Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. ∼Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is really the third and final part of the New England Nostalgia Tour, which it’s high time I finished, since I still have to tell you about the visit to Chelsea two weeks ago. Sheesh. Better get busy.

By Monday, the 12th (October, of course), everyone had headed back home, and we had done all we could to help Helen–except, of course, vacate the premises, so she could empty the fridge and cabinets and have the water shut off. We had hoped to see our friends at Four Legged Farm, but couldn’t get in touch with them. And worse, online it looks like they may no longer be there. Hope all is well with them.

So Tuesday morning we packed up and headed back to the coast . . .

. . . for a bit of nostalgia further north. That evening we had a stunningly fabulous dinner at the Bridge Street Bistro in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which seemed to promise good things for our little unexpected coastal jaunt. Although we have never lived on the east coast, over the years we did occasionally take our girls to Ogunquit, Maine, to this exact beach, as a matter of fact . . .

. . . during summer visits to Sunapee, so they could see the majesty of the ocean and dip a toe in the frigid waters of the Atlantic. Who knew the north Atlantic could be this blue?

I thought this kind of color was reserved for the Florida Keys, so super bonus.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting. ∼Ralph Waldo Emerson

We had a glorious couple of days enjoying coastal blues and views, not to mention a bit more New England fall foliage, choosing back roads or in this case, as-close-to-the-water-as-possible roads, and between York and Ogunquit, Maine, we found the Nubble Lighthouse, then stumbled upon a beautiful stone church, St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, stopping to enjoy the memorial garden . . . .

So lots of rambling, loads of seafood, and even a return to Newburyport . . .

. . . for lunch on the way to the Boston airport. A wonderful finish for our sixteen days in New England. We enjoyed our time with friends and family, seeing familiar sights and discovering new ones.

I’ll leave you with a few more quotes from old Bostonian, Ralph Waldo Emerson:

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.

Wishing you your best day . . . and then another . . . and another . . . .