Hampton Beach, NH

I can't begin to guess at how many hundreds of times I have driven by the "Hampton Beach, NH" road signs on the way to or from somewhere else - without ever stopping.   I find it hard to shift gears and plans at 70 miles an hour, and I tend to try and squeeze in too much into a day, in general.  That leaves me no opportunity to just stop and smell the roses, or sea spray, as it was. 

But, we did plan to stop for the night at Hampton Beach on our way back to Colorado.  We thought it was a nice opportunity to get almost to Boston and break up our travel into some realistic bites, which is especially important when traveling with a 26 month old.   So after a harried morning in Surry and washing the floors on our way out the door, we did get on the road shortly after noon.  We were tired, dirty, and hungry to say the least.  To say the most, we were exhausted, filthy, and starving - but we were on our way. 

We arrived in New Hampshire without incident (which is amazing in itself the way our travel had gone on the front end of this trip) about 5pm.  We checked in, ordered some dinner, and settled in.  After that, Tan and I hit the beach. 

It was a beautiful evening and after dipping his toes, Tan began to get the idea.  He found a paper cup and started digging holes.  He waded in and then sat down to enjoy the surf, chest high.  He ran into the waves and let them push him back.  He was fearless and I was fearful so we made a good team with me holding him firmly but letting him revel in the sand and surf.  I finally dragged the shivering baby back to the room.  We both had huge grins, sand in our suits and hair, and stories to tell.   We couldn't wait to get back the following morning with "GramPY" and Mommie.  

Our trip to Maine was not perfect, but we took the time to make some memories and just play.   Somehow, that is what is standing out now.

Becky