Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a wonderful place to visit. All day you imagine what your life would look like if you lived there. Who are the people who do live there? We go every time we visit New Hampshire, and this trip was no different. It's a tangle of fun, sea food, a little bit of granola, mixed with a smack of hippie, a dash of well-to-do hipster, and a pile of yuppie. We always come to shop around, check out the art galleries, the cooky shops, and always to try a new restaurant.

This year we spotted a fish shack on the water that served the best fish and chips I've ever had. The fish was caught earlier that morning. Haddock. Apparently something popular in New England, though I can't say I have ever heard of it before. We were seated on the deck right above the water. There was plastic fastened all around the deck rails, presumably to keep stray silverware and ladies' purses from failing into the briny deep. Here are my views from our table:

The tugboat came in just before we ordered.

Mr. M and me

Mom and me

Pretty Mama

Maine, across the harbor.

After lunch, we strolled around town. Down the road along the harbor, you can take a garden staircase back to the center of town: