Portsmouth
The reason for this whole trip! What it was all based around…Portsmouth!
My brother moved to New Hampshire from California during Covid.
Literally, he and his wife sold their home, packed up the family, and moved across the country within a matter of weeks and landed in this beautiful town.
I’ve seen pictures over the years and always had a tinge of jealousy for the picturesque quaintness of their new town.
Seriously, everything is pretty here.
Everything.
It’s a little ridiculous.
It also helps that my brother is a professional photographer with an amazing eye, so he’s always capturing beauty in any shot he takes.
(Which, selfishly, is really convenient and means I don’t have to take pictures while with him. So I am just snagging a few of his and Justin’s photos to use here.)
Thanks guys!
Before we loaded up for the short drive to Kevin’s house, we did Justin’s most favorite thing - climb rocks. He’s like a little kid anytime he sees a boulder or collection of rocks. It’s like Edley and sand. He HAS to go climb or jump on them and has now passed that love onto the kids. So we spent the morning climbing on rocks near the lighthouse and then headed out.
We were going to stay at a campground a little north of town, but ended up just parking in my brother’s drive.
Of course I was nervous we wouldn’t fit and the streets would be too narrow, but Justin wasn’t hearing any of that.
Once again, he was right and I’m glad he didn’t listen to my naysaying. Staying with them was the best decision of the week.
All except that I seriously felt like cousin Eddie!
Oh my goodness. we ARE cousin Eddie, aren’t we?!?!
(Face palm)
Ironically, we had perfect weather for the entire trip - cool and sunny - until New Hampshire..
But in all truth, the rain worked out quite well.
Instead of heading out and seeing everything, we stayed in and got to see what we really came for - family.
I adore my brother and spending time with his family is always refreshing.
Over the weekend, the rain did stop and we got to see my nephew play soccer and visit my niece at her jobs. My kiddos got to make fresh bread and homemade ice cream with their uncle. The cousins played basketball in the street until it was time to come in and fall asleep scattered all over the living room.
We walked the dogs at the Christmas tree farm at the end of their street where the sledding hill is and got to walk the dogs on the beach during breaks in the rain.
We got to see the cuteness of the downtown and more historic buildings.
We ate fresh lobster and more than our fair share of ice cream from cute road side stops.
At one stop, a kind gentleman bought all 9 of us ice cream because Justin let him know he had left the lights on in his vintage 1961 Porsche convertible. This man was very grateful to be saved the headache of a dead battery. But moreover, he was flattered that Justin told him he looked like a man who would own a vintage Porsche. Regardless, he was incredibly kind and treated us all even after we tried to tell him no. He wouldn’t hear of it and he for sure was the talk of the night. He made out-of-towners feel like very special guests.
It wasn’t until New Hampshire that I realized I wasn’t speaking much and that it was because I didn’t want to stand out like a sore thumb with my accent. And then on Sunday, a woman heard me say “y’all” when picking up the kids and immediately came over and asked if we were visiting.
Turns out, they are a homeschool family that have a camper and drive all over the country too! After chatting with them for a while and exchanging info, we saw their camper then headed off to join my brother at the local science museum that was having a festival.
Lesson for the day: don’t be self-conscious of saying y’all around northerners. You might just make a new friend.
Start to finish, this visit was just what we needed. A rest stop for this weary band of travelers. Not only were we physically refreshed, but emotionally as well. Our buckets were filled with all the laughter and connection that comes from being with loved ones.
This stop marks the halfway point of the trip and delineates the first half - all cities - from the second half - National Parks. The first half was pretty epic (as we found ourselves saying over and over), but the second half, turns out, was going to be equally as special.
