I was initially hesitant to try it, because when we were browsing inside the Common Man Company store in Ashland, NH, and I was disappointed when I checked one of the jars of jelly and saw corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup leading the list of ingredients. Yuck! I hate when companies try to fool you with the homemade-canned look of a product, but it’s actually no better (actually worse) than anything you can buy at the grocery store.

But we have heard good things about the Common Man restaurants in general, so we decided to give it a whirl on Sunday, July 4th. We arrived around 7ish, and there was no waiting for our small party of two. We were seated at a small table at the back wall. Since it was our first time to the restaurant, the hostess explained that we were welcome to visit the bread bar with infused dipping oils. She also asked if we wanted bottled or plain house water. We opted for the regular water.

Our waitress arrived shortly afterward with inquiries for any further drink orders. The water was just fine. I was fascinated with all the menu choices, so we needed a few more minutes before we decided what we wanted to order. But I did inquire if they offered any sort of “side” salad, as most restaurants offer a smaller sized salad for a lower price when a dinner is ordered. She seemed almost surprised by my question but she said that she could probably halve one of the full sized salads if I wanted.

The menu offers typical Italian American fare, like lasagna, brick oven pizza, alfredo, scampi, along with lots of seafood choices, and steak. There’s something for everyone! Prices are fair, ranging from under $10 to $20. Our check including tip, totaled $35.

I finally decided on classic spaghetti and meatballs and husband Mike ordered veal (poor baby cow) parmesan. Similar to chain restaurants, the staff does try to push the “extras”. She asked if we were interested in an appetizer or salad, but we figured the bread would be enough. Yep, we were right. That bread bar was deadly! We sliced ourselves a few pieces of homemade warm bread, along with a couple of dishes of fresh grated cheese and awesome infused oil (basil or spicy) and we were set! ha! The bread was delicious, too delicious, as we went up for second helping!

Right after our order arrived, I was a tiny bit grossed out as I watched one of the staff cleaning and setting up a nearby table. He arrived at the table with a tray of clean glasses and utensils wrapped in cloth napkins. He placed the clean tray on one of the chairs. eh, not so hygienic. Then he proceeded to stack all the dirty plates on another tray he set on the table, right above the clean tray on the chair. ugh, REALLY not hygienic. Then he sprayed the vinyl table cloth with some cleaning solution, wiped down the table, and set the table with the clean glasses and napkins/utensils. Somehow watching the same person clean up someone’s dirty dishes right before he touched clean items just made me think “ick”. Yes, yes, yes, I know that most customers would be horrified to learn what goes on behind the scenes in a restaurant kitchen, but what I don’t see doesn’t bother me… it’s what I DO see out in the open that gives me pause.

Anyway, our food was delicious, but I am not hard to please when it comes to Italian food! haha! I got a nice big bowl of pasta with tomato sauce topped with two huge (2 inch) meatballs. Mike also enjoyed his veal parmesan and pasta. I could only eat half of my meal, surprise surprise! Could it have been the shameful 1000 calories of bread and oil that I ate previously? I ended up taking home my leftovers. They use Chinese takeout boxes for leftovers!

The general manager, Paul, was very attentive and hands on. I saw him out on the floor many times during our dinner, and he even stopped to chat with Mike while we were walking to the bread bar and he then stopped us on our way out, asking our first names to give us his business card with a “first timers free appetizer” for our next visit. 

The Italian Farmhouse is a fairly large restaurant, with quaint, old fashioned, homey decor. The outdoor grounds are gorgeous, with a lovely greenhouse in back that can be rented for special occasions like anniversary parties and weddings. With such beautiful views of the mountains, I can imagine it must be spectacular to book your wedding ceremony and reception there!

Italian Farmhouse
337 Daniel Webster Highway (Route 3)
Plymouth, NH 03264
(603) 536-4536

I think my final “grade” would be B+

This season, we joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) so we’re getting a wonderful package of fresh vegetables every week! It’s exciting to be buying local!

Whenever we’re away, I’m never very happy with the produce at the grocery stores, so I really want to find a good outlet for fresh veggies while on vacation! So, this year we are planning on making a visit to the local Farmer’s Market(s) to buy our veggies and fruit.

I love the web site “Local Harvest” - it makes it easy to find local farmers markets where ever you might be! At home or on vacation! Just type in the zip code, and you’ll get a list of Farmer’s Markets nearby.

http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/

And it’s not just fresh veggies and fruit. Some farmers markets offer fresh eggs, dairy, honey, meat, poultry, candles, and bakery products. Check it out to find a farmer’s market near your home and near your camping destination!

some other New England links:

http://www.northeastharvest.com/ - Massachusetts farms
http://www.northeastharvest.com/localfood/growingcalendar - what’s in season - I love this produce availability calendar.
http://www.nhfma.org/ - NH Farmers Markets
http://www.getrealmaine.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.showpage/pageID/5/index.htm - Maine Farmers Markets
http://www.vermontagriculture.com/buylocal/buy/farmersmarkets_map.html - Vermont farmers markets
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/ - New York farmers markets
http://www.buyctgrown.com/ - Locally grown Connecticut
http://www.buylocalpa.org/ - Pennsylvania buy local

Enjoy!

My husband first started noticing it while out driving around town. Other Jeep people were always waving at him! He didn’t know what to make of it at first, but it’s crazy! Did you know there is a Jeep Wave!? Yep, it’s really true! And I found links to prove it! There’s a wave, nod, two fingered peace sign, among other friendly gestures!

http://www.jeeptalk.org/jeep_wave.php
http://jeeps.thefuntimesguide.com/2008/06/jeep_wave.php

It’s definitely more of a Jeep Wrangler thing more than any Jeep, maybe because they are easier to spot from afar and the roofs are always off so there is plenty of room to wave! Plus there seems to be a friendly “superior” attitude taken by Wrangler owners toward other Jeep models! I guess nothing beats a Wrangler!

It also looks like you also get more “points” if you, your passengers, and the Wrangler is covered in mud, the more mud the better! Sssh, don’t tell my husband that!
We love our Jeep Wrangler, any other owners out there?

First off, the decor is charming as ever. It’s one of those places where you walk in, and every inch is covered with old trinkets and collectibles. The photo below is the view of the entrance from our table.

We arrived before 5pm on a Saturday night, and we were seated immediately. Our waitress was so friendly, I loved her.

I ordered the broiled haddock with rice and Mike ordered the roast turkey dinner, both came with vegetable of the day which was zucchini & stewed tomatoes. We each ordered the “demi” side salad, which was promptly served with the most delicious homemade multi-grain bread. I couldn’t help myself, I ate 4 pieces of the bread, it was heavenly!

The salad was also delicious. Lots of fresh greens with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, onions, carrots, and croutons.

There was a little bit of a wait to receive our main course, but it really wasn’t bad; after all, the food was freshly made. My haddock was cooked perfectly, and I really loved the zucchini, I even ate all of Mike’s too, since he’s not a zucchini fan. This photo doesn’t do justice to my plate. It was much more appealing than this photos shows.

We sat at a table with a corner wooden bench chair, that was hand-painted with cushions, purses, jackets, etc. It was so different. The ladies room was equally uniquely decorated with doll house miniatures, lace, antique baby clothes, pictures. It was delightful. May’s restaurant has a separate bar area along with an outdoor patio. Again, the decor is just so unique, so many antiques and collectibles everywhere.

Here are two photos of the bar area:

They offer soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and many different entrees. Besides a few traditional Irish meals like Irish Mixed Grille, Traditional Shepard’s Pie, Irish Stew, Liver & Onions, there’s meatloaf, baby back ribs, sirloin tips, scallops, and chicken pot pie.  Our dinner bill totaled $36 (not including tip) which is reasonable.

Next time you’re in the North Conway area, looking for a place to eat dinner, give May Kelly’s Cottage Irish Bar & Restaurant a try. Good old fashioned food freshly prepared. We won’t hesitate to go back!

It’s so funny because the media isn’t talking about it at all. Google is virtually silent about this development. Ha!  But no matter, it’s official! We don’t have to pay the extra 9% on campsites in NH anymore!

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/legislation/signed_chapters.aspx

I’ll add more links as they become available!

We are heading to:

• Ames Brook Campground in Ashland, NH
• Balsam Woods Campground in Abbot, Maine
• Chewonki Campground in Wiscasset, Maine
• Jacobs Brook Campground in Orford, NH
• Mountain Lake Campground in Lancaster, NH
• Poland Springs CG in Poland Springs, Maine
• Ramblewood Campground in Pittsburg, NH

Anyone else want to share their plans? Post a comment or join in the conversation on our discussion forum:
http://www.thatscamping.com/forum/index.php/topic,1401.0.html

Spring is here, and campgrounds are booking up! Make your plans soon as soon as you can to get the best campsites!

http://www.wmur.com/news/22386892/detail.html

The first driver was near the Bearcamp River mouth on Ossipee Lake! Moving water doesn’t always freeze! BE CAREFUL everyone!
(Thanks Bob for the link!)

But another important thing to remember is removing the batteries from your RV. Keep your batteries in a cool (but not freezing) place during the winter and check their charge every month or so. Don’t let the batteries get lower than 80% discharged.

For more info, check out this article:

http://blog.rv.net/2009/10/winter-battery-storage-maintenance/

Join the conversation on our forum

There is a discussion on our forum on Campers Inn, and one of our forum regulars in having problems with their RV refrigerator. Campers Inn have had her RV for a week and half (after waiting for over 3 weeks for an appointment) and it hasn’t even been looked at. Everyone is on vacation! ha! Convenient excuse.

I find it amusing that on the Merrimack NH RV Service web page, they boast about having 16 service bays (in 2003, they moved to a new location that doubled their size). How is it that they haven’t had time to even look at her RV with such a vast service department? My guess is the economy has forced them to cut employees, and instead of being honest with their customers, they are just leaving them out on a ledge!

Another forum regular is having issues with a wrinkled bubbling wall. Campers Inn actually let them leave their lot with two cracked & worn tires that needed to be replaced after the customer noticed it! This is a brand new RV!

The name “Campers Inn” has a bad history and reputation. The location in Shirley went bankrupt and the Massachusetts attorney general sued them for $2 million for monies owed to their customers. That owner was David Hirsch. I haven’t been able to find anymore details on the outcome of the suit, and I wonder if any customers recovered any of their money back.

I don’t like complaining about businesses unless there is really something really wrong. In my opinion, something is definitely wrong with Campers Inn. I would not recommend anyone purchase from them, until they can appropriately take care of their earlier customers that are expecting them to live up to their promises of good quality service and products!

Anyone else having problems with Campers Inn!? Please leave a comment or join in on the forum discussion!

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t believe this site should be all positive reviews and feedback, but the negativity has to be constructive; it has to be useful for site visitors to read and helpful to campgrounds to learn from.

Yes, campers are stressed. Many can only afford one vacation for the year, and they choose camping because it’s less expensive than airfare and hotel rates. But it seems that people are expecting more than ever for their $30 or $40 a night.

Before you start complaining about your stay, stop and think about the reasoning behind your complaints and demands.

“The owners were rude”
“The bathrooms were filthy”
“Roads are full of ruts”
“The campsite was muddy”
“They made us go to bed at 11pm”
“There was nothing for my children to do”

Campgrounds are a business! Like so many other businesses around New England, they are feeling the financial pinch. Some campground owners are on the brink of losing their business. Staff has been let go, repairs go unfixed, bathrooms are not cleaned, sales are down, loan payments are due, taxes & insurance rates have been increased, and stress levels are high. It’s no wonder that campground owners are moody and unhappy.

Your negative comments are not just a way for you to blow off steam because you had a bad vacation at a campground. Your comments are affecting the livelihood of other human beings!

Campgrounds rely on word of mouth advertising. Complaints can cause a decrease in sales, and that ultimately causes more staff loss or worse the loss of the whole business.

To repeat, I am not discouraging negativity; it wouldn’t be fair to expect everyone to only post positive comments, and it would be boring too. But the comments and reviews received have been increasingly demanding and pretentious; it’s an attitude of “I am the customer, & I am always right” and there is an element of revenge or “payback” in some of the comments. It really makes me sad that people are not more compassionate.

So please THINK before you post a comment or send a review. Think about how your negativity is going to be received on the other end, and maybe soften your words so it is constructive and not hurtful.

Thank you for listening to my rant. Happy Camping!