It's time for another Monthly Recap!
July was definitely a more restful month in terms of travel, but we still had fun and even spent a week in Vermont and New Hampshire
After a whirlwind May and June, it felt kind of nice to relax in July and not do so much traveling. But I've still had lots of gluten-free adventures and places to share with you!
Let's get to it!
All of the monthly food & travel recaps on the blog can be found here.
TNF Travels In July 2023
Number of States Visited: 4 (Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine)
This month we had one trip to Vermont and New Hampshire with our parents, and that was it! It was relaxing, fun, and full of quality time with our beloved parents who we don't see as much as we would like! (They live out of state, hundreds of miles away).
In Vermont, we enjoyed 4th of July celebrations, fireworks, parades, farmers markets, barbecues, and disc golf, just about a week before the horrible flooding that took place. Thankfully, Dylan's extended family who lives in Vermont were all okay, but I felt awful for the families, businesses, and people of Vermont seeing the flooding on the news just a few days after we had been there.
My parents met up with us in New Hampshire, and we also had a ton of fun the four of us! We made lots of delicious dinners in our Airbnb, star gazed, went kayaking and swimming, played miniature golf, and listened to lots of great music on the porch. Dylan really lucked out with the beautiful Airbnb he found in the North Conway area. It was fantastic!
And of course, no trip to North Conway would be complete without a stop to Wicked Fresh for gluten-free burgers and fries! I highly recommend going here for their gluten-free options and allergen protocols. It's a must-visit for Dylan and I whenever we are hiking near here, and a place you can read about inside my New Hampshire gluten-free dining guide.
TNF Eats in July 2023
While this month was a bit quiet in terms of traveling...I did have some delicious gluten-free summer food here in New England, plus tried a new 100% gluten-free restaurant this month!
And to be honest, a lot of my eats in Vermont and New Hampshire were just revisiting old favorites, and not that many new places. I've gone ahead and updated these gluten-free dining guides for you here in case you want to read them!
Gluten-Free Vermont Dining Guide
Gluten-Free New Hampshire Dining Guide
Another thing that I've been LOVING is the fact that our CSA is in full swing! It starts every year in mid June but really picks up in July and August. We've had quite the bounty so far this year, and lots of yummy fruit too! My favorites so far have been the zucchini (enormous), black raspberries, and watermelon. Yum!
Our CSA runs from mid June until October every year. I love supporting local farmers in our area and having access to such delicious organic produce (plus, we get a lot of interesting fruits and vegetables we normally wouldn't buy!)
Woodman's: Essex, Massachusetts
Woodman's is a famous seafood establishment on the North Shore of Boston Everything at Woodman's is gluten-free except their clam cakes, onion rings, and sandwiches. They have celiac protocols, dedicated fryers, and incredibly tender, mouthwatering fried fish. Even the trays for gluten-free are red to indicate the allergen.
We stopped her on a sunny Sunday afternoon and actually ran into our friends Mollie (who also has celiac!) and her husband Seth, plus their new puppy, Pepper! So we all sat together on one of the picnic tables outside and chatted for a while. It was a lovely surprise!
DragonFly Café, Lowell, Massachusetts (100% GF)
NEW! A fantastic find for a 100% gluten-free cafe with tons of dairy-free options too. I would absolutely LOVE going back here, except it's a bit far from me all the way north in Lowell (almost on the New Hampshire border).
Dragonfly Café is bright, open, and very new, with tons of plants, pretty furnishings, and an extensive menu. They have smoothies, sandwiches, bowls, salads, and wraps, and of course everything is 100% gluten-free because it's a completely dedicated gluten-free facility. You can order things to go or just sit down and take a number, and they'll bring your order out to you.
Dylan and I opted for sandwiches as we were there in the afternoon. I got a grilled cheese panini with pesto and tomato (Yum, and I was very impressed with their pesto. I'm super picky when it comes to pesto, and they nailed it!) and Dylan opted for a breakfast wrap with eggs, bell peppers, cheese, and a spicy aioli. He also said it was really tasty!
To learn more about Dragonfly Cafe, check out their website here for their full menu, or follow them on social media. They also many vegan, dairy-free, and paleo options, and can cater/customize to lots of dietary needs with really great food!
TNF Reflections on July 2023
After the craziness that was May and June in terms of traveling, it was actually kind of nice to have a more calm July, with only our week-long stay with family up in Vermont/New Hampshire. It was a much slower pace and gave us time to relax, play games, and enjoy quality time together. Since our parents both live out of state, this time is special to us!
Other things we've been up to in July is house hunting. We've been trying to find a house on and off since spring of 2020, but have taken breaks. It's a really tough market out there, so we have spent a lot of our weekends at open houses and trying to make quick decisions. It's not easy making such a BIG life decision in a short amount of time. Because if you don't go see the house during the Open House on the Saturday, it'll likely be contingent by Monday (or now, even Sunday, because it's gotten even more competitive!).
Of course, we're frustrated as we didn't plan to be in this apartment THIS long, but I'm also grateful we have a safe, comfortable place to live while we continue our search. I know the right house will come along, and it will all work out in the end. I'm just putting it out in the universe and detaching from the timeline, because that's all you can do!
TNF Travels for August
Right now I don't have any official travels planned for August, but I'm trying to squeeze in a trip to Florida before summer is over, if I can! Stay tuned to see if I actually make that happen or not by following me on the 'gram!
You can read the previous month's recaps on the blog right here.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @thenomadicfitz for updates on what I'm doing, where I'm traveling, and what I'm eating.
Looking for more celiac travel posts?
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Do you have celiac AND IBS? I do too. Here's how I manage both when traveling.
Get my gluten-free travel guides to Boston, New York, Madrid, Buenos Aires (plus many more) here!
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