My 48 hours spent in Portsmouth was a whirlwind of a trip. This is why it’s taken me a couple days to catch up on here! In such a short amount of time, I had the pleasure of catching up with four friends from college who I haven’t seen in roughly five year, for the first time meeting one of their little girls who is super adorable and looks at the world with curious eyes and most of all see one of my dearest friends marry the man of her dreams in one of the most beautiful and simplistic weddings I’ve had the pleasure of attending. To say that I have been blessed with the people who I have had come into my life, is an understatement and it allows me to further my belief that everyone we meet in this journey holds a place and a reasoning. Now – let’s get to the good stuff.

Saturday, was an adventure and there were simply not enough hours in the day. Is there ever? I woke up to see an enormous blue sky, bright white clouds with the ocean only feet from where I was staying. I found myself nestled in the tiny town of Hampton Beach, in the off season, oh what a perfect vacation. I can only imagine how beyond hectic it must seem in the summer however on this late January weekend where the weather was so mild it felt like spring, it was perfect. Oh, let’s all just let out a huge exhale! I woke up and envisioned a long walk on the beach to take pictures and only ended with my eyes wandering the sand to find sea shells that my mother taught me to do as a child and just enjoying being back on the East Coast.

There is a certain “je ne sais quoi” about being back on the beach of the Atlantic. Maybe it’s the ugly brown colored sand and the cold water, the rustic homes, the overall feeling of being back on the East coast. I’m a proud Yankee.

Seriously, just take a second and take it in.

   

I couldn’t spend all day perusing on the beach. I had a full day ahead, one that I already knew was going to fly by and I had to try to make sure that I was able to try to hold on and enjoy every second. For lunch, I was meeting two great friends from college for lunch in Portsmouth. I couldn’t wait. These guys were awesome and I knew whether reminising about college or just talking about what’s going on currently in our lives was going to make me laugh. We ate at this little restaurant and it fixed my seafood fix even more delicious than I had imagined. I’ll post more about this gift from the food gods later. Getting a little ahead of myself here.

Lyndsey, a friend from college, had suggested that I take a drive down scenic Route 1A which follows the Atlantic Coast up to Portsmouth. I had actually taken the drive on Friday night when I went to dinner with another friend from college and if I could somehow be this amazed seeing the homes at night, I couldn’t wait to see them during the day! So after I got done perusing the beach in the morning, I set off for a little drive on my own and then took it again on my way to Portsmouth for lunch with Chris and Cody!

Just about a mile down the road, I found some surfers. Not just some, but there was a whole bunch! There were so many in the water. I was amazed. As weird as it is, they reminded me of some kind of black shark in the water. It was fun watching them though. Maybe next time I’ll have to try.

 

It never seems like I could soak in enough of the scenery. I think I drove by this little cove about six times. I had to stop and wish I had more time to grab some shots of the boats. Some are just for recreation. Some of for fishing. Either way, they have many stories to tell of the days on the water. I think this is Rye Harbor but not 100% but definitely near Rye.

The homes are all so very characteristic with their wooden tiles, boards along the windows and old antique charm. These walls hold stories which go back many generations. I think what has intrigued my attention the most on this trip is in fact how much history belongs in this area and it really hit me when I was in Portsmouth and saw the “Founded in 1623” plaque. Talk about old. Seriously, think about the history in these homes. The families and maybe even the generations that have lived here. The stories of the storms off the coasts, the visitors that have come thru the doors. I would love to walk thru some of these homes and hear the history. Amazing.

So here are a few of the ones that caught my eye.

How can you not love this house?! It looks like a home from the movies. I could sit on that porch ALL DAY! Kind of makes you want to have a big ole family gathering on the beach, cooking some good BBQ and seafood after a long day on the beach and watching the sunset over the ocean.

View of the shore and Chris’ dirty windshield, haha!

I’m calling this house the White House of Rye, NH. Massive.

Seeing these homes, it really makes me want to go knock on their door and ask them what they do for work.

Gorgeous!

I miss seeing stone walls in Texas and they are everywhere along the coast!

These two homes are so cute. They’re not too big, not too small and have just the right porch!

They’re just missing the porch swing! (If you haven’t noticed, a house isn’t a house without a good porch!)

This house (below) actually creeps me out, immensely. It looks haunted. I don’t do haunted. I like the stories but I don’t want to experience anything. It’s probably not haunted.

And finally, right before we were getting into Portsmouth.

I realize I posted a lot of pictures of the homes but in all honesty you can’t help but be mesmerized. They have such character and history. If you are ever in this area or even close, take the time for a drive down Route 1A. You’ll find yourself pulling over and “ooo”‘ing and “awww”‘ing over the sights. Much Love! I’ll be back! 

Stay tuned for my tour of Portsmouth!

Bevo, I don’t think we’re in Texas anymore.

(The Gilley’s in Texas is a huge Honky Tonk – can we say Urban Cowboy? This Gilley’s is a hot dog stand.)

“Bright eyed and bushy tailed” is not exactly the right description for me at 4:45am this morning. I’m not really sure if that’s ever been a saying that would describe me in the morning, except if maybe I’ve had a Sunkist – that seems to do the trick. 4:45am, that’s the time that I woke up this morning. Did I mention it was 15 minutes before my alarm was to go off? It’s so awesome when it works out that way and I mean that with the most sarcasm but I had a flight to catch. For the most part I was ready for my trip to New Hampshire, all except the part of being awake that is.

I was headed to New Hampshire to attend a wedding of a former roommate who is getting married in Hampton. Not only am I attending the wedding but while in the area I’m planning on meeting up with a few friends from college who I haven’t seen in around five years (since before I moved to Texas). It’s amazing how much time goes by and how much all of our lives have changed, or not changed but one thing is constant. We’ve stayed in touch. College really is the time that you meet some of the greatest people in your life.

First thing was first though… I had to get there. Flight number one from Dallas/Ft. Worth to the home of Drew Carey – Cleveland. The morning was beautiful and calming. Sitting on the tarmac, the sun was starting to rise off in the distance behind the skyline of Dallas. Once we left the ground, one could see the lights of the neighborhoods below. I’ve always loved to look at the lights of a city and as flat as Texas is, from the sky it’s a prime viewing local. As we begin to land in Cleveland, I’m pleasantly surprised as we make our way thru the clouds and I see a snow covered land. Oh how I miss the snow! I was reminded how cold it was when I walked off my first flight and not only could feel the cold thru my fleece jacket but I could also see my breath. “I should’ve brought a thicker coat.” Ah well. Sitting in the airport, I see snow flurries slowly floating down from the cloudy sky and land in what has become a slush filled airport.

Second flight leaves slightly late but I make it in Manchester! I meet up with an old co-worker and we pick up our rental car and headed to the hotel. This is the first time I’ve been to Hampton Beach and I already love it. As a child, we use to vacation in Old Orchard Beach in Maine every year and coming back to the east coast, I forgot how much I love the beach here. The homes on the coast are even more amazing! There is so much character! More to come on that later.

For dinner, I met an old college friend and we checked out the Portsmouth Brewery and also checked out a bit of Portsmouth. If anyone knows the name of this church, please let me know. It was love at first sight. It was gorgeous and these pictures don’t do it any justice.

Alright – that’s all for tonight. I’m so tired! I’ve got to get ready for tomorrow so I can take a ton of pictures for you all! Good nigh ya’ll!