Renaissance on the Riverwalk

These signs were a great photo opp for many over the weekend

We spent the Memorial Day weekend at home in Nashua, NH. Despite the cooler and often rainy weather there was a lot of activity going on adjacent to our apartment residence.

Residents and city visitors lined the new river walk on Memorial Day weekend

Last weekend marked a 4-day celebration, Renaissance on the Riverwalk, to celebrate completion of the river park, Le Parc de Notre Renaissance Française, known locally as Renaissance Park, and a new walkway along the Nashua River. 

The event, which was coordinated by the Downtown Nashua Association and the city’s Department of Economic Development, brought many residents and out-of-towners to the city for events that included live music shows, a duck race, craft vendors, outdoor yoga, petting zoo, drone show and kayak parade.

Built along the Nashua River waterfront, the park includes a paved walkway, grassy areas, benches, a band shell with outdoor seating and a mural. 

La Dame de Notre Renaissance Française, the sculpture of a mill worker and her schoolboy son, remains the focal point of Renaissance Park. Mill workers were the driving force behind the city's transformation from a farming village to a major industrial hub. Employed primarily by the former Nashua Manufacturing Company and the Jackson Manufacturing Company, these mainly female workers fueled New England’s textile boom for over a century.

An estimated 5,000 ducks were dumped from the Main Street bridge

The highlight of Saturday afternoon was the return of the Rubber Duck Regatta with 5,000 ducks dropped into the Nashua River from the Main Street bridge. This fundraiser had community groups, businesses, and organizations competing to adopt the most ducks. The first duck to cross the finish line earned $1,500 for their team’s cause.

Once all the ducks were dropped, volunteers in kayaks helped wrangle the ducks and then collected them after the race completion.

These duck sculptures were installed on the river walk last week ase a permanent display. They were completed by Makeit Labs, the state's first community workshop and described as a volunteer collection of engineers, makers, hackers, inventors and tinkerers who "enjoy building cool things."

A new mural on the river walk

A new 70-foot-long mural along the north wall of the Water Street Bridge facing the Riverwalk shows highlights of the city's history. Students from Nashua high school helped artist Graham Carraway paint some of the mural. 

Some of the mural highlights include tributes to baseball, movie theaters and wildlife on the river. The Nashua Arts Commission hopes it will be a popular spot to socialize and take pictures.

The new riverwalk mural shows parts of Nashua's history

The 1948 Nashua Dodgers were the Class-B minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. They competed in the New England League and home games were played at Holman Stadium in Nashua, which today features summer collegiate baseball teams.

Downtown Nashua was once home to several single-screen venues that operated throughout the 20th century (State Theatre, Star Theatre, Tremont Theatre, Daniel Webster Theatre, Brandt Theatre and Nashua Mall Cinema). In 1896, the Nashua Theatre on Elm Street was the site of the first movie shown in the city. Today, none of these movie houses remain.

The fleur-de-lis in this egret mural is a nod to French mill workers

The Nashua River hosts a wide variety of marine life including geese, ducks, otters, herons, seagulls and turtles. This past week, a lone swan was seen on the river.

Lighted kayak parade on the Nashua River

Once the Saturday activities ended after sunset, kayaks and small boats floated downstream on the Nashua River decked out with lights and colorful decorations, before pulling off to the shoreline to take in the drone show, which started promptly at 9 p.m.

A colorful drone show capped Saturday's festivities

But, the evening's highlight was a lighted drone show over the river concurrent with the lighted kayak parade. The drone show was coordinated and staged by Sky Elements Drone Shows, which is the largest drone light show provider in the U.S. This first-time Nashua event was a huge hit producing the largest crowds of the weekend.

The drone images above depict Clocktower Apartments (formerly Nashua Manufacturing Company) and one of several mill towers in the area.

The Riverwalk is the new location for the weekly Sunday Farmers Market, which will continue through October with a rotating list of vendors. Unfortunately, rain on Monday morning cancelled the annual Memorial Day Parade.

Jazz guitarist & singer John Pizzarelli at Nashua Center for the Arts

We capped off the weekend by attending a show at the Nashua Center for the Arts featuring jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli with a musical tribute to the late Tony Bennett.

We couldn't resist a photo opportunity 

Being at home in Nashua, NH, was the best way to spend the Memorial Day weekend. Better yet, it was within steps of our apartment.

Memorial Day 2026

Memorial Day is a U.S. federal holiday to mourn and honor deceased American service men and women who have died in the line of duty. Volunteers will place flags on their graves in national and local cemeteries today. (Comments are off today.)

Field of Flags in Liberty Park, Hudson, NH

The Field of Flags is an annual event in Liberty Park in nearby Hudson, NH. This year over 200 flags were set up bearing the names of local heroes. The display remains in place from Memorial Day through Independence Day. The number of flags has grown annually. 

Today was first observed in 1868 as Decoration Day to honor Union soldiers who died in the American Civil War. Official recognition as a holiday spread among the states, beginning with NY in 1873, and by 1890, recognized by every state. It later expanded to become a day to remember U.S. military who fought and died in service during WWI and II. In 1871, Congress standardized its name to Memorial Day.

Many folks don’t know what they’re supposed to say today and often confuse the U.S. holidays of  Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day honors the dead; Veterans Day honors the living.

What to Avoid Saying 
Happy Memorial Day is considered inappropriate as the day honors fallen military personnel who died in service to their country, it's a solemn day of remembrance and not a celebration.

Thank you for your service (to active-duty troops) while well-intentioned, is actually the incorrect greeting for Memorial Day which is strictly for those who have died.

Memorial Day is the end of a three-day holiday weekend for many, and often celebrated with backyard get togethers with its historical context overlooked. That said, many others, like ourselves, plan to attend a local parade and then gather with family or friends.

Unfortunately, because of rain continuing from this weekend, the 2026 Nashua, NH, Memorial Day parade was cancelled earlier today with no rescheduling.

Friday Funnies

This photo was sent by a friend, who lives in Oregon, and is currently spending a few days in CA. This notice was posted at the entrance to the Carmel Beach.

His comment in a text message: I can’t get my foot up there even if they didn’t tell me not to! We both wondered if anyone had tried, most likely the answer was Yes if parents held small children up to the fountain.

In the U.S., Memorial Day is seen as the unofficial start of summer and observed on the last Monday in May. While the weekend signals warm weather, outdoor activities, pool and beach openings and summer travel, its true meaning is often overlooked. First known as Decoration Day, it began after the Civil War as a time to decorate graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags. After WWI, it was expanded to honor all U.S. soldiers who had died in any war as a day of remembrance.

Schedule of Nashua, NH, holiday events

On Monday, there will be a Memorial Day parade in Nashua, NH on Main Street. The rest of the 3-day weekend will be filled with events centered on dedication of the recently renovated Le Parc de Notre Renaissance Français, known as Renaissance Park and the new riverwalk near Clocktower Place mill apartments, our current residence. 

There's an entire slate of events from Friday through Monday. Highlights include a rubber duck regatta, live music, mural dedication, lighted kayak parade, drone show, petting zoo, yoga, and the Nashua Farmers Market. 

Saturday night, we're going to a concert at the Nashua Center for the Arts. Grammy-winning guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli  will perform a program, Dear Mr. Bennett, celebrating the late celebrated singer Tony Bennett. 

Last night, we took a walk along the riverwalk in advance of this weekend's activities. The wall murals are still a work-in-progress, but the performance area is completed and ready for this events. A second river fountain will be running by early next week.

The performance area is completed; wall murals are still in progress

One of two river fountains was installed this week

A view of Clocktower Place and the riverwalk across the Nashua River

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're staying home and enjoying the local events

Visiting Family & Friends

Road trips to see out-of-state family and friends have become an extended trip for us as it involves stops in RI, our home state of NJ and PA. Our most recent 12-day trip included those states and several we passed through in between. 

During this trip, we attended a college graduation in RI, a soccer game and Mother's Day celebration in PA and visited an unusual museum (more on that later) there. In NJ, we took a long-time friend to dinner to celebrate her retirement after 44 years with the same company; treated a 98-year old friend to a take-in lunch at her home and visited with a former co-worker of mine. 

It's unusual for me, but there wasn't a lot of photo-taking on this trip except at the graduation; however, a lot of happy memories were made.  

The smiling graduate above is oldest daughter who received an MBA degree from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. In addition to ourselves, her children, husband and other family members attended the event.

In PA, the youngest granddaughter is an avid soccer player and on a traveling team this year. We watched one of her Saturday morning games which was in her hometown. 

In between the RI and PA visits, we treated ourselves at two food places in NJ, neither have NH locations. That's our excuse for these less-than-healthy eats.

White Castle is famous for its small, square hamburgers or sliders which sold for 5 cents when introduced, but have gone up in price, now $1.29 to $1.59. Founded in 1921, in Wichita, KS, it's credited as the world's first fast food hamburger chain, but it's not a franchise. The company has been family-owned since its founding with every location privately owned. White Castle operates over 350 restaurants primarily in the Midwest and Northeast, and some Southern and Western states. Since there's no New England location, we wait for a NJ trip and dined at the same one in Piscataway, NJ, that was written about in this 2019 post.

Rita's Italian Ice was founded in May 1984 by a former Philadelphia firefighter, Bob Tumolo, using a family recipe and the business was named after his wife, Rita. The product was originally advertised as water ice, using the Philadelphia regional term for what's called Italian ice in other parts of the country. In 1989, the family  franchised the business. Rita's has over 600 locations in over 30 states, predominantly on the East Coast and in the Sun Belt (Florida to California). The closest franchise to NH is 45 minutes south in Walpole, MA.

We enjoyed family, friends and treats on this road trip. As satisfying as all of these were, there really is no place like home — at least until our next road trip or travel adventure.

Friday Funnies

Here's a not-so-funny trip down memory lane for those folks living in the U.S. 

Does anyone remember when gas prices were this low?

U.S. gas was commonly priced around 29 cents a gallon during the late 1950s through the early 1960s. During local gas wars in the 1950s and 60s, prices dropped even lower than 29 cents, sometimes below 20 cents. (Gas wars were times of competition in the when local gas stations would severely slash fuel prices to undercut rivals.)

This photo, taken last week at a PA museum, shows that less than $7 purchased 23 gallons of gas at just over 29 cents a gallon. According to the Automobile Association of America (AAA) the current national average price for a gallon of gas is $4.528. Western states like Hawaii and Washington join California at the high end, while Gulf Coast and Midwest states (like Kansas, North Dakota) have somewhat lower prices.

On our recent road trip to visit family and friends, I noticed that gas prices in states we were in varied widely — $4.49 in RI, $4.53 in NJ, and $4.65 in PA. This week, Grenville filled his Jeep SUV at a station here in Nashua, NH, at a cost of $4.35. According to AAA, the local average currently is $4.485. While it seems like he got a bargain, it didn't seem that way when the total topped more than $75 for a fill-up.

Your turn — how are gas prices in your area?

As always,. thanks for your comments on my recent post about onboard experiences on our riverboat cruise. I'll have future posts on some of the cities and sites visited.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're glad to be home & after a week of rain hope for a sunny weekend

On Board American Melody

Our first cruise experience was last September on a land-sea excursion to Alaska. The cruise portion was 7 days on board the MS Holland America Noordam. 

We wanted a smaller cruise experience the next time. Even though it was a smaller ship, the MS Noordam had 986 staterooms with cabins spread across various categories, nearly 70% featuring private balconies, 16% ocean-view cabins, and the remainder were inside cabins. 

We wanted to explore U.S. waterways on the next cruise. Seeing ads for American Cruise Lines (ACL) riverboats, we booked a lower Mississippi riverboat trip on the American Melody (9 days/8 nights) for April from New Orleans, LA, to Memphis, TN. Cruising was the slowest possible way to travel that distance, perfect for us.

Launched in 2021, the five-deck American Melody riverboat has 91 staterooms, all with private balconies and full-length sliding glass doors. It holds a max of 180 passengers (157 were on our cruise) and a crew of 40 to 50. Cabin types range from 250 square-foot, single-occupancy rooms to 650 square-foot Grand Suites. All staterooms feature modern amenities. The ACL motto is Small Ship Cruising Done Perfectly. 

(Generally, a riverboat, ship, or boat is a vessel or craft., a distinction based on size: ships are large/ocean-going, while boats are smaller and suited for inland waters. A riverboat is classified as a boat, river cruiser, barge, or ferry.)

ACL currently operates a fleet of over 20 modern riverboats that cruise in 35 states on boats US-owned and built and crewed with U.S. citizens. The fleet includes riverboats, paddle wheelers and coastal cats, covering major rivers and coastlines from Alaska to Florida visiting over 150 domestic ports yearly. Founded in 1972 by Charles A. and Carol Robertson, the boats are built in Salisbury, MD, at Chesapeake Shipbuilding. (The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a federal statute that requires specific construction and crew stipulations for goods transported by water between U.S. ports. It supports the domestic maritime industry for national security and economic purposes and defines certain seaman's rights.)

We preferred an all-adult cruise and the guest mix aboard American Melody fit perfectly. Many, like ourselves, were in their 70s, others in their 80s and one passenger celebrated his 94th birthday on board. We talked to other passengers who had traveled extensively and now wanted to avoid a lengthy flight or had mobility issues that made travel challenging. (River cruises in the U.S. must follow requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act, but that's not the case abroad.) We met folks from California (highest number) Texas, Oregon and Florida, and also the UK and Australia, but none from NH.

American Melody has several lounges, a fitness center, large dining room, café for casual dining, sun deck, library, laundry room and a four-story glass atrium in the center of the ship. The top deck has a sun deck and walking track. What you won't find are casinos, buffets, gift shop, photographers, pools, large crowds and no formal nights, the emphasis is on relaxation and enjoyment.

The riverboat's bow opens for passengers to walk on and off

The riverboat’s flipped-up bow looks like large jaws which open to extend a walkway for passengers to get off and on off. At some docks, there was the usual gangplank, sometimes quite long. The riverboat stows golf carts onboard to help disabled passengers. Mississippi riverboats have unique challenges; however, with its shallow draft and unique bow, American Melody can dock where other boats could have issues. ACL claims that its riverboats have never missed a scheduled sailing due to low water depth. 

At docks where the bow opening could not be used there was a gangplank

ACL includes a complimentary pre-cruise hotel overnight in the departure city. This ensures that passengers have time to get to the departure destination. A designated ACL coach transports everyone to the riverboat the next morning.

Our New Orleans visit was too short to really see the sights

Our cruise departed from New Orleans, LA. Unfortunately, we had less than 24 hours in a city renowned for music and food. We did venture to the French Quarter and Café du Monde, the legendary home of the classic beignet. This square piece of dough is fried, covered with powdered sugar and served in orders of three.

Beignets at Café du Monde in the French Quarter were a must taste

Based on 2026 data, ACL boasts some of the largest average staterooms in the cruise industry, particularly within the small ship and river cruise markets. When we arrived at the riverboat, our stateroom was ready. The luggage had been delivered, there were no boarding lines, lunch was being served in the dining room. 

Our veranda stateroom on American Melody was about 320 square feet

Located on Deck 2, our stateroom had a king-side bed, four pillows, nightstands and lamps on both sides, chairs, large flat screen TV (movies, ship info, selected news channels), dresser with plentiful drawer space, closet, vanity/desk and Keurig coffee maker. There were enough electric outlets so we could both charge cellphones and other devices. The bathroom had a shower (no bath), towels, shampoo, lotion, soaps with room for personal toiletries Our room was a short walk from the two elevators, stairs were always an option. 

Lifejackets were tried on as part of shipboard safety

After lunch, the first thing we were instructed to do was watch a ship safety video on the TV and also to take out the lifejackets and practice putting them on.

Here's an exploration of other areas onboard the American Melody should you be considering a riverboat cruise at some future date and even, if not.

The River Lounge hosts entertainment enrichment talks and cocktail hour 

River Lounge - Located on Deck 3 forward, this large lounge at the ship’s bow, serves as the ship's entertainment center where daily enrichment programs by the resident historian, Jim Schweickart. In addition, the cruise director gave rundowns of the next day’s events titled, Chart Your Course. This preview was useful and well attended. With no theater on board, the crew was kept busy arranging and rearranging chairs for different River Lounge uses like trivia challenges, cocktail hour and evening entertainment.

The Sky Lounge has outdoor and indoor dining areas

Sky Lounge - This lounge on Deck 4 of the American Melody is a popular, aft-located indoor venue that offers scenic panoramic views, bar and 24-hour snacks. It serves as a casual spot with floor-to-ceiling windows, freshly baked cookies and access to the outdoor Back Porch Café. The indoor space has tables for indoor breakfast and lunch.

The captain met with passengers on scheduled pilothouse tours

Pilothouse/Wheelhouse - The fore-located Navigation Bridge (pilothouse or wheelhouse on riverboats) on the American Melody is located at the forward end of Deck 4 near the Sky Lounge (observation deck). It's has open viewing. We took a scheduled tour that let guests see the navigation bridge and talk to the captain.

An open airspace for and walking track was on the Sun Deck

Sun Deck - Deck 5 is a top-level, open-air space designed for panoramic river views, with padded loungers, sofa, deckchairs, shaded seating and a walking track. It also includes a putting green, shuffleboard, and tables for socializing. A 360-degree walking track circles the deck giving high-point views of the Mississippi River scenery including many heavily laden barges pushed by tow boats. Heavy industry tended to dominate the shoreline. There's no elevator access which is by stairways from the Sky Lounge, Deck 4.

The Mississippi River is one of the world's most vital commercial waterways, serving as a primary freight artery for the U.S.. Annually, it transports over 500 million tons of goods — grain, coal, and petroleum, connecting the Midwest to global markets via Gulf of Mexico America ports. It's essential for agricultural exports and handles some 60% of U.S. grain exports. Don't expect to see any nice blue water as the Mississippi River is famously known as the Big Muddy with its water carrying high loads of sediment, particularly after joining the Missouri River. The river is heavily polluted, mostly by agricultural runoff, industrial waste and urban sewage, earning it distinction as America's most endangered rivers. 

The Dining Room offered a varied meal selection daily

Dining - Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the single dining room with no assigned seating. Menus had several meal options with a vegetarian choice at dinner. Seafood was fresh, never frozen, and delivery trucks waited at some ports. Lunch and dinner included complimentary soft drinks wine, beer, mixed drinks. While not gourmet, meals were good. If a selected dinner wasn't to your liking, you could request another choice. Half portions were also available. The service staff, young enough to be everyone's grandchildren, were helpful and did their best to serve everyone quickly. Passengers usually lingered after the end of dinner hour to continue their conversations over dessert and coffee which was never a problem. 

The Back Porch Café  offered casual breakfast and lunch choices

A more casual breakfast and lunch was served in the open-air Back Porch Café off the Deck 4 Sky Lounge. Breakfast featured a daily sandwich, pastries, yogurt, fruit, smoked salmon, bagels Lunch included hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wrap, soup, tortilla chips and salsa and ice cream bars. 

Cocktail hour was a popular daily event in the River Lounge

It's 5:30 pm Somewhere - That was cocktail hour time which was held daily in the River Lounge where hors d-oeuvres and cocktails were offered with a selection of cheeses, fruit, dips and crackers. This event was always well attended. 

Snacks were available 24 hours a day, in the Sky and River Lounges. The setup included self-serve treats such as assorted nuts, cookies and snack bars, coffee and tea. A self-serve fridge had a selection of soft drinks, fruit drinks and water.

Entertainment - As mentioned earlier, there's no theater onboard and no resident group of entertainers or musicians. Evening shows were held in the River Lounge and local musicians boarded at dock stops. These 8:30 pm shows could be watched in the comfort of your stateroom, which did that as we had been on at least two excursions each day. Onboard afternoon activities included trivia games and Two Truths and One Lie in which passengers shared three things about themselves. The challenge was to figure out which were true or false. This proved challenging at times as there were some very interesting folks on our cruise.

The Game Room and Quiet Lounges

During the day, passengers could relax in the game and quiet lounges and either play games, read or work on jigsaw puzzles. At least two 1,000-piece puzzles were solved during the cruise by fellow passengers.

ACL has three coaches that followed the riverboat cruise by a land route

ACL cruise coaches are easy to spot with red, white and blue logos. Three coaches would follow a ground route to ensure that transportation was always at a dock stop. These coaches were comfortable with complimentary bottles of water always provided. They had front seats set aside for disabled passengers. Wheelchairs and walkers were stowed in the under-bus luggage compartment.

Shore Excursions - Many are included in the cruise itinerary with choices for various ports. Information on the onboard ACL app gave the length and “Physical Activity Level” for every excursion, low, moderate or high physical activity. There was a choice of complimentary (free) shore excursions plus premium ones (extra cost.) We scheduled many complimentary ones ahead of time, often two each port and were never disappointed. The most costly premium was a day visit to Graceland with lunch at $195/person. We passed on this one, no offense to The King.

Local tour guides would board the coaches to provide information

Some excursions offered a hop-on, hop-off cruise coach loop ride to showcase an area. A local guide would board to describe the sights and share area history. The cruise coach would return every half hour to pick up passengers for other stops or to return to the boat.

The Cochon De Lait lunch featured a roasted suckling pig (not shown)

A delicious complimentary excursion was the Cochon De Lait Experience near St. Francisville, LA. We boarded the coach for a ride to a true Louisiana treat. This meal involves roasting a young pig on an open hardwood fire. Lunch included pork, Louisiana boudin (pronounced Boo-Dan), potato salad, green beans, salad, bread, sauces, beer, wine and soft drinks. Louisiana boudin is a cooked sausage made from pork meat and rice with vegetables and seasonings, stuffed in a natural pork casing. During lunch, Cajun music was provided by local musicians.

Disembarkation - Leaving the American Melody was as uncomplicated as embarking. The crew made the process as convenient as possible despite the unexpected steady rain on the last day. Many fellow passengers shared that they had booked their next cruise onboard.

Included in Cruise Costs - ACL doesn’t nickel and dime passengers as we've heard other cruise lines often do for services like wi-fi, laundry and drink packages. These are all included in the fare as are meals (no specialty restaurants), gratuities for ship staff, pre-cruise hotel stay, complimentary shore excursions. 

The Viking riverboat, Mississippi, was docked nearby on our cruise

With the failure of American Queen Voyages in February 2024, the Viking Mississippi is ACL’s competition on the Mississippi River. It's larger and carries 386 guests on a 450-foot vessel with a crew of 143 and was designed to operate on the Upper and Lower Mississippi River. Viking is expanding its U.S. presence. Ships that operate on U.S. rivers are being built in U.S. shipyards, crewed by U.S. citizens and legally owned by a U.S. company to comply with the 1923 Merchant Marine Act.

We have no plans to go on a Viking cruise in the U.S. as the ships are larger and costs are not all-inclusive. We had a great time on the American Melody and took advantage of a 15% onboard promo. In October, we'll cruise the Snake and Columbia Rivers on the American Song. Next Spring, we hope to cruise the Great Lakes.

Mississippi River sunset viewed on the cruise

If you suspect that we've become hooked on riverboat cruising, you wouldn't be far off in that assumption. In the future, we hope to cruise European rivers.