Just in the nick of time

PORTSMOUTH 2022 / #1

Sometimes things happen just in the nick of time…

This vacation is like that for me. It couldn’t come soon enough to reset my perspective and help me regroup. Unlike in other years, I don’t need the vacation because things are too crazy – I need it because things are too slow. I need my energy back and my goals reenergized.

And so I think this little sojourn comes just in the nick of time.

I’m in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Why Portsmouth, you say? Well, a Facebook friend posted pics from a trip here (staying in a swanky hotel), and I thought it looked lovely. I can run some bucket list day trips from here as well – more on those this week.

SUNDAY – On the road and a surprise

I have started taking my long vacation drives in two legs, so my first stop was in Niantic, Connecticut, where I stayed in the lovely Inn at Harbor Hill Marina. What a treat! It is located at the marina as advertised, and is quintessentially a New England beach B&B.

A little background before I get to the surprise: If I talked to you about the trip before I left you know that one of the small disappointments in my planning was that there would be no harbor cruises – which is a real shame in a harbor town like Portsmouth. But waiting until hotel prices came down meant that a number of the things I would have wanted to do are closed for the season.

Well, I got to Niantic just before 5 pm to find out that their last harbor cruise of the season was scheduled for 5:30. I was just in the nick of time! And it was a gorgeous sunset cruise on a pontoon boat with just Captain Nick (I kid you not) and a friendly couple from New York City…

MONDAY – Going back in time

Monday, I had a glorious breakfast on the porch and then got on the road to Portsmouth.

View from by breakfast spot on the porch. Breathe!

I figured I would be too late to see autumn in New England, but when I drove through the beautiful eastern hills of Connecticut and Massachusetts, the trees were still displaying their last fall colors of rust, and brick red, and deep gold. Lovely. So it turns out I came up just in the nick of time.

Upon arriving in New Hampshire, I went straight to the Strawbery Banke Museum, a 10-acre spot that has preserved a set of homes built in one particular neighborhood of Portsmouth in its early history. Many are redecorated to reflect life back then. I got to hear some interesting backstories and see demonstrations of weaving and baking as well.

One of the houses was decorated in the style of the early 1950s (see kitchen and living room above), which gave me flashbacks. I was born in 1959, of course, but the console TV, the ashtrays, the number painting of the Last Supper, the TV trays, the old phone… some of that brought back memories.

This particular spot in Portsmouth used to be an inlet, which is why people settled here to set up trading. They have been building ships here for generations as well. The grounds are now filled in, forming a large green space, but the museum trustees are planning for sea level rise. Already, the place floods relatively often and the historic sites are in danger.

It was an interesting, educational excursion for a few hours. And Monday was the last open day for Strawbery Banke before it closed for the season. Got here just in the nick of time.

TUESDAY – R&R

Today (Tuesday), I went exploring in Portsmouth. An old, small city, but with some charming shops and an energetic vibe. Being right on the water, though, the weather forecasting is dicey at best. What was supposed to be a surprisingly warm day was cloudy and damp.

Still, I made good on my plan to walk the streets, shop the shops, and see the town. And I came back to my home-away-from-home before the actual rain started… you guessed it, just in the nick of time.

The two pictures just above are of my quarters for the duration.
First, my front door – and then a shot of my room (kitchen is behind me).
The Inn Downtown

More vacation adventures to come… stay tuned.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien