DAY 10: Chance Meetings or Divine Intervention?

Observation of the day

The result of a year+ of COVID – everyone is hitting the roads! In the past 10 days, I’ve seen many, many multigenerational families vacationing together & today, on a Thursday at 11:30am, the Hartford Airport actually had NO parking at the terminal!

 

Quote of the day

“So you mean Julia Roberts isn’t here?” – spoken jokingly by JM as we succumbed to trying out Mystic Pizza, immortalized in the 1988 movie of the same name and which launched Julia into stardom.

 

Loved, loved, loved seeing the dogs 
romping at the museum!

VM: As I had a foggy evening yesterday, I decided to get up early today to walk around Portsmouth before my 9AM departure to pick up John in Hartford, CT. I was so happy I set the alarm as I was delighted to walk by the Strawberry Banke Museum just blocks from my inn and find it was a doggie park in the mornings! It was literally a mosh pit of mostly big dogs (lots of Labs which appears to be New Englanders favorite breed) running around next to the 18^th century homes. When I asked one of the owners about it, she explained the president of the museum wants it to be a “living” museum that is used daily by people. So humans (and dogs) walk through the site in the mornings 7-8am and again in the evenings after the museum has closed. I just thought it was awesome.

 

After getting my doggie fix, I meandered. Portsmouth is really a groovy little city. It feels like Boston’s younger sibling and also has a Savannah/Charleston feel. Essentially, a port city. The architecture is really beautiful & I love that the homes are incredibly loved. They are painted beautiful hues and many proudly display signs of when the homes were built and sometimes, who built them. Overall, I look forward to coming back, especially to The Sailmaker’s House, my wonderful hotel which was originally built in 1800.

There is a lot of love & care in Portsmouth homes.

Even the kayak rental shack is picturesque!

Can't get enough of the flowers!

Love the colorful hues of the Portsmouth homes.

 

 

My inn built in 1800 for John H. Holbrook -- the sailmaker who made 
sails for the ships at the Navy yard and throughout the seacoast. I also
noticed that many Portsmouth homes (including my inn) don't use the 
original front door. Haven't deciphered why.

After an easy 2.5 hour drive, I arrived to collect JM from the very busy Hartford Airport. We drove directly to Noank, CT to have lunch at Ford’s (https://www.fordslobster.com). A couple in Maine had told me about the restaurant and upon reading the many great reviews and seeing the setting, I thought it would be a great spot to welcome JM to New England. Ford’s is definitely off-the-beaten-path, but extremely popular with locals. As JM pointed out, most of the license plates in the parking lot were from CT. 

 

They take no reservations and while JM wasn’t thrilled to hear we had a 45-minute wait, he was a good sport & went with the flow. Ford’s is a BYOB spot so while we were waiting to be seated, JM and I walked by the gorgeous homes at the waterfront to the package store. A nice cashier helped us select a light but delicious local beer called Connecticut Casual. Back to the restaurant we trekked, and within no time, they sat us on what essentially is a railing along the pier. They sat us next to an older couple who caught my eye right away as the gentleman was wearing a “Lehigh ‘59” ball cap. My dad also graduated from Lehigh in 1959. I couldn’t believe the Providence of that. While the man didn’t know my father, we enjoyed hearing about how he and his wife met while in Lehigh. Then, they also shared that one of their sons was a veterinarian! Ultimately, we had a nice time talking with them. 

Ford's has tables for bigger groups, but seats couples along the railing on the dock.

Love the buoys!

 

They finished their lunch and left and a new couple was seated next to us. Again, they were an older couple and this gentleman was wearing a “Navy Veteran” ball cap. My dad served in the Navy after graduating from college so yep, I was pretty much wondering what was going on! Again, we had a really nice time talking with this couple (even JM said so, and he admits he’s typically anti-social!)

 

My yummy lobster roll & beer!

OH! And the food was AMAZING! I had a lobster roll and JM had the lobster thermidor, a lobster concoction with asparagus and tomatoes in a tarragon cream sauce. He ate every bite. 

The views from the restaurant are wonderful.

 

This gorgeous home in Mystic was originally built in 1853 by the town banker.

The Harp & Hound was a
fun little Irish pub

After our delicious lunch, we went to our hotel. In the late afternoon, we headed out to Mystic to explore. After walking in the warm sun we had a drink at a local Irish pub and later in the evening, JM requested a stop at Mystic Pizza. Because, why not?!? We split a small pie and I will say, the pizza was really quite good. The spot gets crowded because of the movie, but the truth is it brings people back because of the pizza!

 

About the closest JM was getting to Julia at Mystic Pizza.

Tomorrow we spend the morning at the Coast Guard Academy. We are eager to hear about EM’s week. HM is home enjoying some “me time” and managing the pet menagerie on her own for a few days!

Random Pics of the Day

As we drive through these gorgeous New England towns, one of my

favorite things is seeing DIY "flower shops" like this one in Noank, where

folks sell a bouquet or small arrangement of fresh cut flowers (typically for $5)

 from their gardens.