Friday Funnies

The previous post mentioned Pop's Clam Shack, a popular seafood eatery in Alton Bay, NH, where customers lined up to await opening time, ourselves included.

Waiting in line for a food order is nothing new — whether it's a human or vehicular line-up.

We experienced a very long human line a couple of years ago on a road trip to Maine. As shown below, the line at Red's Eats is never-ending in summer months.

Red's Eats in Wiscasset, ME, with customer line-up

Located at the foot of 41 Water and Main St in Wiscasset, ME, Red's Eats has been called the most famous restaurant in the state on Route 1 for over 80 years. Red's advertises itself as the world's best lobster shack. A claim supported by Down East Magazine's Best of Maine 2024 issue where readers named Red's Eats — Best Lobster Roll and Best Lobster Shack.  

Red's is a small shack with no indoor dining

A summertime legend, this shack is the size of a small house trailer. There's a single window where orders are placed; customers are called when their food is ready. Opened in Boothbay, ME, in 1938, it moved to the north end of Wiscasset in 1954. Like Pop's, it's also a family-run business handed down through several generations. Dedicated customers return each season for the famous lobstah roll or the views of the Sheepscot River, maybe both as dining here is al fresco.

Chick-fil-A in Lancaster, PA, with drive-up line

Unlike the family-run one-of-a-kind, Pop's and Red's, another eatery also has lines — but instead of people, it's vehicles. On road trips, we've seen line-ups at nearly every one.

Other differences: unlike Pop's and Red's, which specialize in seafood, Chick-fil-A, Inc. (a play on the word filet) specializes in chicken. And, it's open year-round vs. seasonally and has indoor seating (unlike Pop's and Red's). Headquartered in College Park, GA, it's the largest American fast food chain specializing in chicken sandwiches and operating 3,059 restaurants across 48 states. Company values are influenced by the religious beliefs of its late founder, S. Truett Cathy, a devout Southern Baptist. Restaurants are closed on Sundays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day. During the Christian season of Lent, Chick-fil-A promotes fish sandwiches in keeping with the tradition of meat abstinence.

We've eaten at Pop's and Red's, but never at Chick-fil-A and have no plans to change that. For us, some places are well worth the wait, others not so much.

Your Turn — Would you or have you waited in line at a local eatery including Chick-fil-A?

Enjoy Your Weekend

Temps in the low to mid 70s in Nashua, NH, perfect for a day trip

Ticket to Ride

Many recognize the post title as that of a 1965 tune by the Beatles. 

It's also what we used for a NH rail trip over Labor Day weekend. 

Along with friends, Judy and Randy, we boarded the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad in Meredith, NH. This was the starting and ending point for a 2-hour round trip along the western shore of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Ourselves and friends were all aboard and ready to depart

The Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad in Meredith and Weirs Beach, NH, and the Granite State Scenic Railway in Lincoln, NH, share 54 miles of historic railroad track that dates to 1848, the time when Zachary Taylor was President, trains were pulled by steam locomotives and steam-powered automobiles were becoming popular.

Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad (Internet Source)

During the mid-1800’s, the track was owned by the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad. Back then, it served as one of the primary routes north through NH for summer-time tourists who traveled from cities like Boston, Hartford and New York to the pristine lakes and mountains of northern NH as well as to points further north including the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and Montreal, Canada.

Cloudy day views of Lake Winnipesaukee from the train

Has anyone ever seen one of these? It's called a foilboard and it lets the surfboard and its rider rise above the water's surface, allowing for fast speeds and increased maneuverability under a wide range of conditions — according to online sources.

Conductor Dave announced that was his last day after 31 years

Our 2-hour round trip was along the western shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. It's the largest lake in NH and is located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. The Lakes Region of NH is in the east-central part of the state, south of the White Mountains Region and extending to the Maine border, so-named due to its many lakes and up to 273 bodies of water. Lake Winnie is the largest of these, followed by Lake Winnisquam, Squam Lake and Newfound Lake.

Pop's Clam Shell in Alton Bay, NH, always draws a waiting line in season

After the train excursion, we drove to Alton Bay for a first-time dining experience at Pop's Clam Shell, which fellow blogger Erika has posted about many times (sorry, we missed a meet-up this time). Pop's is a summer tradition and at the same location since 1945. It's family owned and has been operated by three generations of the Benton family featuring generous very large portions of fresh seafood, fried clams, onion rings and more. Of course, these are not the best food choices, but this was a holiday weekend and, most likely, a one-and-done stop for us (until the next time).

We shared this generous seafood platter

Pop's closes from 3 to 4 pm to restock and a line of customers starts forming right before reopening time. We arrived after 3 pm and waited with other customers. Like similar food places, Pop's opens seasonally on weekends only from May to June, opens 5 days from July through August, then returns to weekends only through September before closing for the season.

The most unusual "pickup" truck we've ever seen

Waiting for the reopening time, we walked around Alton Bay, which borders Lake Winnie, but without a downtown area. That's when we saw this unusual vehicle, a Tesla Cybertruck. Hard to believe this is classified as a pickup. The license plate was from Montana. We would have enjoyed a chat with its owner, who we never saw.

If anyone is considering a purchase, here's some info, no gas fuel is needed for this battery-only electric vehicle with a mileage range under 350 miles, towing capacity of 11,000 pounds. The 2024 Tesla Cybertruck has a starting sticker price of $80,240 and the top of the range, the Cyberbeast, starts at $100,240. The body is made of stainless-steel and, as we noticed, seems to attract fingerprints (not ours). Imagine the damage this could cause if it were to hit another vehicle !

A holiday weekend would be incomplete (for us) if we didn't enjoy hot dogs, so we indulged at a local ice cream stand.

It was a perfect day for an ice cream treat, but then what day isn't?

Also on the weekend, we were shot, but not injured. The shots were at the local retail pharmacy for a now-annual flu vaccine and updated Covid vaccine. Perhaps, you will be doing the same in weeks to come.

Friday Funnies

This post is for the birds — two of them.

A robin (not a nightingale) sang in Nashua last week while perched atop a light pole at Clocktower Place, our apartment building. It sang lustily for a full 5 minutes.

Robin singing in Nashua, NH

This light pole at the main entrance was the robin's song perch

For some unexplained reason, I thought of the nightingale, which also reportedly sings quite loudly, except that I've never heard one, except online. An online source stated that many people often mistake the sound of a robin singing for a nightingale, obviously they live elsewhere as this bird isn't found naturally in the Americas. 

European Robin

Nightingales breed in Europe, Asia, and northwest Africa and winter in sub-Saharan Africa. They inhabit forests, woodlands with thicke and can also be found in suburban gardens and parks.

This Nashua songster is an American Robin. There's also a much smaller European Robin which has a shorter orange breast patch with white below.

Robins and nightingales have been popularized in songs.

A robin was sung about the 1926 tune When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along  (words and music by Harry Woods) which became the signature tune of singer and actress Lillian Roth, who performed it from the late 1920s to the late 1930s. It was recorded by Al Jolson, Doris Day, Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, Eydie Gormé, Bing Crosby and others.

Rockin' Robin written by Leon René was recorded by Bobby Day in 1958 and became his biggest hit single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with one week at the top of the R&B sales chart. The song is now in the public domain, as the owners never renewed the copyright. (This means that the works are owned by the public and can be freely used by anyone.

Nightingale (Internet source)

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square was written in 1939 as a romantic ballad with words by English entertainer Eric Maschwitz and music by American composer Manning Sherwin. The title refers to a large square in the Mayfair area of London. 

The record was made popular by Vera Lynn during the WW II. It first charted in December 1940, peaking at No. 2. Long considered a jazz standard, the tune has been recorded by singers including: Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Mel Tormé, Harry Connick Jr. and Rod Stewart.

Nightingale is a song written by Carole King and David Palmer. It first appeared on her top-selling album Wrap Around Joy, released in mid-July 1974, and was released as a single in December 1974. The song, like the album, got off to a slow start, but eventually peaked at No. 9 in the Billboard Hot 100, in March 1975, and spent a week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

While robins can be heard in a city like Nashua, the chances of hearing a nightingale sing in the city of London are very slim. 

BIG Thanks to everyone for your comments on our 25th Anniversary celebration of dining in local Nashua, NH, restaurants for an entire week — it was delicious fun. 

This is Labor Day weekend considered the last major U.S. summer holiday. The actual holiday is always celebrated on the first Monday in September. It was created to celebrate  the social and economic achievements of American workers.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

All aboard — We're going on a scenic train ride in NH

To answer fellow blogger Pam's question about this excursion, it starts in Meredith, NH, where we board the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad. The 2-hour round trip is along the western shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest lake in the state of NH located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. 

Lake "Winnie" as locals refer to it, is about 21 miles long, 1 to 9 miles wide, covers 69 square miles and has a maximum depth of 180 feet.

A Week of Gastronomy

Or, how we spent our anniversary week dining "at home" in Nashua, NH, but not exactly in our own home. Instead, we dined at downtown restaurants, all within walking distance of the mill apartments, many which have a historical connection.

Here's an account of the places we dined at during our week-long celebration. Spoiler alert there is a lot of food photos in this post, so you won't go away hungry or maybe you will.

Monday, we dined at Martha's Exchange housed in the city-block long former Merchants Exchange Building on Main Street. 

Merchants Exchange Building, 185 Main Street, Nashua, NH, dates from 1872

The original Martha's dates to 1936 when Katherine Fokas, immigrated from Greece, and founded Martha's Sweet Shoppe named after the popular Martha Washington Candy. This vintage sweet is made with a sweet coconut, toasted pecan and maraschino cherry filling then dipped in chocolate. 

Onion rings, tomato, lettuce, bacon made for a huge-looking burger

Over the years, it was expanded and renamed as Martha’s Sweet Shoppe and Luncheonette which had 28 stools and was the most popular lunch spot on Main Street. In 1985, it transformed again and was renamed Martha's Exchange. In 1993, Nashua’s first micro-brewery opened on site with the addition of a bar which was originally used in one of Al Capone’s Chicago speakeasies.

Tostao's Tapas-Bar

Tuesday night it was tapas and sangria at Tostao's, a Spanish tapas style restaurant on Main St in downtown Nashua. The building, which now houses the restaurant formerly housed a movie theater. To our surprise, we learned that Nashua is recognized as being the first city in the state of NH to premier a moving picture in 1896. Between 1896 and 1947, eight moving picture theatres existed downtown.

This site housed two movie theatres. The Tremont  had a grand opening in May 1917. This 1,200-seat, “cool” ventilated and independently owned theatre  premiered daily double feature family-friendly programming and popular films. In the mid 1920s, it was renovated and reopened as the State Theatre.

Gone With the Wind & The Blob wall jural

This mural on the side of Tostao's plays homage to Nashua's movie theatre history. We watched its spray-paint application several years ago by Positive Street Art.

Tapas at Tostao's included chicken, empanadas and spinach dip

We enjoyed a selection of tapas on half-price tapas Tuesday. These went well with glasses of sangria, red for Patrick and white for myself.

It was another night for specials as we enjoyed a selection on half-price tapas Tuesday. All were enjoyed with glasses of sangria, red for Patrick and white for myself.

Surf Seafood  on Main St in Nashua, NH

Wednesday was our actual 25th wedding anniversary date celebrated with outdoor dining at Surf Seafood on Main St. The weather was perfect as we enjoyed sangria, New England clam chowder, a crispy dragon shrimp appetizer, baked seafood entree and a slice of the famous tall cake dessert. 

This building housed the former Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) which was created in 1926 and was the largest public utility in the state for decades before declaring bankruptcy in 1998. It was sold to Northeast Utilities, which is now Eversource Energy, which is the electrical supplier in Nashua.

Appetizers and entrees at Surf Seafood, Nashua, NH

The tall cake is a signature dessert at Surf. We were hoping for chocolate one, but there is only one flavor per week on the menu, so maybe next time.

Appetizer, entrees and dessert at Rambling House, Nashua, NH

Thursday night's dinner was at Rambling House, a family-owned and operated farm, restaurant and craft brewery located at 57 Factory St within a 2-minute walk from our apartment. Here, we enjoyed an appetizer of lobster rangoon with entrees of roast ruck and roast pork. TaleSpinner Brewery and Rambling House opened to the public in 2022. It's became a favorite of enthusiasts of local and sustainable sourcing, farm-to-table fare. It features seasonal menus with outdoor dining on the third floor deck. We opted to dine indoors. 

Wine was enjoyed as we toasted ourselves, once more.

Riviera Nayarit on W. Pearl St in nashua, NH

All good things come to an end and on Friday, we closed out the dining week at Riviera Nayarit, a Mexican-style seafood and grill on W. Pearl St. It specializes in various seafood dishes inspired by the region of Nayarit, a nearly 200-mile stretch of coastline in Mexico, where its owner, Karla Gutiérrez, was raised on seafood.

This was a week for sangria enjoyed with seafood entrees of enchiladas and chimichangas.

Certainly, this was one of the most unusual anniversary celebrations we've ever enjoyed. In past years, we've taken road trips with overnight stays and dining out. Staying home and dining out was a wonderful alternative thanks to the variety of restaurants in downtown Nashua, all within walking distance of our apt. We could easily have dined in more. Dining out was not inexpensive, but we had a great week. This milestone anniversary was well worth the expense of dining locally and in some deliciously interesting places. It's back to cooking at home and a lot of walking.

Friday Funnies

Sometimes, even more than prayer is needed to save.

That certainly applies to this structure which was taken many years ago when we lived on the VA eastern shore. 

In reply to a blogger's ?s This was a random "photo opp" with no clues about church, its attendees or the denomination There was nothing in the area to suggest how long ago it had been used before abandoned to the elements.

It wasn't unusual for buildings to be just "let go" to the ravages of nature and time. I'm not sure how long this one had been abandoned and, most likely, it eventually collapsed.

Thanks to all for the anniversary congratulations and well wishes. All were read and appreciated. We had a week-long celebration which will be the subject of a future post. It did not include a road trip !

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

No special plans for us, other than to get out & enjoy cooler temps

3 States and 25 years

The title may seem confusing, so let me explain. We've been together for over a quarter of a century and have spent those years together in three states.

Today, we're celebrating a milestone — our 25th wedding 🥂 anniversary in one.

Our wedding day was in Bridgewater, NJ, August 21, 1999

We met and married in our home state of NJ (the first state). Here's some photos of that day celebrated with family and friends. 

We celebrated with family and friends in NJ

The photos were taken by my late friend, Ann, who later gave us a CD with the images, taken with a film camera. These were the days of Kodak film, not digital.

Our 15th year together was mostly in VA and on road trips

We marked our 15th wedding anniversary mostly in the second state, Virginia, where we were living at the time.

We started our 25th year in 2024  in NH with some road trips

We're celebrating our 25th year in a third state (NH). We've shared many road trips and adventures, including the recent ones above. More to come this year.

Our celebration of  this 25th anniversary will differ from those in past years, when we've taken road trips to celebrate. This year we're having a stay-at-home 

(sort of)

celebration, without exactly staying "home."  What we did will be posted later. 

We would be remiss in not adding an across-the-pond shout-out to our UK friends, 

Kath and Andrew, who also are celebrating today — their 53rd anniversary. We met, by chance, over 20+ years ago when we were all traveling (separately) on a road trip in the Blue Ridge area of VA and staying in the same hotel.

Happy 53rd Anniversary to Kath & Andrew

During a breakfast conversation, we were as Kath would put it "gobsmacked" to learn of our mutual anniversary date. We've kept in contact throughout the years always planning to meet-up "one" day. That happened last October when they met us in London and we spent the day together. We hope to do it again "one" day, meanwhile thanks to "WhatsApp" we've kept in contact through phone chats. 

Our day together at Battersea Power Station, London

Weekend on the Cape

Our weekend getaway was to the Cape Cod a popular summertime destination in the neighboring New England state of Massachusetts.

Grenville was here to participate in the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW). Usually held on the third full weekend in August, this event attracts more than 500 lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries. 

The ILLW is one of the most popular amateur radio events. It's free, there are very few rules and there's no prizes for contacting large numbers of stations.

A ham radio friend, Randy, who lives in Nashua, NH, also went to Cape Cod to participate. They both set up at the Nauset Light. Grenville set up his equipment in the back of his car as shown in the photo above. He made over 20 contacts, mostly in the U.S.

The Nauset Lighthouse and Keeper's Cottage, which is privately owned

The Nauset Lighthouse Nauset Lighthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is on the Cape Cod National Seashore near Eastham, MA. Built in 1877, it stands 48 feet high and is made of cast iron with a brick lining. It was originally located in Chatham, MA, as a twin to one that's still there. When a smaller wooden lighthouse in Eastham was retired in 1923, this tower was dismantled, moved from Chatham to Eastham and reconstructed about 200 feet from the edge of the cliff near the relocated keeper's house. 

Grenville and Randy atop the lighthouse with one of the light keepers

In the 1940s, Nauset Light was painted red and white as a daytime indicator. In 1981, the Fresnel lens was replaced by two rotating aero beacons. Due to coastal erosion it was too close to the edge of the cliff. In 1996, when less than 35 feet remained, the Nauset Lighthouse was moved in one piece some 300 feet to a new site across the road adjacent to Nauset Light Beach. The light is owned by the National Park Service. It's leased to and maintained by the Nauset Light Preservation Society. Upkeep is entirely funded by donations. The lighthouse is open to visitors during certain times. 

Dirt bomb confection

We shared a dirt bomb this weekend in Cape Cod. It's a very popular confection. We shared one from the Cottage Street Bakery in Orleans, MA, as we'd already indulged in another treat before deciding to try it. Next time, we'll know better. The trick is to get there early as these treats sell out fast.. 

The Cottage Bakery in Orleans, MA, is well known for its dirt bomb

No, this is not to be confused with a dirty bomb, that's an entirely a different thing. This is an unusual name for a delicious treat described as a cross between a cinnamon sugar doughnut and a muffin. In the muffin world, this is the bomb, as in it's the best.

What exactly is it? A dirt bomb is a nutmeg-infused muffin that, still warm from the oven, is rolled in melted butter, then tossed in cinnamon sugar until generously coated. The “dirt” is the cinnamon sugar in which the muffins are rolled after baking. 

There's nothing definite on how the name originated. It comes from the original dirt bomb made at Bantam Bread Company in Bantam, CT. This family-owned business, started in 1996.

These colorful blooms were on the grounds of The Cove Motel, our weekend accommodation in Orleans, MA.

The Ice Cream Cafe was a short walk from the motel. Of course, we enjoyed our favorite treat.

This is a SOOC (straight out of cellphone) image captured yesterday morning from the motel grounds as we were leaving.

Cape Cod was popularized by Patti Page (the "Singing Rage") who was the top-selling female singer of the 1950s with a 1957 hit tune, Old Cape Cod. The tune was credited with putting the Cape on the map and helping to establish it as a major tourist destination. It's been hailed by natives as the "unofficial Cape Cod Anthem." Ironically, Page recorded the song during a day trip to NYC. She had never visited Cape Cod until after it was released and became a hit.

This is a celebration week for us — our 25th wedding 🥂 anniversary is upcoming. We're planning to celebrate all week an Nashua, NH, details to follow. Our special getaway will be in early October on a week-long trip to Tuscany.