First Day of 2025

45I did not rise early in 2025 but slept until nearly 9. I rose in my Extended Stay America Hotel again, amazed at how rundown and almost useless this hotel was. The room has never been cleaned, there are no new towels, but more importantly, there is no complementary coffee or breakfast. The bathtub was coated with some paint, and much was peeling off. I will never use Extended Stay America again. But it is clean.

With little reason to stay in the room, I headed out in Air Ford NH, turned the wrong way, got turned around, and then parked at the Bagel Cafe. I purchased a poppy bagel with salmon and all the fixings. I watched a BMW SUV parked in two spaces to prevent anyone from parking beside their precious car. The locals are not happy. The locals even take pictures. Soon, the locals parked their vehicles near the BMW as close as possible. This New Hampshire, “Live Free or Die,” and are not putting up with the parking stunt.

I wrote as I watched all the drama. It took me a while to punch out 700+ words. I reboarded Air Ford NH. I talked to Deborah briefly as we greeted each other in 2025. I soon arrived at Clint and Annika’s house. It is just noon, and I have some leftovers for a snack.

Clint asked me what I would want to do, and I suggested that seeing the Atlantic on this side, where I was previously on the West African beach, would be good. A poll was taken, and three others, all men, decided to join. Next, we are in a Subaru headed to the tiny bit of cost of New Hampshire; I leave Air Ford NH keys in case the remaining folks need another car (there are many).

We arrive at Hampton Beach and Tide Mill Creek in about an hour, cross over the bridges, and then walk on the beach. We are also amazed by a house being rebuilt to be higher. I remember that the reduced-cost insurance programs were eliminated by Congress, and now, homeowners must make improvements in risk areas to get insurance on the general market. Building codes have been tightened in many at-risk regions (except in some southern states, where recent damage showed new structures failing in lightened building codes). The house we saw was raised a whole story, with a new cement foundation and walls soon to hold it up. It appeared the house had been moved and used to sit near the ground. Fascinating to all of us.

Aside: Due to the law changes and the loss of Congress-funded rebuilding, many homes in at-risk areas are sold at reduced prices to folks with deep enough pockets to reconstruct them to code and can afford to insure them on the open market (I believe the government insurance was gone).

The beach was lovely, and the sand was not what I was used to. This is thicker, and you sink into it more than the fine grey sand in Oregon and Washington. The seas on the Atlantic and its storms can be vicious, and the large stones and seawalls surprise me. I am used to open beaches and the Oregon laws that say nothing may be done to stop erosion without permits, and those are usually only for piers for river and harbor access. Still, walking the beaches and looking back at Africa, where I last was on the Atlantic, was terrific. Clint was surprised I did not touch the Ocean, but with my Brooks and it being winter, I was not interested in getting my feet wet.

We drove along the coast, stopped again, and watched folks in wetsuits surfing. A large crew was out there, and some of the waves were good. We, as you an see above, were dressed for the cold. Being out there in the water did not appeal.

Next, we crossed into Kittery, Maine, to the Portsmouth Naval Base. We had to provide our IDs to the base guards, who welcomed us and saluted Clint, a Major in the Airforce (reserve); we found the old early 1900s prison now a disused and scary-looking building on the water. Next, I had us stop at a small park. There was the conning tower of WW2 submarines (two different ones with each number on the other side with its ‘kills’ painted on each side). I did not recognize the type, and it was a pre-WW2 design. An 1800s-style huge iron anchor was lost and recovered and is now placed there. A Polaris missile, the remains of an early Cold War submarine weapon, was also on display. USS New Hampshire’s (BB-25) bell was on display from 1908. It was worth stopping and seeing these memories of different times.

Next, we returned to New Hampshire (a bridge crossing) and Portsmouth, a trendy town. Misha found a well-rated pizza joint that supports his food allergies. We also stopped by Diversions Gaming, and I bought a deck of cards with their logo and a small matchbox puzzle (for just a few bucks). Then, I could not find a credit card. Hmmm. There is no activity, and I will cancel it if I don’t discover it in my pants or car. I used another; I carry four.

The Flatbread Pizza was excellent, across from Diversions, but it was also expensive. I was hungry as I had only a bagel and a snack all day. I ate my small pizza, and Misha and Gene took half a pizza back with them. Soon, we were on the road again, with Clint getting us back in about an hour.

Returned, I was soon asked to play Mysterium, an experiential cooperative board game. We had five players and a ghost. Clint plays one of the psychic investigators and not the ghost; Ryder wanted that. I made only one miss, but I was not ready for Ryder’s literalness and to follow fewer colors and shapes. But, I don’t forget that I began leading with Anne. Clint and Annika are in the middle. Lorelei was not connecting with Ryder’s thinking.

(sorry, it’s a bit blurry…it was the ghost thing)

The ghost sends art images (cards) to the various psychic investigators in Mysterium. You can find the suspect, location, and weapon options for the suspects. One last set of clues was shared, and secret votes were taken. Anne and I picked the murder, and since we were the most aligned with the ghost, our pick was the deciding one, and we all won. Clint and Annika missed, and Lorelei was wrong too but picked another, meaning a tie that Anne and I broke and won the game. An excellent board game but not easy and can be ego-bruising. We did not use the timer, which makes for a more fun game, especially with younger folks.

I left after that and soon was sleeping after a shower. I did not wake up until I heard my alarm at 7.

Thanks for reading!