I'm #200... who would have thought that a GTG thread could generate so much interest/responses!!

Ahem...a win is a win is a win. Whether it's by 5 points or 50, it's still a win. Still, I wonder if it's a prudent move...my hem/onc guy is a graduate of the UMass Medical School, although he is now a professor of medicine at Hah-vahd.

No scenic envy out here, either, as it's gorgeous, weather's cooperating, cider mill is open...

I think non-New Englanders may be insulting the towns because...they're there? (Purely conjecture on my part, of course.)

BC

and there are still openings, especially for the friday night dinner and the delish time at Don's, just up the road from the nut house and the pen---no that is not the pig pen, but the jail...

there are about 30 people for the GTG and we need 20 for friday night and we are still a few short....help??

Friday night's are great at the GTGs. We get to catch up on all the happenings since last year and even Bob displays a modicum of warmth. By Saturday lunch, he is back to his grumpy self.

i'm working on being friendly this year as we can't count on certain other people to hold up their part of the bargain...

currently we are about 30 participants for the saturday luncheon... it should be fun as usual...

DON'T FORGET TO BRING A SHOW AND TELL FROM YOUR TRAVELS...

Looks like friendly weather ahead for BOS!! Yippee!

Hi, I'm Andy and I've brought all my dirty laundry from my recent trip to Hong Kong. That ought to wow them.

lol... any speedos in that laundry?

I have to get my souvenir from Brad! Hope I don't forget.

Show and tell from travels? My husband's from India, does that count? :D

<b>Fall Foliage!</b>

Anyone coming from out of town to see the fall foliage? Looks like a perfect time, with sunny weather forecast for Thurs afternoon and Friday. Here's a route that I can suggest for a good drive, using mostly local roads instead of highways. The drive goes from the GTG hotel to Peterborough NH, in the Monadnock Mountains (they're really hills), and back. The Monadnocks should be at peak colors for the GTG weekend. At a leisurely pace, this drive will take about 2 hours to get from the Summerfield Suites to Peterborough, and about 1:30 to return:

- From the Summerfield Suites, take Rt 95/128 southbound for 1 exit to Route 3 northbound.

- Take 3 northbound, and follow it to Exit 33 - Route 40. Turn right on Rt 40 at the bottom of the exit ramp, and follow Route 40 westbound as it meanders its way to Groton (about 9 miles). Once you're on Route 40, you should get some really nice scenery. It will get better and better for the next 90 minutes.

- At Groton, take Rt 119 north. Follow 119 north to West Townsend (about 10 miles), and then turn right on Rt 124.

- Follow 124 about 17 miles until you reach Jaffrey (NH), in the middle of the Monadnocks. In Jaffrey, turn right on Rt 202 and follow it about 7 miles until you reach the center of Peterborough. In Peterborough, you'll find some nice places to stop for lunch/coffee etc.

To return, the easiest route is to follow Route 101 east from Peterborough for about 20 miles to Route 101A -- the signs will say 101A - Nashua. Follow 101A through many traffic lights and strip malls until you reach Route 3. Take 3 south to the end, which is 128/95. Take 128/95 north 1 exit to the Summerfield Suites exit. (Many other return routes are available -- consult a map or GPS.)

Glad to hear that the color is nice about now. I'll be doing fall color right after the GTGs for several days.

Peterborough is a terrific, quaint New England charm kind of town. It's an artsy town with galleries and great restaurants. Bring your camera. The drive to and from is equally lovely.

we are in central maine this weekend and the foliage seems to be quite delayed...i would say like at 20% or less..

Maine has only pine trees. The leaves on pine trees don't change color.

Cental Maine only because Alcatraz was unavailable. I have my muse while Bob has his moose. Fitting, don't you think?

ok, we are sitting here with drinks with the bright sun dancing off the lake ... what is it like in cambridge and billerica?

Oh my, you are dancing on the lake? It's a miracle!

To answer your question, the ambiance in Billerica is best described as perpetual gloom.

Jaya: My husband's first cousin, a refugee from Conn., lives in Peterborough. We visit with him each year when we go to Francestown to visit with undergraduate friends of my spouse. As a cornpone from the midwest, I find it all like an anthropological experiment.

Check out New Boston, Goffstown, and Francestown while touring the area.

Rizutto-how cruel to use a word such as "ambiance" when communicating with His Bobness. You might as well throw in some differential calculus.

In Cambridge, it's cold and clammy, so that it will be wonderful by the time the GTG rolls around at the end of the week. Aren't Cold and Clammy two of the residents of Billerica who are guests of the Commonwealth?