DAY 9: A Foggy New England

 

 

Observation of the day

Cool stuff can come out of wrong turns.

 

Quote of the day

“Seattle called, it wants it’s weather back.” – spoken by a shopkeeper in Portsmouth, New Hampshire when commenting on the crazy foggy weather the city is experiencing.

 

VM: Around mid-morning today, I reluctantly said good-bye to my sweet inn in Boothbay Harbor and started heading south. I made a stop in Freeport, Maine, to visit the L.L. Bean flagship store which is a bit of a shopping mecca in the state. I have to admit, it was really something. I particularly loved the home goods store as it had many wonderful items. I had to restrain myself.

Never seen displays like this!

 

Fun stuff everywhere at L.L. Bean.

Next, I went on a specific mission to Kennebunkport, Maine, to visit a pottery shop, The Good Earth, which the girls and I discovered a decade ago. The owner & artist was still there and he still maintains the same philosophy – they don’t have a website, they don’t ship, so you buy it and take it with you or you don’t get it at all. He makes beautiful items worth making the repeat visits. 

 

Finally, upon Lisa’s urging, I checked out The Kittery Trading Post (http://www.kitterytradingpost.com) in Kittery, Maine, which is nearly in New Hampshire. Again, I had to restrain!

 

Happy door at my inn and happy
quote at my room's door!

At 2pm I was notified by my Inn that my room was ready so I drove into Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I’m staying at The Sailmaker’s House (https://www.sailmakershouse.com). From the moment I arrived to find a bright yellow door greeting me, I knew I had picked the right spot. The inn is an old home which has been beautifully converted into a boutique hotel. Every detail is done to perfection and best of all, it’s within walking distance to the heart of Portsmouth, the Market Square area.

 

As I only had this afternoon, I chose to visit the Strawberry Banke Museum (https://www.strawberybanke.org). Just a 7-minute walk from my hotel, it is actually a collection of homes which have been preserved to show what the Portsmouth waterfront was like from the 1700s to the 1950s. If you have visited Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts or Williamsburg in Virginia, it has the same feeling. The difference is the preservation group here has made an effort to show what these homes were like through the years NOT just during colonial times. It’s actually very interesting as this area, known as the Puddle Dock, in the early 1900’s largely housed immigrants who originally came for fishing or ship-building. As these industries waned, the Puddle Dock area became lined with JUNKYARDS. In the 1950s, this area was almost completed razed, but a group of Portsmouth preservationists worked to save it. They continue to raise money to maintain the homes. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience.

The Portsmouth waterfront known as the Puddle Dock.

One of my favorite homes at the museum.

The corner store.

Inside the store, it was filled with items from the time period (40s/50s). Note 
the Snickers next to the Chiclets.

No CostCo for the Puddle Dock residents!

Love learning architectural tidbits like this.

An 18th century STEEP staircase. Each plank is about four inches wide. The 
stairs in my hotel are just like this!

Thinking of EM in the
Coast Guard Academy!

Afterwards, upon the recommendation of my friend, Kathy, back home, I went for an early supper at The Portsmouth Gaslight Company (https://www.portsmouthgaslight.com). The downstairs

Delicious pizza joint!

 part of this restaurant is a pizza pub. It was yummy. Fortified, I walked towards the waterfront. I happened upon a harbor cruise, but when I arrived, the young man at the booth said it was canceled because of poor weather. Pivoting, I decided to stop for a beer overlooking the harbor and within 10 minutes, I saw firsthand why the cruise was canceled. While the weather had been overcast and misty, within minutes the fog rolled in and just got thicker, even obscuring the huge bridge into Portsmouth. It felt just like San Francisco!

While I was watching this phenomena, I had the pleasure of talking with a young couple on their “babymoon” who happened to be from Sarasota, FL. The dad-to-be was Brazilian and the mom-to-be was from El Salvador and we found many things in common to chat about including parenthood, traveling, working, etc. etc. I enjoyed their company.

 

Still jamming in the fog!

Finally, I started making my way back to my inn and a wrong turn took me to Prescott Park (https://www.prescottpark.org) where they were having a free outdoor concert (even in the FOG!) I only made it for the last several songs, but it was fun to experience the local vibe.

 

Tomorrow I’m excited for JM to arrive!

Random Pic of the Day

Clearly New Hampshire fisherman aren't easily deterred by weather conditions!