New England Saturday - A day at Hampton Beach

I remember when I was a young girl in the 1970's I'd get very excited when my parents told me the family was going to Hampton Beach. Mind you, the New Hampshire coastline is not long, (it's the shortest state coastline in the U.S.) but I think it was the simple ambience of going to the beach that I loved.

My family would leave in the morning after packing picnic/lunches, towels, umbrellas, and sun tan lotion – along with my pails and shovels. What made the day really special though is meeting up with my granny, grandpa, Auntie Sue and the rest of my family. I loved riding the waves (even though the water was always cold!) scouring the rocks for muscles, crabs, and lobsters, building sandcastles, and playing on the playgrounds. Hampton Beach is full of fond memories, so any chance I have to visit, I always try.

Once I left NH and joined the Army, I definitely missed visiting the ocean. There's something about the water that is beautiful and in that beauty, calming and peaceful.

I've been back a handful of times and while the beach hasn't changed much in it's look and appearance, it certainly has gotten busier.

The Hampton Beach Village District formed in 1907 with the goal of providing electricity to the summer tourists.


In 1988, the chamber of commerce organized the Hampton Beach seafood festival. It's held the weekend after Labor Day to extend the summer season. The event helps local non-profits and has earned "One of the top 100 events in North America."

The chamber of commerce also sponsors a sand sculpting competition. Established in 2011, the contest starts 15 June and lasts until 23 June this year.

There's a lot more stuff to do and if you're in the area, you can visit http://www.hamptonbeach.org/ for more info.

The last time I went to Hampton Beach was August 2010. It was bittersweet. My sister and son, Andrew, were with me. Andrew's a California boy, so I think he was a little homesick. He dipped his feet in the Atlantic Ocean, but that was it – he didn't dare to go further. He thought the waves would suck him in. Maybe next time I'll get him on the rocks to go crab hunting.

Question for you: I'd love to hear about your favorite beach. Drop me a line and share your memories. I'll pick one lucky winner to receive a PDF copy of my free read, Moonlight Sonata.

References:
http://www.hamptonbeach.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton_Beach,_New_Hampshire

NH Sunday - Hampton Beach

Hampton Beach - I'll always remember it as fondly as a remember a New Hampshire summer. Sigh...

Did you know? New Hampshire has the smallest coastline in the USA - only 9 miles. Trust me, Rhode Island has much more. But Hampton Beach has a part of that coastline. It's a place many in the state flock to during the summer time and back in the mid to late 1970's, my family did too.

I'll always have fond memories of Hampton Beach. They also give me good memories of my family. Just like Bear Brook, my family would pack up the car, stuff the ice chest, pack the chairs and beach umbrellia and we were off. It took about an hour to get to Hampton Beach using the state highway. I think it was the 101 but I could be wrong. During the peak season in the summer time, I remember that traffic would get backed up leaving and arriving. My dad always wanted to leave early to get there and then stay late to avoid the "rush."

Of course my granny and grandpa would be there. Most of the times Auntie Sue was there with Uncle Gary, Emily & Matt. Uncle Mark or Uncle Rusty would come sometimes.

Ah, the 1970's. The world seemed carefree to a little butterfly like me, but even back then it was complicated. Fleetwood Mac rocked. Vietnam was just ending, and everyone believed that Jimmy Carter would be a great president. Poor Ford. Inflation was crazy, and drugs, well drugs were avaliable back then just like they are now.

We'd get to the beach, park, and usually we used the public parking. I remember the public parking was relatively inexpensive, but I could be wrong. Sometimes we used the parking lots for $5.00. We'd lug our stuff down to the beach and set up the chairs, blankets and beach umbrella. Sometimes we'd rent one.

After a cooler packed lunch it was time to play in the water. It was usually cold, but not umcomfortly so. We'd play frizbee. Auntie Sue and I would make sand castles or make holes in the sand and bury me in them. Sometimes we'd walk the rocks and look for starfish and lobsters. My dad liked to catch the lobsters.

Sometimes we'd walk the boardwalk and window shop, and get an ice cream. At the end of the day we'd wash off the sand and lug our stuff back to the car. It was fun watching the tide come and in out. And it always came in so quickly!

I loved riding the waves. I was a little fish back then.

In the early to mid 1990's, I had a couple of opportunities to go back to Hampton Beach. I took my husband one time. He thought the water was cold. It was hard for me to impart the love I had for the beach to him, and I don't think he every really understood the appeal of the beach. The memories, I suppose. How can I share happy memories when he wasn't really there? He does have a love for the beach, growing up an hour away from the Pacific and we both love the water, but even with that, he found little appealing about Hampton's shore or it's boardwalk. Maybe it was just too East Coast for him?

Anyway, I look forward to the day when I can take my boys, Andrew & Joe. And maybe share some memories with them. I'll have to dig into the photo album to see what I can find. Maybe Auntie Sue has some more photos...

Smiles,

Steph