August…The Dog Days of Summer!

With summer flying by every good weekend should be enjoyed to the fullest. That is exactly what we did. My brother, Richard and his wife Monique invited us to spend the weekend at their home in Manchester.


Today's Adventure Foursome!

The sun was bright and the temperature in the mid seventies made the traveling down through Franconia Notch a delight. This particular Friday afternoon seemed filled with tourists stopped at all of the attractions in the mountains. It was the last weekend before the kids returned to school and families took advantage for one last summer outing.
Richard got out of work at three and we arrived shortly thereafter. They live on the third floor of a condo complex overlooking the Merrimack River. Their balcony is always a cozy place to sit, watch the river, wildlife and people walking about the neighborhood.

Shady place to eat and relax!

Later, Monique prepared some Chinese dishes that would rival any Chinese Chef. From the “Egg Drop Soup” to the “Spicy Chicken Bundles” presented on a wrap of lettuce. Of course, Monique and I love the Chinese “Hot” mustard.

Flowers were well taken care of!

After dinner, we took a ride around Manchester with my brother describing many landmarks in the downtown. He always comes up with a different tour of interest which keeps us looking right and left as he explains the new buildings. We parked the car and walked on Elm street. It is fascinating to see how many restaurants have sprung up on Elm street. Many of them have tables on the sidewalks with people enjoying the warm weather and of course, the food and wine. A lot of young city adults only start to come out to dinner around 9 pm.  Us older Boomers start thinking of that recliner around 9 pm. We headed for the condo and chatted for awhile before going to bed. It was a good “Dog Day of Summer”.

Beautiful Harbor

Saturday, we would head south to the coast. The Massachusetts town of Newburyport was our destination. Helen and I have never explored this community. Richard and Monique have and this was a perfect day for this outing. Driving across the high arc drawbridge we could see countless boats on both sides of the bridge. The town sets directly on the other side of Merrimack River. We took the exit and entered a parking lot by the park. The stroll through the park down to the harbor and dock was full of people and their dogs. I must note that there was an usual amount of dogs with their owners. This must be a regular place for walking dogs because the canines were all well behaved and seemed to enjoy the other dogs company. 
Next, we headed for the town square. This a typical New England port town, with street going askew in different directions with motorist waiting for traffic lights to turn green. Meanwhile, tourist delightfully walking around admiring the architecture, people, shops and of course the flowers in full bloom! In one British shoppe, I asked the lady if she had a British accent? "No" she said, "Scottish", "Ah, I see" or I should have said I heard. The little shop had a good selection of teas from around the world. It was nice to smell the samples.

On the Draw Bridge!

Vintage Downtown... Newburyport, MA

Flower Galore!

 It was time for lunch and Richard suggested Michael's Harborside Restaurant which is situated right on the water front. We were early and had our choice of tables to view the harbor with the drawbridge and sailboats cruising by. The lunch menu was loaded with many appetizing choices. We were each happy with our choices from lobster to a half rack of spare ribs.
After lunch, a short walk up onto the drawbridge to see it open and watch tall sail boats easily pass the channel towards the ocean. The view from on the bridge was stunning!  The summer is winding down and this weekend here in Newburyport, people were taking advantage of this fine time of the year.
We headed back to Manchester and again relaxed on the deck and watched the day come to the end.

That is what we saw and did!

Window Boxes and the bricks!

Perfect Day...Thanks Rich!