I promised we’d do fun things after I retired July 31, giving it a fancy moniker, “the “Summer of Wow (SOW).”

A day in Portsmouth was our first destination. We were busy bees:

• a delectable lunch at Googie’s

• a stroll along the Prescott Park waterfront to watch the boats go by, climb the whale sculpture and see the beautiful flowers. “Stop and smell the roses,” is a famous saying that urges us to take the time to enjoy the simple things in life.

• the highlight of our day, a cruise on the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbour aboard the famous Gundalow.  You were busy swabbing the decks, steering the boat and learning some maritime history.  After an afternoon at sea, we cooled down on a hot August day at Kilwin’s eating waffle cone ice cream treats.