Manchester (Manny) Moose
In May of 2022, Bailey and I set off on the adventure of a lifetime by moving into a 24ft travel trailer RV and hitting the road full-time. The first month or so was a lot of learning and figuring out how to make this most cost effective and adventure packed. After staying at a couple Thousand Trails campgrounds, we finally decided that they were the most cost effective for our travel goals. Once we signed up for a membership, we decided that Maine was our destination goal. We booked 3 weeks in August in Ellsworth, Maine and then built our path hoping campground to campground to get there.
Once we reached Maine, we figured there was no way we would leave the state without seeing a Moose—this has been a huge goal of mine for a few years now. Well, we were wrong, our time in Maine came and went without sight of a moose. Though we loved Maine, we realized that it wasn’t the state we could see ourselves living in once we finally settle down—which is a secondary goal of us traveling the way we are.
Like many of our most memorable adventures, the unexpected places are the ones that gave us the most. We left Maine in late August and our next campground was in Concord, New Hampshire. We quickly realized that the Concord and Manchester area of New Hampshire had a lot that Bailey and I desire in a potential future home. It’s quiet with beautiful scenery.
This area of New Hampshire is just a short drive from the White Mountains and Mount Washington. We set aside one day to drive north and see what the White Mountains had to offer…they did not disappoint! While the eastern United States mountains may not reach the elevation of the western mountains, the scenery is very similar in beauty. The roads still wind and weave with the land the mountains provide and the rivers and streams still create beautiful imagery and sounds.
The White Mountains of New Hampshire
New Hampshire is another state that has plenty of moose, though perhaps not as much as Maine, there was still definitely the chance to spot a moose. Sadly, the only moose we saw were stuffed in the gift shops and welcome centers. This wasn’t all bad though… In the Littles & Bigs family, each member except me, has a stuffed moose that we call “Moose Moose”. When I came across the stuffed moose at one of the gift shops in the White Mountains, I couldn’t pass it up.
For a while I called it “Moose Moose” until a week ago when I was sitting at our RV dinette and decided to start a new illustration with my iPad. The stuffed moose was sitting on the table right next to me and I knew right away that it was going to be my subject. I had spent lots of time previously on other illustration projects and didn’t really like the result of most of them, but this one I just dove into and loved it. The drawing actually didn’t take very long to complete either.
Manchester “Manny” Moose sits on the RV dinette table with Liam’s Buffalo Sabres puck
Manny Moose with Liam’s Pirates and Red Sox baseball and Buffalo Sabres puck
During the illustration process, I realized that I should name the character. I had initially intended to include the name in the illustration, but decided against it and would only include it with specific designs. I did however name it the only thing that made sense, “Manchester” or “Manny” for short.
Manny Moose Graphic Timelapse Creation
Manny has now be added to multiple products that are available in my web store right now! These products have quickly become some of my favorites and I think they will become some of yours too.
