The way people talk in different parts of the country never fails to fascinate visitors. I spent many years on the radio perfecting a dialect that indicated I was from absolutely no where! No hint of a Philadelphia accent (except when I was really tired). My ear is very sensitive to voices after all these years as a journalist and radio newscaster. The New England way of saying “yes” never fails to make me smile; you comment about the great weather to the gentleman at the general store buying a newspaper and he answers, “Ayuh!” Stopping today in Wooodstock, NH after a damp and foggy visit to the amazing Lost River attraction, there was a sign outside a coffee shop and cafe that simply said, “Ayuh!” At first, I had no idea what the letters meant. My brain sounded out the word and there it was; a word I’d heard and repeated myself during New England vacations but never saw in print.

We traveled the 34 miles of Kancamagus Highway and stopped at Upper Falls of Rocky Gorge where the boys enjoyed hopping the rocks. No swimming allowed there. The gray day kept down the traffic and crowds. The weather thwarted our attempt to visit The Flume at Franconia Notch more than an hour away from our vacation house. We did have a nice picnic lunch at the park before deciding the boys would best enjoy wandering the caves, rocks and climbing of Lost River about 15 minutes from Franconia Notch. Doug and I had been there before as had Adam. He wanted to show Andrew the attraction, so we opted to let them go ahead on their own while Doug and I explored the free garden path and Kinsman Trail. The site has lovely grounds maintained by volunteers as well as paid staff. Even on a dreary day, the place was beautiful.

After the Woodstock visit and some ice cream for the boys and Doug, the rains really started to hit as we crossed the White Mountain region along Route 93. We decided to let the boys have another round at Funstop in Weir’s beach. The place is a bit of Lakes Region history. It’s more than 50 years old and run by the Lawton family. It’s billed as the largest arcade according to the Guiness Records people. 55,000 square feet of arcade games that date back to the 70’s and to the present; there’s pinball, skee ball, air hockey, little rides andgames for the tikes and 20 bowling lanes. At 5 pm, I’m told by other parents wondering, he bar opens for adult beverages. Lest I forget there’s an indoor mini-golf course and one outside as well as a Bingo Hall. Best of all, you don’t go broke. You buy 100 tokens for $20 and most (not all) of the games are one token each. Doug and I decided to spend $5 on games which was enough for me. I got in some Pac Man and pinball; that’s as far as my interest in video games goes.

Our ride back was mostly in the rain. We’ve had thunder and lightning throughout the dinner hour. A wonderful vacation meal of steak on the barby, caeser salad and baked potato leaves me content. We have one more full day in this paradise of NH. Sweet dreams from Danforth Bay.