Settled on a boardwalk bench after an anniversary dinner with my husband last night, I was witness to Mother Nature at work. The evening sky on display…only a short drive away from our home.
Behind me – and across the street – a bustling sidewalk of tourists balancing beach chairs, slices of pizza and fried dough moved along from T-shirt shops to ice-cream stands to the iconic arcade that has been blaring its bells & whistles from pinball machines for decades. A mashup of reggae, rock and country music poured out from restaurant decks and porches. A sea of humanity of all ages, shapes and sizes gravitated in and out of what my father used to call “Tourist Traps” but what I affectionately called “Souvenir Shops” back in the day. Last night it was: Get your name printed on a grain of rice! or a ring! Buy this shirt with a (totally tasteless) message printed on the front! Key chains! Sunglasses! And More! Racks of tie-dye…everything…lined the boulevard. Before dinner, we played a few Skee Ball games for old times sake – and collected enough tickets for a pair of dice.
Finally, the popular vacation destination of Hampton Beach was “back to normal” after 2 summers of pandemic restrictions. It was wonderful to see people out and about enjoying themselves.
After over a week of record setting heat and humidity, I was most grateful a more comfortable summer day had returned…with its gift of a beautiful evening sky.
one letter UP ~ diary 2.0 