A Dozen Surprises in New England!

#1... Without question the biggest surprise was...The Number of Dunkin' Donut Shops.
We have never seen anything like it anywhere we have been. Seriously, I kid you not, there are over 800 in Boston proper! And all the other states have several in a square mile, some a half a block away on opposite sides of the street.

#2...The number of retail businesses that have highways and freeways with no shoulder, right off their parking lots. How do you get up to 65 fast enough not to get killed...no idea but they do. We about died of fright every time we had to do it.

#3... Freeway Roundabouts. If you know your exit not too bad, if not, repeat...ala Chevy Chase in European Vacation but, do not slow down to read a sign!

#4... The large lots and the woods. Most homes have lots of heavily wooded acreage. Beautiful. We did not see any tract housing in any of the six states. They may have it but we did not see any in 1900 miles of exploring.

#5... The attention they pay to their tourism industry was amazing. The Rest Stops along the freeways had incredible visitor information centers with any map or pamphlet you could possibly need. They were staffed with several friendly people, ready and willing to help you.

#6... The pride people took in their homes and property was almost universal. No bad houses or yards bringing down the neighborhoods. We did not see any junkers, litter, or graffiti...None!

#7... We noticed hearing a foreign language only two times. People actually spoke English. What? In our area there are 41 known languages spoken!

#8... People were relaxed and courteous, smiley and talkative and helpful. Really?

#9... Did not see anyone holding up their pants as they strutted along the road!

#10... Not one car stereo was shared with us as we drove down a street. No noise pollution! The quietness was so calming and pleasant. Stress level down and not just from vacation mode.

#11... The amount of patriotism and honor and respect for our countrymen and women who have served in the armed forced or died in battle. The monuments and lists of the dead by name, where in every community, even the small ones. It really heightened our awareness, very nice. The sacrifices of these little communities, over decades has been monumental.

#12... And maybe the biggest surprise after all, is that we noticed all these things and felt like calling a real estate agent when we got home. But we'll let Laura and Robert live out a winter and report back. But it is tempting, really tempting. A little snow and ice may not be such a huge price to pay for peace of mind, a unified community, and being able to leave your windows open at night. Especially if you don't have to go out in the bad weather if you don't want to....just sayin'....