Prescott Park in the pink

In the past 20 years the city of Portsmouth, NH has changed quite a bit. It's become more commercial, evidenced by the Gap (which not surprisingly went under) and Starbucks. The downtown has been completely renovated while still maintaining a sense of charming old New England. Tourists and residents alike have benefited from the results. (Exeter REALLY needs to do the same) More people have moved into the area as well so it's a much busier city than it used to be too. My daughter loves to eat at the Friendly Toast with friends, while my personal favorite cafe is still Popovers.

Portsmouth is a wonderful city to stroll through on a warm summers evening as it's not to large and fairly easy to get around. Many unique shops and art galleries have moved in, not to mention restaurants and places to get an ice cream. 20 years ago I was fairly hip to where to grab a bite to eat or go for dinner ... why the Rusty Hammer of course. Now, I don't even have a clue.

While there may be a lot that has changed in the city, one thing that hasn't really changed much in the past 20 years is Prescott Park. Oh how I adore Prescott Park. If you've ever been there during the height of the summer, when the gardens are in full bloom, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

With all the rain we've received in the northeast, what little Spring we've had has been on the late side. Many tree's came into bloom only to have their delicate petals washed away before they could truly be savored. Luckily I managed to capture some blooms under overcast skies in between the rain drops.

This Thursday I, along with a handful of other New England bloggers, have been fortunate enough to have been invited to a day long Bloggers Retreat in Rhode Island and Massachusetts! Tomorrow afternoon I'll be driving down to Rhode Island to stay overnight at a lovely farm. Seeing as how it's a 2-1/2 hour drive, there's just no way I'd want to chance driving through Boston traffic Thursday morning and risk not getting there by the 9:00 am meet-up time.

When I come back you can be sure there will be plenty to tell you about!

Till then, here's hoping there's a little sunshine in your world. We're STILL hoping for some here in New England!