Small Town Charm

A city girl in the country—a country girl in the city. I guess I'll never quite shake my dueling personalities. A couple of weeks before Halloween, my family and I strolled through our town like a group of tourists. We visited our favorite restaurant for breakfast, poked in and out of shops, and took a walk through one of its many parks. The weather was a bit crisp, but it was a beautiful day. I managed to capture some leaves still turning color.

This particular park runs along the Nubanusit River, which runs into the Contoocook River—one of the few rivers that actually flows north instead of south. It also happens to be the river located just outside my studio. We have seen many changes since moving here so many years ago. And the changes continue. We're anxiously awaiting the opening of a new bakery/café being built across from this very park.

The park is also home to one of several waterfalls. I love the sound of the rushing water. We'll frequently bike into town and grab a treat while listening to river run underneath the road. If you can see way off into the distance, there is actually another fall in the background. Sadly this has been inoperable for several years. I actually took a photo of it years ago and it's prominently placed in my studio. (You can see a picture of it here.)

A couple of weeks later, we were in Boston to watch the Red Sox parade and pick up our oldest daughter for the weekend. The girls know the city pretty well, but when we were trying to move from our (very lucky) parking spot after we were done watching the parade, the city was tough to navigate. We were headed across town to have lunch when we got re-routed and spotted  the South Street Diner. Years ago when my husband and I worked in Boston, it was called the Blue Diner. The girls were game....who doesn't want breakfast at two in the afternoon? Some place new for them and a dose of nostalgia for us. It hadn't changed a bit. Open 24/7, it has the usual diner fare. In other words, no dieters allowed.

I love that you can find bits of small town charm in a big city.