Au Revoir and Bonne Chance!

Following the seemingly endless crawl through New Hampshire, we eventually made it to Short Sands Beach (the one across the street from saltwater taffy central, the Goldenrod). We had a wonderful time, followed by a nice dinner. The only thing marring the day (other than the knowledge that our friends would soon be heading back to Europe) was the disappearance of N's watch. We'd moved our belongings several times to avoid the encroaching tides, and the watch didn't successfully make all the moves. It was a precious gift from N's boyfriend, and she was understandably sad. Imagine our delight when she found it the next day--down in the lining of her beach bag, where it had fallen through a rip in the fabric. "Bonne chance" (good luck) indeed.

N’s son stayed with us last night (Sunday) for one last extended playdate. This morning saw hugs, some tears, the taking of photos, promises to e-mail, and an exchange of gifts—a box of Harbor Sweets Sweet Sloops and a "Beantown" stuffed duck (won by my son at Jordan’s Furniture, of all things) from us, and a stuffed animal and homemade candle from them.

N. and son will be doing one more SFNE activity tonight: taking in a Red Sox game. I'm glad they're using these last few days to enjoy some of the best of New England. (And for god’s sake, we’re playing Tampa—I hope our boys pull off a win. That would make a nice send-off.)