Tuesday, July 12th - lay day in Portsmouth

The emphasis today is on relaxation and enjoyment of this gem of a city.  We linger over Starbucks, blueberry muffins and the morning newspaper in Market Square.  The news seems repetitous and irrelevant.  People watching is way more interesting than the same old news about political squabbling in Washington.   Other than daily Internet updates on the Tour de France, we are beginning to sense our gradual withdrawl from current events.  Our world is becoming more about seeing new places, meeting new people and moving the boat when it seems like the right thing to do.

[caption id="attachment_752" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A harbinger of things to come"][/caption]

By mid-morning, we embark on a hike to Kittery, Maine.  Today is hot and humid by Portsmouth standards.  A stop at the outlet mall in Kittery results in the purchase of a Calphalon non-stick skillet for the galley.  By the time we return to Portsmouth with our purchase, we have logged nine miles on this hike.  There is just enough time remaining in the afternoon for one last boat chore...changing the oil in the diesel engine.

[caption id="attachment_754" align="alignright" width="300" caption="k.d. lang at the Portsmouth Music Hall"][/caption]

 

Tonight's entertainment is an uptempo concert at the Portsmouth Music Hall featuring k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang.  k.d. delivers a rock solid performance.  Her vocals are powerful.  The ballads, performed with acoustic instruments, are exceptional.  Between songs, she jokes about her sexual orientation, referring at one point to her banjo playing acumen as a "chick magnet".  The band is equally as talented with heavy emphasis on backup harmony and pedal steel guitar licks.   The hall is packed with an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.  k.d. responds with three encores. 

After the show, many of the concert-goers stop at the Congress Street sidewalk cafes for a refreshment and to compare notes on the performance.  On this, our final night in Portsmouth, we pause to soak in the ambience of this lovely summer evening.  By the time we return to Cutter Loose, it is a few minutes shy of midnight.  Yet another outstanding day.