Adventures in the North Country, Part 2

Last time, on Daily Travels Through Life:

I discussed my arrival back to the home abode. This episode, I go on an adventure to Berlin, NH with an old friend.

We all know what happens. We either go to college or move away from home, and eventually, we all get distant from our old friends, since everyone's doing their own thing. It happens. Still, it's always nice to catch up. For me, meeting up with Alicia was one of the best parts of this short homecoming.

Alicia and I met our freshman year of high school, when I was awkward and when she was in her goth phase. I remember it vividly. I sat in the front of the class, since I didn't know anyone else there. then there's this girl who walks in, and sits right behind me. Don't get me wrong, she was nice enough. But God did she scare the bejesus out of me then. It was during our sophomore and junior years that we got close, as our boyfriends at the time were brothers and we were the only video gaming females around. We had mostly guy friends. Where other girls were having sleepovers and talking about fashion, we were playing Soul Caliber 2 or DDR, and staying up until insane times of night. Needless to say, we were best friends.

Now during my senior year we started getting distant, but that was due to the decision to begin homeschooling (sue me, my high school refused to give me Senior English). However, since I stayed in the area for a few extra years, she and I got close again when we ended up working in the same movie theater. What can I say, we had a knack for always bumping into each other. Eventually, I did go to college, and it led to the point that we're at now.

Alicia and I fooling around at breakfast

We were able to get in contact before I came up for the weekend, and we decided that we would meet for breakfast. So after the initial hugs and greeting, we made our way to The Waterwheel, which if you ever find yourself in Jefferson when it's open, EAT THERE. It is delicious breakfast food to the max, and it's pretty cheap too.

Anyhow, she and I chatted, and just were doing the whole catching up thing. While it's still very obvious that we have developed some distance, we still share many of the same interests that we held before, and we were still able to hold conversations as we used to. However, one can only sit and eat for so long, so we decided to go to Berlin, and check out a new little store that had popped up.

A little note on Berlin, NH: once upon a time, before I was alive, Berlin was one of the busiest places in the state. It even used to beat out North Conway for shopping. After the paper mills closed however, the town really started to suffer. While it still shows signs of socioeconomic distress, it appears to be making a small, but sure rebound. Since one mill is due to reopen, people seem to be more keen on reinvesting in the town, which would be a nice change, I won't lie. Back to the story:

Alicia really wanted to show me a little store that had opened, called SaVoir Flare. When you walk inside, it's reminiscent of a living room, but not a regular living room that belongs to a family. This place has all sorts of funky merchandise inside, from Japanese posters, to purses made out of soda tabs, to cigars, to coffee, to books, jewelry...you name it, the store pretty much has it. If you find yourself in Berlin, it's definitely a great place to go and check out. The staff is incredibly nice, and you won't regret it.

Front of SaVoir Flare

After talking to the owner's mother for a good bit, we decided to head down the street to a place called Middle Earth. Yeah, I know. It exists!

See? Pretty sign made in the Hobbit Style..

 Middle Earth has some other random gifts inside, from ceramics to jewelry...ok, so in essence it's like Savoir Flare, but it is definitely targeted to more traditional audiences. The proprietor there used to be a state representative, and we ended up talking to him for probably a good hour about politics. This was quite interesting, considering what part of the store we were standing in at the time (let's put it this way...It's sectioned off from the rest of the store away from children). He was a wicked nice guy, I hope to run into him again at some point. Also, he had some really cute dogs, which also makes the store an experience. Just needed to put that out there.

I'm bad, I forget their names...But they are adorable!

Eventually, Alicia and I continued on our merry way, and for a while, we just drove and chatted through the back roads of the North Country. It was very evident to see that things had changed massively for both of us. Yet, we are still definitely friends. For that, I'm grateful, since so many of my old friends and I have gotten distant. At the end of the day, we returned to Lancaster, and we parted. Yet I know that we'll definitely stay in touch.

However, that was not the end of the day. The day ended with my mom and I watching "Mega Piranha" and "Moby Dick" of the SciFi Channel...That tells you the quality of those movies right then and there. However, there was quite a funny analysis of that version of Moby Dick, all while drinking moscato. Yep, we're classy.

By the way, if you don't know the story of Moby Dick, read it. Not because it's good. It just makes you look good. You can get it for the Kindle or Nook for free. Hell, you don't even need a Kindle. You can just download it to your computer. Seriously. Just read Moby Dick to impress people. And to read, reading's good for you. C'mon, you can't complain about free stuff. Anyhow...Where were we?

I went back to Plymouth the next day, but not after my mom gave me so much food that I didn't know what to do with it at first. Not just regular food...but food that's still growing. yep, my mom gave me plants. I don't mind. If I play my cards right, I'll be able to eat a lot cheaper by the end of the summer. So, pray that my lettuce, tomatoes, kale and herbs survive.

But those were my adventures in the North Country, which in many ways I wished continued on for longer. Tomorrow, I shall return to posting about current events...such as how the helicopter parents have disappeared. Or how I chopped off my hair. You'll find out. Eventually.