Thanks to the religious devotion of our Jewish brethren, Ginny had off four days in a row, so we headed off to New Hampshire for a scenic-historical holiday. On Day One, we saw some aging, full-of-character
industrial cities: funky Nashua, where we ate at a very nice Irish pub and saw their august Civil War monument in the town square (far left) ; Manchester, where the NH comic-con was being held; and charming Concord, home of the Franklin Pierce house (above center). On Day Two, we headed for the hills, passing through a pretty breathtaking lakes region. We had lunch at Dot’s Bread and Butter, where contrary to the name, we received neither bread not butter. We then went up through the White mountains, saw a charming town called Littleton where a store boasts the longest candy counter in the world, and brooks no disagreement (above right). Also passed 
through a beautiful town called Bethlehem, which sits at the highest elevation of any town east of the Rockies. We spent the night at the incredible Bretton Woods, the amazing resort where the International Monetary Fund was established after World War II. We then drove south, saw more lake communities, passed through Dover, and ate lunch at Hampton Beach (above left). The boardwalk was a little too honky-tonkish for our tastes–I know, what should we have expected?–but the air was clear and the ocean calm and the lobster rolls meaty and delicious (above center). We then proceeded to Portsmouth, which is quaint and lovely and charming and fun and historical. We saw the house where John Paul Jones lived (above right), but David Farragut’s house was obscured. I really liked it. Then it was home again, and glad of it.
