summer's last hurrah

 We had a plan to visit Maine before school started.  But then Hurricane Irene blew through the area, and we had to put our plan on hold.  

So we went to the Champlain Valley Fair instead. 

 

Then we decided it would be fun to do a last minute trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire over Labor Day weekend.

Pretty much the first thing we did was visit the Portsmouth Regional Hospital...

 

...so that Sophie's neck (which she hurt doing somersaults on the bed at the hotel) could be evaluated.  

 

Fortunately, it wasn't serious.  She was diagnosed with an acute cervical strain, and given

some "neck medicine."  Once she could get up, we were discharged, and Sophie spent most of the rest of the weekend looking over her right shoulder.

At that point we considered calling it a weekend and heading home, but Ella really wanted to go see the lighthouse.  So we decided to do that first. 

 

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse

By the time we finished our tour, Sophie seemed to be feeling much better, so we went on with our weekend. 

We picnicked by the beach.

Explored the tide pools.  

And played on the beach until the mosquitoes came out.  

Then we headed down to Hampton Beach to enjoy fireworks, corn dogs, caramel apples and  ice cream cones.

 

On Monday, after doing some shopping and general people watching in Portsmouth, we headed north to York, Maine where we enjoyed lobster rolls and fried clams at the Shore Road Restaurant. 

Mmm...yummy, buttery lobster.

While we were waiting for the Labor day interstate traffic to thin we went and found the Nubble Lighthouse.

 

And then spent the afternoon at the beach.  

Overall, it was a pretty successful way to spend the last days of summer...

...and it appears that autumn has arrived in Vermont!