Rosy was here this week and Friday found us restless and ready to roll. We had been thinking of an overnight trip to Maine, or a day trip to the beach, or something, but timing and weather and ambition failed us, so when Friday arrived we had the desire to go but no real plans. Sometimes that’s the best way! It was a chilly day, so we headed first to the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover. We’ve never been there, but I have a museum pass that gets us into many different museums and that’s one of them so I figured it would be a good first stop.
The museum was small, but it had a some fun exhibits and it was perfect for our day trip.
I tried to make a video of it because it’s cool to watch, but unfortunately the plexiglass made it hard to see. If you watch this in full-screen you can mostly see Lex coming through.
After the museum we went on a hunt for lunch. It was around 2pm, so we were all hungry and ready to eat! We found a nice bagel place by the river and we sat out on the deck to eat. It was lovely.
During lunch we made a plan to drive to the coast and look for lighthouses. With a little help from the Internet we found lighthouses on New Castle island off the coast of Portsmouth. We headed that way!
When we got there we discovered that not only were there two lighthouses, but also Fort Constitution, which used to be used to guard Portsmouth harbor and the Piscataqua River. To get to the fort we had to follow a blue line through a Coast Guard base, with lots of warnings to those who dared stray. We explored the fort for awhile and wished we could get closer to the lighthouses (which apparently I didn’t take any pictures of!)
After leaving the fort we decided to head south to Wallis Sands beach to dip our toes in the ocean. The day was too chilly for swimming, but we didn’t want to get that close and not touch the Atlantic!
As we drove I made a last minute decision to head north instead, towards York Beach in Maine. Globe-trotting Rosy had never been to Maine so we decided to make it happen right then and there!
We stopped first at another lighthouse, one we’ve been to before several years ago.
After a little exploring there we hopped back in the car and drove directly to the beach! However, on the way we remembered the taffy shop at the beach and decided maybe we needed some taffy in our bellies before hitting the sandy shores.
Then, finally, we headed for the water. By this time it was about six o’clock and only 65°, and breezy, of course. The tide was coming in and the waves were crashing.
Late, cold, windy… but nothing can stop these two!
We really need to spend more time at the ocean. Next summer I’d love to stay for a few days. Maybe we can get a house at a less popular beach and just chill with the ocean for awhile. Who’s in?!
Although I packed suits, towels, and extra clothes at the start of our trip, by the time we reached the beach I didn’t expect them to actually swim so I only brought one towel down to the shore. Luckily they are good at sharing. Eve kept laughing and running away, which made the rest of us laugh because she was the chilly one.
When we got back to parking car I got more towels and dry clothes for them. Then I remembered that I should get a picture of me and Rosy! We were there too! :)
By this point it was late and we were hungry, so we walked over to a local pizza place. On the way we saw a bowling alley and Lex decided he really wanted to go bowling. He really, really wanted to go bowling. We got done with dinner around 8pm, but he had been so nice and so sweet all day I couldn’t bring myself to say no to bowling, so bowling we went! Rosy and Eve opted out of the fun and went in search of ice cream instead.
One quick game and we headed for the car, everyone happy and exhausted!
wow I LOVE THIS POST!!!! Everything about it!!
I keep getting so sad that I am missing them growing up, and they’ll be teenagers next time I see them, but the video of lex at the science museum and his excited dance after, made me smile.
I would LOVE to spend a week at the beach with you.
XOXO to everyone.
You all look REALLY GREAT by the water, so healthy and happy!
Ah, Dover! Portsmouth! Rocky ocean in the cold!!!! What a perfect day trip. I love that the kids swam in their clothes. :)