Canterbury Shaker Village

For the past two days we spent time on the interstates in New Hampshire and Vermont and we do not recall seeing a single tractor trailer and few other trucks of any kind. You do not realize how welcome this is, however we wonder how they get products into this part of the world. We also saw a Comfort Inn and a McDonalds, the commercialism of which was jarring after not seeing anything but local restaurants and inns for three weeks. You do not realize how much the chain commercial establishments rob us of the beauty of our land. I am starting to sound like a tree hugger but there are lots of them to hug here. The vistas are unspoiled and magnificent.
We journeyed about two hours to see a Shaker Village today. This was my one hard request on this trip as I have wanted to do it on the previous two and somehow it never happened. We were so fortunate to get Darryl as a tour guide. His family went to work for the Shakers when he was two and he was raised in the village. We learned that, unlike the Amish, the Shakers did not shun technology. They invented several things that added to the wealth of the community, which numbered 300 at one time. They believed that labor saving devices gave one more time to worship God. They also used dancing in their worship as there are references to David dancing in the Old Testament, hence the name Shakers.Because of the vow of celibacy, they increased their numbers by evangelism, but also by taking in orphans. After the Civil War, state run oorphanages became numerous and their numbers declined dramatically. The Shaker religion appealed more to women as they were treated as true equals with equal autonomy in all matters. The order prospered and this one owned a vacation place complete with motor launch on Squam Lake. They had steam heat, electricity and an automobile before the governor of the state. By 1900 there were 95 women but only 5 men there. The women took over some of the men's tasks and hired out the others. This community became a trust in 1969 and several of the women still lived there. The last one died in 1992. There are three Shakers still living in a community in Maine. The single building in one photo is the meeting house built in 1792. The interior blue and white paint dates to 1838. We were not allowed to take photos inside the buildings and that is a shame as we saw people making brooms and the oval shaker boxes. We also saw the machines they used to spin yarn and knit sweaters which they sold. And their innovative ways of dealing with the laundry and sorting it and getting back to the proper person.
Our tour started at noon, and it was cool and breezy. After two one hour guided tours we explored other parts on our own. By 4 PM I was wrung out and weak from the heat. Many of the buildings were closed up with no ventilation and the temperature had risen to 93! I suppose that is telling us, we might as well go home as we are not going to be cool up here either.
Other interstate observations. They have symbols at the exits for food, lodging and gas, but no indication of which ones as we do in the south, but they waste a lot of money marking each tenth of a mile along the edge, sometimes every 20th. You do not know which way to turn to find services until you are at the point of turning where you see a sign across the street with arrows (sometimes).
The last photo shows the small space we have been living in. Today makes four weeks and four days on the road and we are doing well at it.