Sharpening the Saw, er Scoop. Part I

Just returned from my annual working getaway to this year's New England Ice Cream Retailer's Association (NEICRA) ice cream conference. One nice feature of the conference is it's in a different new England venue every year. This year it was Meredith, New Hampshire, a quaint little town on the banks of the lake of Winnipesaukee.

The conference is three days, but all the good stuff is during the middle day. So as usual I took the opportunity to use that first day as a little R&R time for myself. Since I wasn't quite ready to mix and mingle with the ice cream folks, I booked a room at the Lazy E Motor Inn in tacky, but in a good way, Weirs Beach. Like any conscientious blogger, I'd include a link to their website, because it was quite an interesting spot, full of character (although I happened to be the only character that night), but most times I've clicked over there, it's instantaneously blown up my browser. So instead, let me give you a taste here...

Not quite as posh as the site of the conference, but it's hard to complain about drinking your morning coffee lakeside as you watch the fog lift to expose the still firey colors of the New England's finest Fall foliage...

Not bad for 62 bucks a night, including tax...

Of course, I've never been one to pass up the artsy shot...

And you may have to 'click to enlarge' to see which spot is actually the moon in the refection here...

Now for the real charm of the Lazy E...

There seems to be a fine line between charm and tackiness.

And functionality.

There was actually a big screen TV in there. Now you know what to do with that old boat in your backyard...

No pig roast today, darn. Good to know they had the hardware to get that done though..

Speaking of your sweet outdoor bar made out of old boat parts!..

And not to leave out the kiddos on their boat reuse initiatives...

And when all the partyin's done, how about a relaxing Adirondack chair and a cozy fire...

Are you still looking for the boat in that last picture? It's gotta be in there somewhere.

I think this might explain the party readiness of this quaint little (motor) inn..

In case you've been looking for 'the place' to stay during Laconia bike week next summer, you can call off the search.

Well, I was going to write about my ice cream conference experience this year, but it seems I got a little carried away with the place I stayed the night before. Guess I'll just have to save that for next time. The photos aren't nearly as interesting anyway...