Resturant Review: Avoid Sammy's Paw Print

After a bad thunder, windstorm at Danforth Bay. Several trees down near the Brookside beach (almost hit a tent) we decided just to go out for a late dinner. We had company up so we decided to treat them to Pizza Barn for some good-local Pizza.

However we found out that Pizza Barn was closed due to the POWER outage from the storm.

This led us to Sammy's Paw Print in Tamworth, NH (which had power) - BIG MISTAKE!!!Here are our observations:

Extremely Poor Service:

• Got snickers from the Waitress when our niece was ordering a drink because she didn't know right away.
• No hostess - The one waitress in the entire resturant was very unfriendly and UN-Professional
• Bartender was not friendly either nor did she try to help the waitress out.
• The bar area was not busy at all. - Order for 2 pizzas, fries, onion rings, took well over 1 hour before we got the Pizza. Not fun with a whiny 3 year old.
• Our 2nd round of drinks was not filled for our main course. We had to ask for them to refilled and it took about 10 MORE minutes for them to be brought to us.
• By this time my wife went to the car with our 3 year old who had enough!
• 18% Tip automatically added to our bill because our party was 7 people. (This was a Saturday summer night and they only had 1 waitress!!!)

Confusing Menus

• We were given 2 to 3 menus per person yet there was no drinks listed on any of the menus

Food

• Onion rings were really good.
• French Fries were good.
• Pizza was OK; They advertise as the "Best Pizza in Town". Don't believe it! The pizza is slightly better than White Lakes Pizza but not nearly as good as Pizza Barn. They beat them hands down.

Facilities

• Bathrooms were down right scary. They were dark, ugly yellow tiles 1960s era on the walls.
• Dining room was average but their was paint pealing in places and dust
• Out table was sticky (not properly cleaned) - It makes you think what does the kitchen look like? My wife didn't feel well after eating there the next day

Overall:

• This place has potential but needs a refurbishment (new bathrooms and facelift for dining room)
• They need new waitstaff, hostess, and a new bartender as well as an upgrade on their facilities. The tip should have been more like 5 to 10% but I didn't argue this.

Avoid this place if you are staying at Danforth Bay or the Ossipee area.

Ossipee Lake Trip

We rented a small Pontoon Boat at Ossipee Lake Marina for 1/2 day. We could not have picked a better day!!!

If you stay at Danforth Bay you can get a 15% discount off of rentals from the booklet!

The boat however was quite disappointing. It was 25HP and very slow and tipsy but we had a good time anyways. We stopped off at Long Sands.

See full pictures here.

Transportation Week at Danforth Bay

Its Transportation Week at Danforth Bay! On Sunday they had Freedom, NH fire department visit. Cameron loves firetrucks so this was a big BONUS for him!

My public summer pictures of Danforth Bay (and local area) are kept here. I'll be adding more as the summer goes along.

NH Boating Education Course

Patty and I took the NH Boating Course this past Saturday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Nashua (exit 5 off of Rt. 3)

Here is the highlights:

Logisitics:

• Basement of St. Joseph's Hospital with about 40-50 other people. Get there early for best seating.
• Plenty of FREE parking
• Bring your own lunch! Only 1/2 hour and the food at St. Joseph's is not that good!

Course Overview:

• Sponsored by the US Coast Guard and the NH Marine Patrol
• Course is a SOLID 6 hours 9-12, 12x-3x with 1/2 hour for lunch
• The first hour was fluff
• The last 2.5 hours was intense (no breaks)
• The slides need updating they are the OLD transparency slides
• The instructor jumped around chapter to chapter
• The instructor was very humorous but most people in the class didn't appreciate this.

Course (six chapters):

• 1 - There are 6 chapters in the Course booklet - Know Your Boat (types of boats, personal water crafts (i.e., jet skis))
• 2 - Before You Get Underway (trailering, maximum capacity plate, float plan)
• 3 - Operating Your boat (navigation, buoys, anchoring)
• 4 - The Legal Requirements of Boating (life jackets)
• 5 - Boating Emergencies (fire extinguishers)
• 6 - Enjoy Water Sports with your Boat (towing skiiers)

Test:

• The big part was life jackets, buoys, and navigation
• A 60 Question "closed-book" multiple choice test given between 3:30 to 4:30 (corrected on site)
• There was about 5-10 things that were on the test that was not mentioned in the class (or that I didn't catch)
• Corrected on site in about 2 minutes!
• A grade of 80 is required (70 was passable in 2006)
• After you pass the course you mail in a portion of the certificate with $10 to get a real Boater's Education Safety card. The card is NOT valid in the state of Conneticut. I guess they do things differently down there! If you fail you need to take the course again.

Intertesting Notes:

• A 3 seater Jet Ski is consider a Class A boat
• You can loose your driver's license if you are caught intoxicated (.08 BAL) operating a boat
• Let the ventilation fan run 4 minutes after fueling
• Only 2 people outside the boat (while in motion)
• 150 feet is the maximum you can be from shore (unless you are at headway speed)

For those that are considering taking the course, I strongly recommend that you get a copy of the Boating Manual (we got one from Ossipee Lake Marina) if you are not familar with boating safety

And yes... Patty and I passed!

Coleman SeaPine Review

Here is a review of the Coleman SeaPine that I got recently.

RV Manufacturer: Coleman
Model: SeaPine
Year: 2002
Type: Pop-up
Aquired: New
Slide-Outs: 0
Dealership
Buy From Manufacturer?: Yes
Comments: Very nice, reliable. No problems or leaks

Chocura Hike 2007

My youngest daugher, oldest son and I took a nice hike up the Piper Trail last Monday - July 2nd to the summit of Mt. Chocura with some new seasonal friends.

The Piper Trail is about 4.5 miles - one way to the summit. Most of the climbing is near the last mile and 1/2. I found this trail to be less exciting than the Champney falls trail that we did last year.

On the summit it was VERY windy that day. I was a little bit concerned that my daughter would be blown over the mountain. However the views were gorgeous!

This year it seemed like a much tougher climb, especially on the way back.

Hoping to hit Mt. Washington in August!

Found a good church!

We'll I found a great church to attend when we are up at camp this summer and fall. A couple weeks back I attended the First Congregational Church of Ossipee in Ossipee, NH and haven't looked back!

It is a bible-beliveing Christian Church which preaches the gospel and has a contemporary worship format. They have children's church for grades K-3 and a well supervised day care. My kids have even signed up for Vacation Bible School this week!

Its only 10 miles from Danforth Bay!

During the summer they up the number of services from 2 to 3!

Tom Johnson's Camping Center Review

Tom Johnson's Camping Center
City: Concord
State: North Carolina
Dealership: Tom Johnson's Camping Center
Department: Sales/Service
Sales Comments: I traveled over 600 miles to see a used Hilo at Tom Johnson's Camping Center. I was able to purchase a newer model due to their honest pricing and was totally satisfied with Salesman Timothy Hood, and Manager Bob White. They were honest and upfront, and very knowledgeable. I felt my dealings with them exceeded my expectations and I based this upon being in Professional Sales for over 30 years. I would highly recommend dealing with them on any RV purchase.
Sales Grade: A+
Service Comments: The Service Department worked past closing to make sure all equipment was in proper working condition prior to me testing the camper in their nearby campsite for Free. Everything worked perfectly and we were on our way to a happy vacation.
Service Grade: A+
Buy Before Yes
Buy Again Yes
Grade A+

Pinewood Derby Race Weekend at Danforth Bay

It's Pinewood Derby race weekend! Its also NH Bike weekend at Danforth Bay.
We came up early and are sitting by the fire working on our cars. Patty is sanding while Austin is whittling away! Hopefully I'll take some pictures and post it to my picture web site.

Pets Weekend at Danforth Bay

Friday night was a little big soggy and Sunday was very wet! But Saturday was pretty good (or at least better than expected) for Pet's weekend at Danforth Bay.

Check out some pictures here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/newenglandcamper

Seasonal Landscaping -- Part I

Check out the wall that Patty made up at Danforth Bay on our site... She did this in one day and more is planned...

This picture my daughther is posing pretty for the picture

Seasonal Landscaping!!!

See comentary above

Going Seasonal... Canoe Rack!

I haven't posted lately because we have been extremely busy working on projects at our seasonal site at Danforth Bay.

Take a look at the canoe rack that I built. I think the arms are a little bit long. Thanks to the Flintstones (from DBCR/That's Camping) where I got the idea (and the instructions!!!)

Last weekend, we also did the sewer piping with help from SEVERAL seasonal neighbors and comppleted golf cart maintenance from seasonal neighbors.

So yes, we got to practice my non-existent carpentery, plumbing, and electrical skills which I don't have! LOL! Thank you seasonal neighbors!

We also have building fences, putting up a deck and skirting to do in the future... Who knew that camping was going to be so labor intensive.

Myspace for dogs....

Our niece recently sent me her dogster page for her little brother Duncan. Its very similar to myspace!

I couldn't resist and made up pages for our new pooches!!! LOL!


Here is my dog Mowgli:
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/515277

Patty thought it was dumb but while making Easter eggs for the doggies tonight she asked me to make a page for her dog Bailey:

http://www.dogster.com/dogs/515848

Check it out! LOL!!!

Darn snow!

Global Warming! Bah! I don't believe it... close to a foot of snow up at camp. With cool temps forecasted for the entire looks like we won't be heading up next week even though Danforth Bay is OPENED!

Facing the Giants - Movie Review

I'm not the type that usually reviews movies, I usually just stick to campgrounds and attractions, and believe me I've seen my share of "duds" of both. However, last night I took two of my children to see the movie Facing the Giants at the 15th Annual Merrimack Christian Film festival that is currently being held at the Showcase Cinemas in S. Lawrence, MA and was compelledto write a review.

Without giving too much away Facing the Giants is about a coach, team, and young couple that come fact to face with defeat after defeat and how they finally turn things around when they begin to believe in themselves and put their trust in God!

Facing the Giants is a heart-warming, tear-jerking story that is appropriate for all ages and provides "movie" entertainment for all. Its not just a "football" movie. Thereis a REAL plot and real story. This movie has good acting, drama, as well as a few laughs (most noteably by Chris Willis who plays Coach JT) who reminds me of a young but CLEAN Eddie Murphy.

I highly recommend Facing the Giants and you can see it FREE at the Merrimack Valley ChristianFilm festival playing at the Showcase Cinema's in Lawrence!

Merrimack Valley Christian Film Festival - NOW SHO

*** 2009 INFO HERE ****

The Merrimack Christian Film Festival is NOW SHOWING at the Showcase Lawrence cinemas in South Lawrence, MA (right off of I495).

All shows are 100% FREE

Dates: Palm Sunday April 1 Thru Easter Sunday, April 6
Where: Showcase Cinema, South Lawrence, MA
Cost: Free
Schedule: Located Here

Movies include:
* Facing the Giants
* Hidden Secrets
* Jesus
* Holyman Undercover
* The Moment After 2
* Behind the Sun
* Road to Redemption
MORE!

For kids there is two double features of Veggie Tales

Danforth Bay - Live Entertainment Schedule!

Now that the ski season is over the staff is now concentrating on Danforth Bay! Their website has been updated with the 2007 theme schedule found here.

Us seasonals got a heads up on the Live Entertainment Schedule. Here is a list of the current schedule. Please note this is subject to change as the season progresses ;->

Saturday 5/26
Hypnotist Steve Taubman

Sunday 5/27
Pool Party with DJ Ram Jam

Sunday 5/27
Ricky and the Giants- Classic Rock

Saturday 6/16
Roderick Russell- Sword Swallowing & more!

Saturday 6/23
Magician Peter Sosna

Sunday 6/24
Pool Party with DJ Ram Jam

Saturday 6/30
Juggler and Funny Man Randy Judkins

Sunday 7/1
Ricky and the Giants- Classic Rock Band

Saturday 7/7
Country Felix- Country Music Band

Saturday 7/14
Two Show- Extreme Juggling

Saturday 7/21
Hypnotist Steve Taubman

Saturday 7/28
Physical Comedian- Mike Miclon

Saturday 8/4
Juggler and Contortionist Matt Tardy

Saturday 8/11
Magician Peter Sosna

Saturday 8/18
Roderick Russell- Sword Swallowing & more!

Saturday 8/25 TBA

Saturday 9/1
Physical Comedian- Mike Miclon

Sunday 9/2
Pool Party with DJ Ram Jam


Sunday 9/2
Rick and the Giants- Classic Rock Band

Saturday 10/6
Juggler and Contortionist Matt Tardy

Sunday 10/7
TBA

Cranmore Mountain, NH Review

From posting ski-conditions at another resort, I won two ski tickets from RealConditions.com to Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, NH.

However the free tickets were only valid for a Sunday-Friday trip so we postponed the trip.

The month of March flew by and we soon realized that this past Sunday 3/25 was closing day for Cranmore and it was either use or loose these tickets.

We decided to head up bright and early to Cranmore this past Sunday morning from Northern Mass. The drive up Rt 16 was absolutely breath-taking with a new inch or two all over the trees but NONE on the highway.

The conditions in the morning were really good and the crowds that we normally encounter were NON-existent. We headed strait for the high-speed QUAD lift (e.g., Skimobile express). We were in the fog for 3/4 of the way up and then it broke to crystal clear sky. It was kind of like when you take a plane and head up over the clouds.

The trails on the South Side of the Mountain that we usually enjoy such as Gibson and Beginner's Luck were not in good shape. Beginner's Luck was especially bad with lots of icy and even puddles in some spots. Any beginners at this point would have been disappointed.

This forced us on the more difficult trails on the North side of the mountain. I really enjoyed the Rattlesnake and Kanadahar trails. Bandit was really cool and that difficult of a trail but it was REALLY narrow and steep in some places. Austin said that he almost fell off. Arlberg was very difficult and should have been a black diamond (or maybe it was the time of day we hit it).

This mountain is much bigger than King Pine but much smaller than Gunstock.

Next Ski Trip: 2008 -- plans to hit King Pine, Gunstock, and Loon

Breaking News: Danforth Bay is now open YEAR ROUND!!!

Breaking News!

Danforth Bay Camping Resort is now open year-round.

Read about it on the front page. Discussion on the That's Camping web page.