March 23, 2009 by dave.

I occasionally get into conversations with friends, colleagues, and others about what is best in the area we work and live in.  When I use the term ‘best’ I refer to everything from services, to food, to resources, to entertainment.  The list below highlights the various things I feel are ‘the best’ and they are all accessible around the mid-NH towns of Plymouth and Meredith.  I chose these areas because I spend most of my time here (between work and home).  This is one of many installments for ‘The Best’….I welcome comments and additions:

[Best Breakfast]: The Village Kitchen (no web site), Moultonborough……This small restaurant is known to locals as ‘The VK’.  It serves what many individuals would refer to as ‘home cooking’.  The service is extremely fast, the prices are very low, and the staff are wonderful.  Though many New Englanders are not familiar with ‘biscuits and sausage gravy‘ I have to say it’s my favorite breakfast meal and they have the best.  Note that the VK also serves lunch and dinner…so check them out!

[Best Deli]: Biederman’s Deli, Plymouth……This is a fixture in Plymouth.  The sandwiches they put together are of the highest quality and their daily specials are usually very unique and creative.  I’d have to say 75% of the time I get whatever is ‘on special’ because the combination of ingredients that the staff put together always result in a top-notch meal.

[Best Tire & Car Repair Service]: Salta Tire (no web site), Laconia……Other than going ‘to the dealer’ for car repairs it can be a difficult decision to find a regular car repair service that is reasonable, of quality, and trustworthy.  I’ve found such a shop in Laconia.  Salta Tire has actually won a number of ‘best of’ awards for the Laconia area and I further endorse them based on my own experience.  I’d have to say the key reason I like Salta Tire is their staff’s integrity and their prices.  They are my ‘regular’ repair shop and I highly recommend them.

[Best Local Newspaper]: The Laconia Daily Sun….This is a daily paper that is free.  I’ve blogged about this before so check out the details here.

Posted in New Hampshire, Food / Beverage, Household Stuff, Fun! | 1 Comment »

October 24, 2008 by dave.

I usually read my small town local paper (The Meredith News) on a weekly basis to keep in tune with local happenings and politics.  Additionally I have ritual like many others of reading a good bulky Sunday paper (The Citizen).  I never got into the routine of reading a local daily paper - solely because I never felt they presented me with anything enlightening on a daily basis….especially for the cost of the paper.

A few years ago a regional ‘Free’ newspaper called The Laconia Daily Sun came to be and it is outstanding!

The paper gives a quick update on the news….locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally at no cost.  It is very well organized and very concise.  You can consume ‘all the news’ in about 10 minutes.  It’s available throughout the Lakes Region of NH and is also available online.  If you live in the area you should abandon any local daily papers (save some money) and patronize this paper…..kudos to the publisher!

Posted in New Hampshire, Web Sites | 1 Comment »

August 11, 2008 by dave.

I’ve lived in NH for most of my life and do not recall any ‘historic’ weather events…..that is until just a few years ago.  It started with some parts of the state getting floods in 2005.  This past winter we had the second highest snowfall on record (we missed the all-time snowfall by about 3 inches.  Realize that the snowiest was back in the 1800’s so it puts the ’second place’ into perspective.  About 4 weeks ago the state of NH had a decent sized tornado. It hit 11 towns, had a 50 mile track, and it had a strength of an EF1 and EF2.  Realize we simply don’t ‘get’ tornadoes here.  Stats show that we do average something like one per year but I believe when they do hit it’s a very minimal one with a very minimal touchdown…..so they are pretty much not expected.  A few weeks before this tornado I was camping with my wife and children and while at the campsite someone came by to tell us we were under a tornado watch.  We simply got under our tarp and rode it out…..knowing that historically we had nothing to worry about.  Realize that was weeks before the real tornado hit.  The most recent weather event (check it out here) was last week (August 7th) when we had flash-flooding as a result of severe thunderstorms move through our area.  The worst of the storm hit the towns of Ashland, New Hampton, Meredith, and Laconia.  I had never witnessed or understood what a flash flood was….but reports stated that we got somewhere around 5 inches of rain in about 1/2 hour.  We now have roads that look like earthquakes hit…..major sections of roads washed out…..and unfortunately a little girl lost her life when her family’s vehicle got swept down into what had been a ‘brook’.  Here are a few pictures of the most recent event (the flash flooding).  Some taken by my wife and some by a friend:

Everyone looks at this and says ‘global warming‘ is causing the odd weather.  Well….I’m not sure and don’t believe in simply jumping on a bandwagon of common thought.  I do believe something has changed.  What next?  I guess we’re due for an earthquake….

Posted in New Hampshire, Health & Environment | 1 Comment »