Concord, New Hampshire

 I'm running about a week behind on my entries.  So...we stayed a wee in central New Hampshire, just outside Concord in a little village called Contoocook.  It was a great stay.  We had a nice spot in a quiet park, and took in a few local sites while we were there.  New England is a great place to beat the summer heat and way less crowded than other areas we've been to.  Here's some pics from last week.

Riverfront dining on the Contoocook River.

The oldest covered railroad bridge still standing.  No longer on an active track, but they saved

the bridge.

Intrepid travelers at New Hampshire's only entry in the National Park system.

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Cornish, NH.  We bought one of those National

Park passport stamp collecting books this time around, so we've been to a few that we

missed first time around.  This mansion was purchased by the top sculptor of the Gilded Age,

Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  He created a lot of bronze sculptures, some at a studio onsite here,

many in other locations around the world.  A community of like-minded artists sprung up around

him, called the Cornish Art Colony.

Saint-Gaudens' garden.

One gigantic Thornless Honey Locust tree, planted in the front yard and allowed to take over.  

The base of the trunk is massive, maybe 8 or 10 fee across, and they removed the front steps to allow

it to grow over the years.

Standing Lincoln, one of the many bronze statues cast by Saint-Gaudens.

Catching some live music by the river in Contoocook.

Our spot at Sandy Beach campground.  We don't always get this much room and shade, pretty nice.