Nashua with Barbara and Richard

Friday sees us settled into Nashua, New Hampshire where we are visiting with Barbara and Richard Binder. Those of you who are pen people know who Richard is and that for some time our friendship has has gone beyond pens, family to family.

As before Richard and Barbara go beyond perfect hosts to make us feel entirely welcome (as they do for everyone who visits) and to provide a restful enjoyable interlude in this epic journey.

We started a leisurely day with a visit to Harrisville, New Hampshire, an old mill town dating back to 1847. For an American historian who has taught the survey course and lectured on the New England mill towns, it was a treat to actually see one. Barbara and Sharon toured the mill buildings while Richard and I played with cameras.

Barbara and Sharon

From there we went to the Harrisville Designs retail store where Sharon and Barbara played with yarns and fabrics and Richard and I played with cameras and then gave the young woman at the cash register not only money but an impromptu lecture on pens (well she asked). After that, it was lunch in Peterborough, another mill town, a stop in the (very good) local bookstore and back home by late afternoon.