funny that somebody
somebody commented that the basin was just basically just a
giant pothole, and now I can't un think of the
basin as just a giant pothole because we have so
many potholes in New England. I should actually have put

(45:09):
potholes as one of the cons in New Hampshire. Take
a scenic drive along the King of Megas Highway, known
as one of the most beautiful drives in the US.
This route is particularly stunning in the fall. It is.
It's a very beautiful drive. It's some winding roads, some
elevation changes, and plenty of places to just pull over

(45:31):
and absorb the beauty. And it's not expensive. I think
it's like, well, no, it's free. You can you can
park out it for free. And obviously they take donations
and stuff, so we, you know, we try to donate
because it is a beautiful place. Don't do it in
the fall. Again, it's beautiful, yes, but you're going to

(45:55):
have a hard time traveling through that. It's going to
be super or crowded in the summertime. In the springtime,
it's beautiful. You can drive along that the highway and
not see much traffic, or if there is traffic hell,
just pull over, pull over and just enjoy what's around you.

(46:16):
Every place is beautiful. Visit charming small towns like Portsmouth
and north Conway. These towns offer a mix of history, shopping,
and local flavor. Portsmouth is nice. I do like going
to Portsmouth. I actually like going into Maine better, so
we also we usually hit up Algonquin, Maine more than

(46:37):
we hit up Portsmouth. And Portsmouth is the easy place
to get around. It is very historical. There's lots of
beautiful houses there. There's a uh, the Strawberry Bank, which
is like one of those historical places where people dress
up in character. That's a really really cool thing to do.
North Conway is a favorite place of mind to be.

(47:01):
If Darry is a small town, the North Conway is
like a super small town. Everything is on like one
street and it offers like that small town feel, but
you get a lot of culture, a lot of flavors.
Excuse me, I mute the micro real quick, they're too

(47:23):
sneeze because I don't edit. And yeah, you get a
lot of There are a lot of food up there,
really nice food up there. And if you ever get
a chance to visit North Conway it's kind of like
maybe because that's how it was built or how they
fashioned it, but it's kind of like a Swiss chalet

(47:44):
type of town, you know what I mean. Like if
you look at the travel channels and you look up
like Switzerland or something like that, they have certain houses
and buildings that look like that, and so it gives
you a sense of being there. And again also a
skiing destination too. There it is go skiing or snowboarding
at resorts like Brenton Woods and Loon Mountain. Whether you're

(48:06):
a beginner or an expert, these results provide excellent winter
sports options. I don't ski, I don't snowboard, I don't skate,
I don't ice fish, I barely sled. I'm old. I
don't snowshoe. So yeah, none of that is attractive to me.

(48:26):
Enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, camping, fishing in the state's
numerous parks and lakes. New Hampshire is an outdoor enthusiasts
paradise with countless trails and waterways. Yes, yes, I do
those things. I hike, I enjoy camping, I enjoy fishing
on the WII. But they do have a lot of
beautiful Lakes. Every year we go to Patuckaway State Park.

(48:52):
There's a beautiful beach there, very clean, very clear. I
think it's spring fed. And Alex likes to go swimming
there because it's a small beach and it's not that deep.
We haven't gone kayaking there though we should probably do
that this year. Attend cultural events like the New Hampshire
Highland Games or local farmers markets. These events celebrate the
state's heritage and community spirit. I have yet to go

(49:15):
to the Highland Games. I want to wear a kilt
and I want to flip a telephone pole manly manly things.
I might do that this year, hopefully I have time off,
but I do want to go to the Highland Games
at least once. Farmer's markets I told you about that.
Those are great, good prices, good people, very very friendly people.

(49:37):
Every Wednesday in Derry there's a farmer's market downtown and yeah,
really good people. Like I said, if they don't have
something at that time, they can take your number and
they can bring it next time, and then they'll actually
call you and say, hey, you know, I remembered you
wanted these briskets and we sold out. But I said

(50:00):
some aside for you and you can come pick them up.
So good times. Visit the historic covered bridges throughout the state.
New Hampshire is home to over fifty covered bridges, including
the famous Cornish Windsor Bridge, the longest wooden covered bridge
in the United States, and the picturesque Albany covered Bridge
in the White Mountains National Forest. Never seen a single

(50:22):
one of them, actually, no, I take it back. I
like the covered bridge at the Flume Gorge. I don't
know what the name of that is right now. I
don't think that's any of the ones that I mentioned,
But yeah, there's tons of cover bridges here, man. I
should have gone to the corn Cornish Windsor Bridge. I

(50:43):
love things where they are like, you know, World's biggest
ball of yarn or world's smallest catchup bottle, things like that.
I like those things. So the longest wooden covered bridge
in the United States is the Cornish Windsor Bridge. I
should probably go see that. There is the unique ice
Castle attractions in north Woodstock During winter months, these massive

(51:05):
ice formations feature led lit sculptures, ice slides, tunnels, and fountains,
creating a magical winter winderline experience. Mary has always wanted
to go to the ice castles, and every year actor
remind her that she is somebody who is easily cold,
and somebody who won't stop telling everybody around her that

(51:26):
she is cold. And so I don't want to spend
the entire weekend being in a cold place listening to
my wife constantly repeat that she's cold, as if to
remind herself that she is cold. Yeah, moving on tour
the Castle in the Clouds luck Now Estate in Moltonborough.

(51:50):
This nineteen to fourteen mountaintop estate offers stunning views of
Lake Winnipesauki and Ossipee Mountains, featuring unique architecture and beautiful guard.
We actually went to the Castle in the Clouds this
past summer. We went originally went to the car show
there and Alex lost his mind. I had to air

(52:13):
tag him. I had to put an air tag on
his belt loop so I didn't lose him, and we
just let him run wild while I was drinking beer
constantly just to keep up, you know, calories and calories.
And we went to the Castle in the Clouds and
it was it was exactly how people had had, you know,

(52:36):
had explained it to us. It was a very beautiful place,
dark history. The people who had built it originally weren't
very nice people, and they did everything they could to
get as much land as possible. And maybe I'll talk
about that in a later episode, but I just wanted

(52:58):
to show case the beauty of it and beautiful gardens
and property. Visit the mclofie Shepherd Discovery Center in Conquered.
This science museum honors New Hampshire's own astronaut Alan Shepherd
and teacher Christa mclafee, featuring interactive space exhibits, a planetarium

(53:21):
and a observatory. Yeah, if you get a chance to
shoot up two Conquered the Space Discovery Museum is a
fantastic place to take kids. It's not very big, it's
not expensive, but they have a great time there. There
is a planetarium that we've never gone to because Alex

(53:43):
has sensory issues and loud noises. I also have that problem.
I don't like loud noises. Either kind of scares him,
so we don't go into the planetarium. But there is
a shuttle simulator in which you get a chance to
land a space shuttle. He loves that. That's really cool.
There is a there's an exhibit where you can program

(54:05):
the Mars rover by putting down little colored tiles, and
that is also very very cool. So lots of things
to do, especially if you're a little kid. If you're
a big kid, you'll also enjoy it. Explore the Lost
River Gorge and Boulder Caves in north Woodstock. This natural
attraction features stunning glacier formed caves, waterfalls, boardwalks through a

(54:28):
scenic granite gorge. I'm going to post pictures For my
fortieth birthday. Mary took me up to the Lost River
Gorge and it was it was amazing. I was forty.
I turned forty. Alex had just turned four, and he
became my explorer buddy. So we would encounter these like

(54:50):
tiny little caves like you could barely fit into, and me,
being like the little kid that I am, started crawling
through these cages or cages, started crawling through these caves,
and Alex would be right there behind me. He's like, Papa,
you know, Papa, I want to come with you. I'm like,
all right, buddy, let's go. So we crawl on our

(55:10):
hands and knees like it was very tight, and Mary
was worried. I was a little worried, but I mean,
if I can fit in it, he can definitely fit
in it. So we're crawling in these caves and all
of a sudden it opens up and there's this like
beautiful like in cave waterfall is the best way to
put it. Like it just opens up into like a cathedral.

(55:32):
And yeah, there was a waterfall inside the mountain. And
I would definitely post that that video in that picture up.
So in closing, New Hampshire offers a unique blend of
natural beauty, small town charm, and historical significance. Rather you're
drawn to its safe communities or its outdoor adventures, there's

(55:54):
something for everyone in the Granite State. However, it's important
to weigh the challenges like harsh winters high property taxes
before making it your home. Thanks for tuning in to
this episode of the Buddhist AA podcast, crafted in small
batches by yours truly noid chance to be sick, May
you be happy, May you be healthy, May you live

(56:14):
free or die As always beaupen Bye.