Scenes from Portsmouth, NH
JohnBreneman.com
Strategic Fortitude, a salt ship under the flag of Singapore, unloads its grainy cargo at Granite State Minerals in Portsmouth, NH. (Records show she is 590 feet long and 98 feet wide.)
Salt Ship [Poetry in Slow-Motion]
Mesmerizing …
is one word to express the sensation
of watching colossal salt ships from faraway ports
move the grainy cargo from their bellies
onto the mountains of snow-melting minerals
that rise and fall by the river
Massive cranes reach deep inside
fill the jaws of their hinged, hanging shovels
that swing like pendulums over to the pile
and release — whuusssh!
waves of sand
flow in slow motion
a briny zen garden
on our working waterfront

From here you can see the tide
turn like a door on its hinges.
We’re just going out.
Do you want anything
from the ocean?
– Robert Dunn 

 

From here on this pier near the river
you can see the Portsmouth poet
Robert Dunn’s words about
the ebb. and flow. of life.

Scenes from the Piscataqua River … Special thanks for the seagull soundtrack.

Anybody want to go for a virutal bike ride ?
In times like these, a Portsmouth bicycle stroll can be good for the soul. 
We’ll visit a fun selection of local attractions … 
So grab your virtual helmet, and let’s roll. 
Here we are on the Peirce Island boat launch pier, gazing across the Piscataqua River at the South End … home to Geno’s Chowder Shop and the historic Wentworth-Gardner House (1760). 
The stone sculpture at Four Tree Island has stood sentinel here since 1492, give or take a few centuries. (“For Those Who Sailed Here To Find A New Life” — says the inscription)
Social distancing … is easier when you live on an island, one supposes.  
Love the symbolism of this heavy, rusty anchor chain … 
Goin’ Fishin … A flurry of seafaring activity aboard the Julie Ann III down at the Portsmouth Fish Pier.   
Everybody loves the cool anchor at the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion. Hey, what’s that beat-up, 40-year-old mountain bike doing in the picture?
There’s the North Church. There’s the steeple. There’s downtown Portsmouth. Here’s the view from City Hall, people.