Guess what y’all? We’re going to Sam’s childhood home! We’ll get to meet her family and the places she knows.
Friday afternoon: We’re in Portsmith, New Castle Island, New Hampshire. This is Sam’s hometown. She says she loves coming back though as a teen, she couldn’t wait to leave. And she has teen pictures to share!
First, Sam stops at Flo’s for some hot dogs. The woman behind the counter is the daughter-in-law of Flo and Sam was served by the founder. Everyone remembers Flo, who was no-nonsense. Sam says that Flo’s secret sauce is well-known and when she started bottling it, the fandom rejoiced! Sam gets two hot dogs and they play “Auld Lang Syne” as she takes her first bite. Okay…Sam admits she served Flo’s hot dogs at her wedding. And I believe her. Sam gets to jump behind the camera and gets some ribbing from the locals. She gets a thumbs up and hug from Kim, the owner.
Sam arrives at Portsmith, which was founded in 1623 according to the sign. Sam goes to the original settlement of Strawberry Bank. Sam learns that her giant flagpole was actually a liberty pole erected in honor of the Declaration of Independence. Huzzah! Anyway, Sam shows us more pictures—including her prom picture and jokes she still has the dress. Lose the flowers and it could’ve been her wedding dress.
Friday night: Sam talks about how the food scene in Portsmith has changed but tonight, she’s going to Jumpin’ Jay’s for a special date. It’s her dad! Aww. He’s glad she was able to do one of her shows in her hometown. They agree you could go to New Hampshire all year long. He talks about the restaurant scene and the menu. They dig into their dinner. They moved to Portsmith in 1987, the year after I was born! Dad promises her a place to stay and a refrigerator to raid.
Coming Up: Snow and beer.
Saturday morning: Snow! Ugh, I’ve seen a lot of that. Sam and her best friend Robin hit Pat’s Peak to relive their ski team days. Both women haven’t been skiing in a while. Sam says there’s no pressure, just a camera. Which captures her wipeout. They go for an easier trail. The second run, she’s better.
Saturday afternoon: Now that she’s all grown up, Sam heads for a brewery. Of course. She meets one of the master brewer, Todd, for a tour. He says their most popular beer is a cream beer, which is what Sam calls “a chick beer.” She then gets to try their famous beer—Kate the Great. She says it’s great after three weeks but usually ages four months.
Saturday night: She gets a sampler platter of Portsmith Brewery’s beers with Todd and the owner, Peter. She remembers the day it opened because she tried to get a job as a waitress and was turned down. “To our eternal shame,” Peter says. He explains how important beer has been to the New Hampshire economy all the way back to colonial days. Then they get a-drinking. Sam won’t let him forget he didn’t give her a job, though.
Coming Up: Breakfast and Boats.
Sunday morning: And Sam’s hungover. But she meets her sister at the Friendly Toast. She meets the owner, Melissa, who is in all green—including her boots. She used to be an English teacher but decided to open a breakfast place. Sam asks about the décor, which apparently came from the Salvation Army. Even the specials board got redesigned. Melissa defends her decorating skills and Sam says her menu is great. There is even green eggs and ham. Her sister is ready to go to town with a ready excuse: She’s pregnant. They go for pancakes, oozing with peanut butter and wrapped in bacon. She and Katie enjoy them.
Afterwards, Sam is still miraculously walking. She decides to visit a shop owned by Captain Bob and his wife Natalie. She’s never been there but figures she might as well go in now. Bob shows her the tugboat he bought as a midlife crisis. Natalie agreed because it was cute. So they also opened Tugboat Alley, a little shop dedicated to all things tugs and nautical. There are a lot of people who like tugboats—after all, there is a Tugboat Enthusiast Society. Sam buys something and leaves.
Coming Up: Sam’s weekend ends.
Sunday afternoon: Sam goes to a lighthouse to get a picture for her computer screensaver. The water, I must say, is really blue out there. She then hops a beach to meet with her family. And they walk the dog on the beach while Sam torments her sister.
And Sam’s weekend home comes to an end. It was sweet and the town she grew up in looked really picturesque. I found it a lovely episode and it was so nice to see Sam’s family. What did you think?
Quote of the Episode
“This is so strange”—Sam’s Dad.
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