Trapp Family Lodge Visit in 2013

Houseboat on the Erie Canal and The Spouter Inn at Lincolnville Beach Near Camden, Maine
Bob Jensen at Trinity University

Our children live so far away that we celebrated Christmas 2013 with them on our July and August trips and Maria's Visit in September.
A long-standing tradition has been to celebrate Christmas day with our German friends named Gottwick.
This year we had Christmas day at the home of their daughter, Herta, who lives and skis in Crawford Notch ---
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawford_Notch

Our daylight hours are short this time of year, and
We did not want to cross the notch in the winter after dark.
So we spent the night in the Bernerhof Inn that is now under new management
http://www.bernerhofinn.com/

Helene and Helmut Gottwick (he spent four years on U-boats during WW II)
Eventually they owned a motel on a lake near Whitefield until retiring in nearby Easton

This was great fun, and even the falling snow the next day when we returned home was not troublesome.
There's a difference between falling snow and a raging mountain blizzard.
There were some things I really liked about the Bernerhof, Inn but at those same prices
I would recommend the Mt. Washington Hotel at the other side of Crawford Notch ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Hotels/Hotels.htm

The Erie Canal system is 365 miles long, and spans from Albany, NY on the Hudson River to Buffalo, NY at Lake Erie. Finished in 1825, the Erie Canal first connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, making transportation of both goods and people much more efficient and economical. These days, May through November is when the canals truly come alive, abounding with recreational watercraft and houseboat vacationers.

Spotted along the canal system, you can find many marinas that provide a wide range of recreational services. At Mid-Lakes Erie Macedon Landing these activities include the ability to charter a canal boat. Charter one of these boats, and you've opened up doors to explore 19th-century canal towns, access via easily accessible ground transport to numerous wineries, drop off points which have waterfront restaurants and many other exciting locations found along the winding canals.

Only enhancing the wonder of the Erie Canal is the range of wildlife and wildlife parks that can be found speckled amongst the canal system. Whether you choose to visit the mighty Adirondacks or Niagara Falls before or after your canal boat charter, or the awe-inspiring Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in Seneca Falls, these and thousands of other opportunities are waiting for you along the Erie Canal Network.

Having owned a marina in Boston, Bob is an excellent helmsman with skills
beyond what is required to pilot a houseboat down the Erie Canal

Bob and Pat shared some of their pictures of this adventure with us, and
now I will share some of those pictures in this Web page

For Christmas in July with daughter Lisl and son Marshall
we traditionally stay at the Spouter Inn on Lincolnville Beach near Camden, Maine

This is the view of our favorite seafood restaurant
As seen from the front of the Spouter Inn

We had Christmas in August 2013 in Yuba City, California with big sons David and Mike

The Children and Grandchildren of California With Their Grandmother
Plus a David's Very Tall Adopted Gentle Giant

I see from my house by the side of the road
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife,
But I turn not away from their smiles and tears,
Both parts of an infinite plan-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)

On May 14, 2006 I retired from Trinity University after a long and wonderful career as an accounting professor in four universities. I was generously granted "Emeritus" status by the Trustees of Trinity University. My wife and I now live in a cottage in the White Mountains of New Hampshire ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/NHcottage.htm