We were under both a flood and tornado watch today, and I waited out the day again in Haverhill. The tornado watch has now been lifted and tomorrow’s weather is supposed to be nice, so I plan to leave in the morning for a relatively short (~20 miles) ride to Lyme, NH. My plan is to make it to Ticonderoga, NY by the end of the week.

First Congregational Church UCC is right across from the Deep Sleep Inn, about a block away, and I noticed there was going to be a 10:30 a.m. service there today despite a notice on the door to the contrary. I decided to check it out.

The church was built in 1827 by the Methodist Episcopal Society and sold two years later to the Congregational Church for $3,000–I’m not sure why. The church is very well-maintained and quite beautiful in a simple, non-ostentatious way. There were only 10 people in the congregation, almost all quite elderly. (Yes, even older than I am!) This was a bit sad, and I worry about the future of this church, which has now been in existence almost 200 years.

I understand that there has recently been a change in pastors at the church, which may account for the low attendance. Today’s preacher, Rev. Bret Myers, was a guest, and I thought delivered an inspirational sermon. I talked to him and several parishioners after the service and learned that Rev. Myers at one time rode a bike across the U.S. in a group of about 60 people as part of a benefit for hunger relief.

Depicted below is Sam, one of the proprietors of the Deep Sleep Inn who also works at the post office in Lyme. I would have photographed his partner Gabby as well, but she is out of town today. Sam made an excellent “breakfast bowl” for me this morning that was about as much as I usually eat in a week’s worth of breakfasts. He also got some Chinese takeout for our dinner tonight, definitely above and beyond the normal call of duty for a B&B. I spent three days in Haverhill waiting out the bad weather, but Sam and Gabby certainly helped make my three-night stay a very pleasant experience.