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I rose for my last full day in New Hampshire on Sunday, sleeping in as Annika was not feeling well and was thus not ready to rally the family and get them to church. I wrote the blog slowly and spent some time organizing and getting ready to make everything fit in the small bags again. I had the usual breakfast, and the lobby was busy with many folks finishing their holiday weekend in Merrimack, New Hampshire. I am ramping down, have less planned each day, and the blog was no more than 1,000 words for Saturday’s remembrances.

I spoke to Deborah a few times, and we texted often during the day.

Sunday was the usual messy post-Thanksgiving day, opening into the last rush of work (for some) and holiday purchases, decorating, and travel (for many). It can be daunting. Dear reader, remember to be good to yourself (extra rum in the eggnog, as needed).

I met Clint for brunch at the Riverwalk Cafe in Nashua, near the river and in old town. I had a pastrami egg sandwich on a homemade biscuit, and Clint had a burrito with chorizo sausage. All good.

I parked the rental, then saw the ‘no parking’ sign in this lot (even on Sundays), and moved the car downhill to a public lot. Giant empty parking lots with no-parking signs (unless allowed by some unknown process) are dotted throughout the area. Hmmm.

Liquid Therapy was nearby, and we drank our lunch there, with me getting a sourish ale and Clint a flight of their strange beers. We, having just eaten, passed on the fine food that they constantly asked us about. We also went to ‘Order Here’ first, and were then told by the bartender that they have table service. We sat at a table and had a beer.

Deborah complained to me that I cannot associate all the aggressive driving and some of the unique customer service options with the New Hampshire motto, seen on their license plates: “Live Free or Die.” But I think it explains a lot, gas prices, traffic patterns, toll roads, and so on.

Satisfied with the sour beers and some types I have never seen before, a golden stout (?!), we returned to Annika’s and Clint’s place and tried our hands at playing the older board game Terra Mystica. This game, which I have not played the original, is the starting point for many games, and I was interested in enjoying the original version. I would see from the start that the game is about capturing and using board locations, and this can create conflicts. It was just Clint and me in this game, and we avoided most conflicts, but I could see some angry words when someone blocked another player. It is a resource management and worker placement game without conflict or discovery (thus avoiding 4X issues).

We played as we learned, and some things we discovered we should have been doing, definitely a learning game. It was a pleasant, enjoyable game, and I was able to get a few points over Clint, but we likely missed some scoring opportunities. It is one to return to after watching some videos or finding someone who has played it before. Not a bad game, but it did feel a bit dated to me.

Mad Dog, one of the graybeards of Linux (here), was at the bar that Clint and I traveled to after the game of Terra Mystica. Mad Dog was interested in sharing his experiences, and I know where he was going (I may have purchased his Linux Red Hat book years ago). Mad Dog went over his efforts to build a server-quality chip set for heavy Linux processing in Brazil. I was told that Raspberry Pi licensing prevented building them in Brazil, which led Mad Dog to help get server-grade processors made in Brazil. Mad Dog and his associates are focusing on RISC-based processing. We spent two beers of time talking shop.

Clint and I returned to his home, and I said good night and goodbye to Anniak and Ryder (but still mixed her up with the one in college). I apologized but still offered to take her to a play or musical if I am in Manhattan, and she can get there.

It was cold, and there was some snow, and I reached the hotel soon. I managed to close my suitcase and soon was talking to folks on the phone, saying goodnight to Deborah, and getting a ride from the PDX from Joan S (thanks, Joan!).

Thanks for reading.

 

 

I woke early because we had plans in the morning, dressed, checked my Quicken transactions (downloaded and updated), and looked at the news for any tragedies (including the killing of survivors of an attack by US forces on a declared drug runner boat). I know that in clandestine actions, killing is to protect the forces and operations, but I do not know if this operation would be classified as such. I wait for more information.

When you elect a Hoteller to run the country, I am not surprised that he treats the world as his staff. In my view, Trump sees us as Hotel America, and you are a wealthy guest or staff; it reminds me of a John Wick Movie. “Enjoy your stay at the Continental,” you say to the assassin in the movie. Here is what I see in my mind as I watch Trump make us into his hotel: Wick. I could see Pete Hegeth getting a ‘tasting’ at the Pentagon. A new service at the Continental would be ‘spin control’.

Putting aside my usual fantasy thoughts, and obviously, I have had too much coffee before writing this on Sunday morning (I have no plans), let me return to yesterday.

Clint finds me at the hotel at 8:45, and we discover that there is 1/2 half an inch of snow in Manchester, and we are thirty minutes early. We tried a nearby cafe that looked well-rated, but after driving there, we discovered they’re closed for the holiday week. We return to the Currier Museum of Art, which uses their shuttle to take us to their Frank Lloyd Wright houses.

It is cold, and the trip is short. We are lectured for thirty minutes, and we are now very cold. The Zimmerman House is the first house that they acquired as a bequest from the original owners. The house is kept as if the Zommermans just stepped out (they are buried here). It is an interesting mix of compressed spaces that suddenly and beautifully open into wonderful spaces bathed in natural light. The edges are sharp, bricks and hard lines on wood, and the place would not be somewhere to grow old in! It is smaller than I expected, but it still uses space well. The high ceiling is interrupted by a middle ceiling, creating a fantastic set of shelves and lighting options. Clint and I agree that the house is impractical in many ways that could and should have been changed. But this is the story, as I have read and heard, of Frank Lloyd Homes. Aesthetic rule.

Toufic H. Kalil House was purchased by a gift to the museum in 2019, when someone on a tour saw it was for sale and decided to cover the acquisition (we learned it was about $700K and needed work). It is a kit house made of cement bricks and a flat roof of cement too. The roof leaked as some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s inventions faltered. Also, the tolerances were too tight, and much of the work was repeated, driving the initial cost from $25K (in the 1950s) to over three times that. This house, one of the last, is an attempt to build a home that could be built for a reasonable price and with all the modern conveniences (including a top-loading dishwasher), and is one of the few Unosian Automatic houses.

The house had a high ceiling and relied less on compression and release, and seemed more practical and warmer. The white cement bricks and the wood seemed to be more welcoming. Also, the house was less dressed, and this made it seem more like a model than a home. I would have liked it better if it had larger windows (likely impractical because of the cement structure and heavy roof. The intermediate ceiling in the Zimmerman house would have been a good addition to break up the look, I think.

It was a pleasure to see my first Frank Lloyd Wright houses, and I recommend a visit. We then walked through the art museum on our return. Riley, who was quiet for most of the trip, was good at showing a twenty-something, bored but intelligent look. I did see Riley take a few pictures here and there. I think Riley liked the trip.

A quick search of the Internet, and we were at the Waterworks for lunch. Riley had pancakes and Clint, and I tried the French Dip, which was excellent (thought their roast beef was a bit tough, but not industrial). Food done, Clint dropped me off at the hotel. I rested a bit and read some news.

I reboarded the rental and took it on the now familiar twenty minutes to Clint’s and Annika’s place. Misha, Hope, and their girls (who said hello to me a few times) were here. Soon, some food was delivered by the Gaming Night folks (the house was filling up), and Misha beat me at Tiny Epic Galaxies. Later, after pizza, Clint, I, and five others tried out Root. It was messy and took until 11. The Woodland Alliance (‘Toast’) won as the player knew the game, beat on my faction (the only other player who could play), and the others (despite my pleas) just tried to run their confusing factions. The Toast just exploded and ran away with the game. What I have seen in many games is that when The Woodland Alliance or Lizards get a foothold that is not challenged. Root is a complex game, as every faction is running its own game while all play out on the same board. Root is competitive, mean (there are only so many resources that need to be snatched up), and demands conflict. When played right, a sudden victory after everyone pushes and punches to a good score is the usual. I scored zero (don’t laugh). Still, it was fun.

I chatted about board games and offered to play Scythe and teach it on my next visit. I headed back and soon was asleep in my PJs in my room around midnight. I managed to sleep.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I woke at the hotel with no plans for the morning. I would meet Clint and Annika for lunch at Pressed Cafe, which is just inside the New Hampshire border (Exit 1). I rose, made coffee, and started on the blog. I put a dress shirt on a hanger in the bathroom and let the shower run hot water. The steam would clear many of the wrinkles from the suitcase. I wrote the blog for an hour or so and then showered and dressed.

It was crowded in the lobby when I got there before nine, and I soon found breakfast, though industrial, it was complimentary. I finished the blog and mailed a postcard to Mom Wild. I read some emails, checked on my investments, and did the usual morning tasks.

Next, I put on my coat and headed to the car. I again forgot that my room is on the other side of the hotel, took the closest door out after taking three sets of stairs down, then had to walk all across the hotel outside to the overflowing parking lot. The hotel is nearly complete for Thanksgiving. I headed south on Highway 3 to almost Massachusetts.

I was early and talked to Deborah for a while. It is nice to be again in the same time zone. Clint and Annika showed up, I rang off, then met them at Pressed Cafe. I had the Jerusalem Mezze Plate of various tiny bits. I like the idea of a lunch of little cups of flavorival food. The veggie kabobs were great. All our food was great.

Annika took the car, and I took Clint back to Spyglass for some more brewed beverages. We met a gentleman with white hair and a DD-840 hat, my dad’s ship, USS Glennon. He did not remember my dad; he did not work with Fire Control. But he was on the US Destroyer at the same time as Dad Wild. I could tell he wished he could remember my dada and was sad to learn my dad was gone already.

It was nice to chat. Clint and I talked about our experiences as caregivers. There were some tears. But the beer was good and the conversation excellent. It was snowing too, with bursts of wind and snow that seemed like a whiteout. None of it would stick here, but in Manchester, it was 1/4 of snow by Saturday!

We returned to Clint’s and Annika’s house. Clint got a space ready in the basement, and I made a few corrections for our Dungeons & Dragons game, version 5E, for the evening. We ordered Chinese for dinner and Clint and I picked it up.

I had six players plus myself as DM for the evening. I selected to stand for the evening. If the players were using pre-made 7th-level characters and a sheet for my 7th-level specs for my old character, Rath. I had revised an adventure I wrote in 2014 for 5E and 9th level. As there were two more 7th-level characters, the ninth encounters would be challenging but doable for this group.

My first set of practice encounters took an hour each, and so I edited out the middle section. I had revised the 2014 to be smaller, and the last encounters could be moved up in the story. My dice rolling was below average, and at one point, I had six attacks on Clint’s character that all missed (even with a 50% to-hit). Yikes!

Still, the players liked my slightly creepy adventure, When Stairs Lead Down, and I will have to finish it up someday and publish it. I was back in my room about midnight and even talked to a sleepy Deborah.

Thanks for reading!

I was back at the hotel, telling the story backwards today, around 11ish, and Deborah called as I was trying to get in. The parking lot was surprisingly full, so I had to park the rental in the back lot (which I had noticed before, meaning I did not have to search for a parking spot). Deborah called me while I was trying to use my room card to get into the building. I could not answer because my hands were full, and the card did not work.

I walked to the front of the hotel, it was cold, too, and then through the lobby to the elevator to my room. And, not surprisingly, the card failed to work there. I then reversed and retraced my path. Violet at the front desk re-made my card; it worked, and I arrived in my room.

There, I talked to a sleepy Deborah, wished her good night, and then got ready for bed. Jet lag is still an issue on this trip, and I have not been able to rest until after midnight. Even if I nod off, I often wake up in 30 minutes and then have trouble falling back asleep. Ugh!

I looked for deals on some solo-play games recommended by the Discriminating Gamer, Dr. Cody Carlson. I was hoping there were some deals out there for these, but nope. GMT Games offered their new reprint of I, Napoleon, a second edition. I did the paperwork to join that process for a discounted price. The game intrigued me (3 on his list) because it featured a simulation of political choices rather than combat. GMT Games produces many board games that focus on intrigue. I looked at another one, decided it was a repeat of things I could do now with what I have, but the solo (and expensive) Plague of Dracula got my attention.

It is published by Blue Panther and was released just a few months ago. I was fascinated by Blue Panther, which publishes short-run board games, and noticed that some of the games I saw are also available from another publisher as print-and-play versions. Blue Panther had some small-topic games that appear to be for museums to sell or advertise for various battlefields, at different price points and with various makeup options (i.e., the price reduced if a paper map is included instead of the printed cloth map).

A whole new world of options and thoughts comes to mind. Maybe that Jutland Card game I was thinking about might work. I found someone selling a card game for Cold War naval battles. Hmmm.

Before this, I was at Clint’s and Annika’s house, and I taught/remembered Root, and we played a basic game of the Cats vs. Birds. In the first game, I was able to push Clint’s Cats around, keep the points coming in, and never change the leaders. I won by twenty points, but it was a learning game. In the second game, Clint was still playing the Cats, and I walked into an ambush, and he had extra cards that did even more damage. I was not able to recover for some time and went through two leaders. Ugh! I was just about ten points away, which surprised Clint that I recovered so fast. Root is a bit clumsy with two players, but still, it was fun. We unboxed another add-on, and more options will be available if we play it on Saturday.

Thanksgiving was fantastic, with plenty of traditional foods, all made fresh (including baking pumpkins for the pies), with a butterball turkey breast as the centerpiece. Clint’s mother came (I forgot her name), and we tried the wines I brought. The red was carbonated and strangely flavored, but from the same county, very local. The local white, a tiny bit sweet, was better.

Tiny Epic Galaxies is, as it suggests, a tiny footprint game, but an excellent game with the right mix of random and risk-taking with resource management and worker placement. Clint and I played two games; I won the first and lost the second by 5 or more points (I think). Clint has purchased the extra dice for the game, but otherwise, it plays well right out of the box. There is now a playing mat and add-ons, but we mainly used the base game.

The hotel is surprisingly busy for Thanksgiving, and with me rising at 7ish, I was out for breakfast near 9 with my laptop, and the staff was making more food. I found a table, wrote the blog, and managed to eat the industrial, but complimentary breakfast. And Thanksgiving is not a day for a large breakfast!

Sleep, as I suggested above, was broken, and I woke fine but found that I wanted to execute a nap about noon. I wore a dress shirt with a red sweater vest for Thanksgiving. I let the bathroom steam up while the shirt hangs on a hanger, and slowly the wrinkles from packing fade. It works well enough to avoid the iron.

Thanks for reading!

 

Wednesday was another full day in New Hampshire, and I stayed out of most people’s way as they worked this week. I bought dinner for Clint, Annika, Ryder, and Riley at Longhorn Streakhouse, as I find its food a bit better than Texas Roadhouse’s (but it costs a bit more, too). I had a New York Strip that was perfectly cooked, and favorival (but not much better than I can do). I used a supplied heavy, sharp knife that could also fit in a post-apocalyptic world, and if you need to fight that last battle against a Zombie, maybe holding out in a Longhorn Steakhouse is not a bad choice. I do remember being in New Orleans not too long ago, and the waiter at Arnaud’s explaining that if your steak cannot be cut with a butter knife, send it back—but that won’t happen at Arnaud’s, we were assured. I did use the heavy, sharp knife; it was needed. Still, dinner was nice, and only Ryder’s shrimp were not a success (they were too spicy). After that, I was tired (the Gin and Tonic might have helped) and returned the rental car to the hotel.

 

 

I soon was in my PJs and nodded off, reading the WW2 battleship game rules. Deborah woke me with a call; it was not that late. Deborah and I, now on the same time zone, chatted for a while until we were both sleepy, and then it was time to read and sleep. I again woke at 1ish, turned off the heat, and went back to sleep, and woke early.

Before this, I was at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester. Again, retracing yesterday’s failed trek. This time, the place was open. I also have tickets to do their tour of two Frank Lloyd Wright houses on Saturday morning. I have never been to one of these famous houses. Their collection was less than Portland’s and eclectic. It was organized mainly by the time of the art, not by the artist’s location or style. There was an excellent Picasso and a barely noticeable Monet. There was a hall of Dutch painters, but I did not recognize the names. The lighting and information about the various artworks were perfect, and while the collection was unfocused, it was still relaxing to walk the halls. There was more modern art than classic. For $20, the Picasso was almost worth the price alone. There was a Matisse statue (excellent) and some Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ bronze works that looked Art Deco to me (yes, I know it is American Renaissance). Again, just a pleasure to walk through.

I should add that somewhere on Wednesday, Clint and I stopped by the local school shop, no surprise that Clint has access, and we planed some boards for a build he is doing at the house. I helped clean up, but also wore safety glasses for all the right reasons.

Returning to my story about the museum, the cafe closed at 3, and I got the last cup of coffee before they closed. I sat in the garden cafe, which is built out of the original entrance (now you enter through a glassed-in area on the other side by the parking lot). There are two mosaics, two stories tall, of the great times and great races in bright colored figures, all embarrassingly white and American-looking from 1930. There is no comment on them. Rightfully so. I grabbed easy-to-pack items at the gift store.

Before this, I met Clint at Spyglass Brewers for their special, a Reuben burger, and a beer. He was running late, and I was running early. My quest for another used book store failed; the place is gone. Still, it was, without the rain from yesterday and some hint of sun, a lovely drive near the rivers. Also, Navigation sent me on a backroad trip, which I accepted, and I saw that the highway was blocked by an accident. It had re-routed me. An excellent drive.

Before this, I rose late, close to 8, and did my usual: make coffee, read email, and try not to read too much news. I often focus on the newest recipes rather than what new idea from the Trump folks to distract me from the fact that the files are not released, the transcript of why a convicted sex offender was moved to an easy prison has not been released, and that the estimates for DOGE were a loss of over 100 million for the government and increasing loss as more data becomes available. Additionally, I am deeply saddened by the deaths of the National Guard members in DC. I am still waiting for the government to send me $2,000 from the excess taxes and tariffs collected, while the same government is reaching record levels of deficit spending, which would mean there is no excess. These are not political statements, though many want them to be, but a search for facts. I simply want to know these things, shine a bit of sunshine on them.

Instead of balancing the Federal Budget or getting facts, I balanced my own spending and income and checked that everything is working on Wednesday morning. It is. I also see that my unrealized loss in my IRA is down to $10K after another weird day on Wall Street. Soon I will be making lots of money again. Crazy!

Thanks for reading.