Why I live in the boonies

 The winters in very-northern New Hampshire are very cold and snowy. Great for snowmobilers. Late spring and summer bring the bugs. A lot of bugs. Well, I dislike frigid weather and hate bugs. So, why do I live here ? 

Riverside foliage close to our home

My wife, Linda, and I just returned from a 40-mile round trip to the nearest grocery store. The route we took is an interstate highway, and there were very few cars on the road. Tailgaters are almost nonexistent in the north country, but there is a strong tendency to pull to the side of the road to allow drivers that appear to want to speed up to pass. 

I must admit that when I travel "down below" (as locals call travelling south), the traffic volume and tailgaters stress me out. I am not accustomed to it.

We do find that the exployees at the local pharmacies, grocery stores, health care centers and restaurants are generally courteous and efficient. People that reside in northern New Hampshire either have a better capacity to act politely - or the area generates that quality in them. 

Yesterday, while filling up three 5-gallon containers with water from a local spring, a guy showed up with one water bottle to fill. We allowed him to fill his bottle before we finished filling ours, and he was adament about lugging one of the heavy containers to our vehicle. Such behavior is common here.

Spring where we get all of our drinking water

Linda and I live in a house we bought in the year 2,000 for $85,000.00. It is on two acres of wooded land bordered by a picturesgue trout stream. The wildlfe visits are frequent - deer, moose, bear, turkeys, snow shoe hares, fox, ruffed grouse, etc. We never know what to expect with our wide view out the front bay window. 

Moose in our driveway

Fawn triplets on our front lawn

Partridge (ruffed grouse) on our back porch

Snowshoe hare on our front steps

I have been coming to northern New Hampshire since the mid-1950s, but I never envisioned living here full time. Certainly, the frigid winters and summer bugs are a downer, but the gorgeous woods, lakes and streams - the quiet - the courtesy of the inhabitants - and the abundant wildlife make it difficult to think of moving elsewhere.