The very last thing we expected to find while looking for parking in downtown Portsmouth, NH, was a submarine.  But there it sat.  Smack dab in the middle of the grass just to the left of our wrong turn.  It wasn’t on our agenda for the day, but what the hell?  Happening upon unexpected stuff is something we always hope for.  So that is how we ended up on the USS Albacore, a 1950s experimental submarine.  Mostly what we discovered onboard is that neither one of us is cut out for submarine duty.  This thing makes our RV look like the Taj Mahal, only with worse plumbing.  Over the past month we’ve learned to make the most of our holding tanks by conserving water, but when out to sea, sailors on the Albacore were limited to “one shower per week, whether needed or not.”  Whether needed or not?  There were fifty guys crammed into a really tiny space with poor ventilation.  I suppose once everyone’s olfactory nerves are destroyed from the stench, nobody really needs a shower any longer.

After that short detour we eventually found our way to downtown Portsmouth.  This is our kind of city; small enough to be manageable on foot but large enough to have the vibrant pulse a city should.  With it’s smattering of attractive colonial architecture, we could easily envision settling down here, at least for the summer months.  Portsmouth also reportedly has one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per-capita in the country.  I’m doubtful of the distinction, but they do have a lot, which is certainly a plus.  We, of course, chose Portsmouth Brewery for dinner where we had a couple of craft beers that were delish and pulled pork sandwiches that were just ah-right.

The “anchor” of the evening was live blues and jazz music on Pleasant Street performed by T.J. Wheeler & The Smokers.  For eight years now, Pro-Portsmouth, has arranged a free, open air, concert series called “Summer in the Street.”  They stage several concerts over the course of the summer with music ranging from “Texas Swing” to Jazz.

Pull up a chair and enjoy the show (or at least a very short sampling) . . .