They say you should move to New Hampshire if you want to see all four seasons on the same day. I laughed when I heard this, but no more. This weekend brought a heat wave early in the day (55°), followed by the heavens opening with a deluge of rain, then thick fog billowing from the cold snow, twisting and blowing across the landscape like smoke. Snow began to disappear and chunks of frozen icebergs slid from rooftops… large enough to do great damage to any unfortunates who could have been beneath. Surprise! We awoke the next morning to sunshine and blue skies and less snow.

We had to get outdoors! For our walk today, we chose the riverside path along the Squamscott River, a tidal river that empties into Great Bay, then the Piscataqua River, an inlet of the Atlantic. After the thaw and rain, what better time to check the ice on the river and just have an adventure after being snowbound and iced-in.

Seagulls were hanging out everywhere on the ice. I’ve always liked these birds. Yes, they can be pests but they are entertaining and simply do what they have to do to survive…. just like every living thing.

Brrrr… Stopping to observe the 50 or 60 birds dozing on the ice made my feet feel cold.

Along the edge of the river, the high temperatures, rain, and tidal action had done the job on the ice along both sides of the waterway. There will be no ice fishing on this river for awhile.

We weren’t ready to go home after this short jaunt and decided to follow the river by car for a few miles to the tiny town of Newfields, a quaint village that we’d only driven through previously. You couldn’t miss the country store in the middle of town and I hoped they were open on this Sunday…. and they were!

We were greeted by faded Christmas greens and a delightful Christmas pig sitting on an Adirondack chair made from recycled skiis.

Stepping inside was like stepping back in time, a virtual museum of yesteryear. I had immediate flashbacks to our small country store in the Ware Neck area of Gloucester where I spent summers growing up and eventually bought a home as an adult. That country store, Nuttall’s, has not changed much in all those years… still the same grocery store/restaurant/post office… that now has wireless!

The aromas hit us as soon as we entered the Newfields store. Freshly made soup was hot off the stove and the sandwich menu was immense. We each decided then and there to sit down and have a little lunch.

mister gardener enjoyed a fabulous just-made potato chowder and I enjoyed my choice of curried chicken vegetable soup. A half sandwich for each of us completed our lunch.

While we waited for our sandwiches, we poked around this slice of Americana. There was a miniature bakery in the back that produced inviting homemade breads and desserts. We browsed the shelves of candies, snacks and the well-stocked with drinks including wines, beer, ale and other spirits. Click for larger photos.

A bit of Yankee ingenuity seems to greet us wherever we go around these parts. So many talented folks offer their crafts for sale and this store was no exception.

On our way out, we made sure we added our bottle caps to the bucket!