In the mid-1990s, I was approached with a job offer that was very appealing, the only drawback being that it would have required my relocating out of New England.  I was born and raised in Massachusetts, attended college in Maine, and have lived since then in Rhode Island and New Hampshire.  (I lived in Seattle briefly, but I remember being homesick almost instantly.)  Still, the offer seemed an excellent career move.

My wife and I decided that we would make a list of all the things we wanted to see and do in New England in our last few months here, fully expecting to be living in North Carolina by autumn.  The list grew and grew until we realized that we would never be able to do everything we wanted to do in our remaining time here.  Finally, we stopped and looked at each other, realizing at about the same time what, I suppose, we knew all along-- that there was simply so much we loved about living in New England that we would be foolish to ever leave.  The next day, I declined the job offer, and we stayed in New Hampshire, where we still live today.

We complain about the long winters, but they ultimately yield to the exhilaration of spring.  We revel in the warmth of summer, as brief as it is (this past year it was on a Tuesday), and then we are treated to the glorious colors of autumn.  There is simply no other place like it on earth.

Thundercloud at

Nubble Light

Meredith

 Reflection

Early Morning at

Sandy Stream Pond

Mossy Stream

Maine North Woods

October in Meredith

Autumn Waterfall

White Mountains

Autumn at

Mount Chocorua

Somesville, Maine

(without the flag)