It’s time I gave my home base of Bradford a little love.  Sure, sure, we’re officially “a former town,” and now exist only as a neighborhood within greater Haverhill. But, we still cling to our small town dreams, even managing to hold on to our very own zip code and exit off of 495.

Bradford is the sleepier, suburban side of Haverhill.  I love the mix of cozy bungalows, farm houses, and victorian homes (often on the same street), and the fact that a few streets still retain the old fashioned street lamps.

I moved here with my husband so we could have a house with a yard and a dog that we could walk through a quiet neighborhood, and happily, it’s mission accomplished. Yesterday the weather was so nice we spent most of the day enjoying all three of those things, and I brought along my camera to document some of  the colorful things we encountered along the way.

Close-up of some purple porch pansies.

Bucket of tulips: no witty caption required.

Then I rounded the corner and, Oh, wow! It looks like one of THE SHOES has retired to my neighborhood! Pretty cool, and definitely colorful. I wonder what it’s doing hanging out in Bradford next to a pile of trash?

City ordinance: all giant fiberglass shoe waste must be taken to Primrose St.

And just so the downtown won’t get jealous, here are a few more urban colorful spots we’ve encountered on our weekend walks.

Um, aren't you going to tag "excuse me?"

King Newman

Haverhill Rainbow

I’m really digging this rainbow, affixed to the wall along the river behind Merrimack St. Those are some pretty groovy clouds. What do you suppose is at the other end?