It was cold and rained off and on the next day,
but we didn't let it keep us inside. The four of us started the day at
Strawbery
Banke Museum, an outdoor living history museum of 32 houses and 10
gardens in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We were there as it opened
and explored the preserved and restored buildings. One of the unusual things
about these museum houses is that they haven't restored back to just one
time period, but have buildings devoted to various time periods from the
late 1600s through the 1950s.
Not all of the buildings were open. Flags hung outside
those which were open, with the flag representing the period that home's
furnishings represented. Some of the structures offered exhibits, while
others were fully furnished and sometimes had costumed docents in character
as a resident of the home. The lady in the Marden-Abbott House was the
first role player we encountered and did a nice job of greeting us like
we were seeking employment and housing in Portsmouth during World War II.
All but one of the buildings are in their original location.
Marden-Abbott House and Store (set for 1943)
We left Strawbery Banke in time to catch a noon cruise
with Portsmouth Harbor Cruises. Many attractions in the region were
already closed for the winter and this cruise was PHC's final cruise of
the season. We took the Inland River & Foliage Cruise, about 8 miles
up the Piscataqua and Cocheco Rivers. Although it was far past peak for
fall colors, there were still some beautiful stretches and gorgeous individual
trees. We had a good time, but it was cold sitting at the bow of the boat
and there was no place to really get warm.
Portsmouth Harbor from the tour dock
These three Moran Towing tug boats move all the large ships up and
down the Piscataqua River
Dependable - a 456' long cable laying vessel
Lobster boat "Laura Beth"
Little Bay Lobster Company's fleet of 11 boats fish 100-200 miles offshore,
7-10 days at a time.
George's Marina on the Cocheco River in Dover, New Hampshire
Immature bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Along the Eliot, Maine side of the Piscataqua River (prints
of this photo)
Sarah Mildred Long Bridge and Memorial Bridge (distance) between Kittery
and Portsmouth
The Sarah Mildred Long Bridge just opened in March. The roadway is
raised to allow large boats to pass
or lowered to allow trains to cross the river.
We returned to Strawbery Banke following the cruise, and
visited several other buildings before closing time at 5 PM. There was
still a handful of buildings we had not visited and we could have returned
the following day on the same ticket, but we spent Monday doing other things.
Demonstrating weaving in the Traditional Craft Center
Portsmouth and the Piscataqua River from our house (prints
of this photo)
In the evening, we had supper at Warren's Lobster House
in Kittery, Maine where Linda and I had our only whole lobsters
of the trip. They were small lobsters and I also had seafood casserole
of scallops, haddock and shrimp.
seafood casserole
1 pound Maine Lobster
